high-achieving women lawyers exhibit grit
“often as a direct result of having overcome
challenging obstacles along the path to
leadership positions.” 12
Although women lawyers today face fewer
obstacles than in previous decades, gender-
based barriers to advancement still exist.
These barriers are compounded for women
also facing barriers based on race, religion,
national origin, sexual orientation, gender
identity, disability, and other factors. The
focus on grit and growth mindset is not
intended to detract from crucial efforts to
create systemic change dismantling barriers
that have an unequal and negative impact
upon women lawyers. Instead, the book offers
additional tools women can use to propel
their legal careers forward by conscientiously
cultivating their own fortitude, resilience, and
resolve, and by helping their colleagues do
the same.
In the survey for the book, women indicated
the key to success encompasses traits such as
“‘iron-willed perseverance,’ ‘fire in the belly,’
‘persistence,’ ‘drive and determination,’ and
‘total tenacity.’” 13 As one respondent noted:
I took failure off the table and
determined that going forward I would
find a way to overcome any obstacle in
my path and would work relentlessly to
achieve my ultimate goal. That seemingly
simple shift in my thinking led me to a
new way of working and approaching the
world. 14
I would [encourage] younger attorneys
to . . . be willing to consider risk that is
not reckless but that may provide more
opportunities. Many male attorneys
feel “ready” to take something on when
they are about 60 percent prepared to
do so; for women, they often feel that
they have to be 120 percent ready. That
mindset means we miss out on certain
opportunities, and I would love to help
women change that and be willing to
throw their hats into the ring when they
are 60 percent ready as well. 17
Of course, both women and men who take
such steps forward must then work hard to
gain the knowledge and skills necessary to
succeed in those ventures. In other words,
they must have grit. The women lawyers also
noted the importance of building a strong
support network, developing mentors who
provide advice, and finding champions who
advocate for them, open doors for them, and
help them climb their career trajectories.
In addition to publishing the book, the
Commission launched an entire curriculum
in 2014 called the Grit Project Program
Toolkit. 18 The resources in the toolkit provide
in-depth ideas and strategies women in the
legal profession can use to catapult their
own careers and develop programing to
help others do the same. The Grit Project
encourages state bar associations, local
women lawyers groups, and employers to
provide trainings to help women lawyers
enhance their grit and growth mindset. The
ABA also offers discounts for bulk orders of
“Grit, the Secret to Advancement” and gives
special consideration to state bars and CLE
programs. 19
We hope SBAND members will take
advantage of these resources to bolster their
own grit and growth mindset, and they will
inspire other colleagues to follow their lead.
1. Angela L. Duckworth et al., Grit: Perseverance and
Passion for Long Term Goals, 92 J. PERSONALITY &
SOC. PSYCHOL. 1087, 1087 (2007)
2. Id.
3. Id.
4. Id. at 1088.
5. Id. at 1087, 1089.
6. ANGELA DUCKWORTH, GRIT: THE POWER OF
PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE 10-12 (2016).
7. CAROL S. DWECK, MINDSET: THE NEW
PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS 6 (2006).
8. Id.
9. Id. at 58-59.
10. Id. at 98-99.
11. Id.
12. Milana L. Hogan, GRIT, THE SECRET TO
ADVANCEMENT: STORIES OF SUCCESSFUL
WOMEN LAWYERS 24 (2017).
13. Id. at 25.
14. Id. at 117.
15. Id.
16. Id. at 271.
17. Id. at 116.
18. See Grit Project Toolkit, available at www.ambar.org/
grit. For more information about the ABA’s launch of the
Grit Project Program Toolkit, see http://www.abajournal.
com/magazine/article/true_grit_a_new_aba_project_helps_
women_learn_personal_characteristics_that.
19. HOGAN, supra note 12, at ii.
The stories in the book show successful
women lawyers exhibit a willingness to
stretch themselves, take risks and confront
challenges, and then pick themselves back up
and keep moving forward when the outcome
does not initially go their way. 15 Employing
a growth mindset enables them “to be less
afraid of – and therefore less deterred by –
failure because they recognize that failure
presents an opportunity for learning and
improvement.” 16 They adopt a willingness to
go outside of their comfort zones, put in the
deliberate practice needed to develop new
skills, maintain openness to learning from
mistakes, and embrace optimism about their
ultimate success. As another attorney stated:
FALL 2018 15