BEYOND THE SCOREBOARD

BEYOND THE SCOREBOARD
'Why Results Don't Always Show Grit'
Written and Narrated by Paul S. Rogers

​Release The Genie Fact:
The Genie once ran a marathon backwards to see what 2nd place looked like.

We live in a world that is obsessed with metrics, with outcomes taking center stage. Corporate slogans such as “what gets measured gets managed” have taken over. Results need to be visible such as scores, awards, promotions, or profits. However, beneath the surface of results, lies a deeper story, one that numbers cannot always capture. That story is grit. Grit is the perseverance and passion someone brings to their journey. While grit often plays a role in success, results alone don’t always reflect it. Sometimes, grit hides behind the quiet struggles, unseen sacrifices, and unfinished efforts that are no less courageous than the achievements we celebrate.

At first glance, it would seem entirely logical to equate grit with results. After all, perseverance should lead to progress. But life is far more complex. Results depend on a host of factors, circumstances, opportunities, timings, and not mention an element of luck. Someone may work tirelessly for years and still fall short of their goal. Another person may achieve impressive results quickly, not because of deep grit but because of favorable conditions or a lucky break. This started me thinking; what is grit? And how is it made? I have a playful theory on this. You will recall hearing the following phrases or similar… “knock the corners off someone who is new”, “a chip off the old block, being part of the grind”, “working at the coal face,” or “don’t let the b@*$ards grind you down.” All of those sayings generate some tangible material waste from the process.  That waste is real and is your grit.  It is what you use as a source of friction to gain traction. Think of the difference in winter between a gritted and un gritted road. I know which one I prefer.

Like most people, I haven’t purposefully gone looking for grit or those types of “Character Building” experiences. I have found that life is very happy to provide all the tools and lessons needed. Failure and losing is just as part of our existence, as are success and winning. The secret is seeing the lessons these experiences provide.

Grit has also become lumped into the same camp as resilience. I think this is in error. Resilience does not create grit.  Grit is the engine room below resilience and provides the traction that the process of resilience relies on to get back up. Grit is usually an internal, invisible process but occasionally, it can be spotted if you are lucky. It is often most visible in those who continue despite failure. Grit isn’t just physical it is also a mental and emotional thing. Think of Michael J Fox struck down with Parkinson’s at an early age.  Since then he has raised awareness and monies for fighting the disease. Showing his grit he joined Coldplay on their tour in 2024 in front of thousands of people to play guitar on his Back to The Future hit Johnny B Goode.

Maybe we have been asking the wrong questions. Perhaps, instead of asking “What did you achieve?” we should ask, “What did you overcome? What did you learn?” Such questions acknowledge the unseen dimension of grit that results cannot capture. To equate grit with outcomes alone is to miss the essence of what grit is, namely a sustained commitment despite hardship.

​Sometimes the grittiest decision is to let go, to pivot, or to redefine success altogether. Our culture tends to celebrate perseverance when it leads to triumph, but what about instead when it leads to wisdom? Walking away from a pursuit that no longer aligns with your values or well-being can require immense courage. The results of such a choice may look like “failure” to outsiders, but internally it represents the highest form of grit: the willingness to honor one’s limits and redirect energy toward a healthier path.

Grit is not a one-time deal; it is a pattern of being. Results freeze a single moment in time, but grit stretches across the long arc of life. Someone may have no visible achievements today, yet the persistence they demonstrate could be laying the groundwork for future growth. Their grit is real, even if the results have not materialized…yet. To dismiss their effort because of a temporary lack of outcomes is to overlook the slow, steady work of transformation that defines resilience.

In the end, results are important, but they are not the whole picture. They can reflect grit, but they can also obscure it. True grit resides in the effort, the endurance, and the refusal to quit in the face of hardship. To recognize grit, we must look beyond the scoreboard and into the lived experience of those who persist. Only then do we see the deeper story that numbers cannot measure, but that speaks profoundly to the strength of the human will. ∎

Listen to the podcast episode