Grit means something different to everyone. To me, it’s choosing action when things get tough.

It’s common to show up with enthusiasm when everything is working, but what about when it’s not? What about when there is a bump in the road?

It takes grit to stay the course and find a new way forward. Persistent energy despite friction is rare. It creates momentum where others accept defeat.

Sometimes that means hammering out the mundane with enthusiasm until the levy breaks. Other times it means taking a quick step back to assess before urgently executing a new plan. Regardless, it almost always means taking action in the face of uncertainty.

I had a football coach growing up who loved to say, “If you don’t know what to do on a play, just hit somebody.”

He would usually yell this during a film session when a player was clearly lost and confused. He would replay it over and over and just show them standing there. Those players were choosing inaction. His point was that it would always be better to hit someone on a play than to just watch everything fly by you in confusion.

He was right. Doing nothing always made it worse!

The goal of his verbal lashing was to program us to do something even when we were confused. It was to instill the message so deep that we would recognize it in ourselves if we were confused on a play. The moment that it happened to you, you would panic, but instead of freezing you would take action.

This lesson was intentional. Why did he care so much? By training the team to recognize a mistake mid-flight and lean into effort, the mistakes were often less impactful. Those little efforts throughout the game add up and make a big difference.

I think this mindset serves as a great analogy for the best teams in business. The easiest thing to do when things aren’t going well is to shut down, pull away, and go through the motions. By choosing action, you can redirect frustration in a purposeful way that moves you and your company forward. Too many sit still and wait for someone to tell them what to do.

The Gritty ones pick themselves up, make a new plan, and get after it with urgency!

“A good plan executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” -General George S. Patton

This issue is a reminder for myself and anyone else who needs to keep moving forward. I hope it helps you too!

(P.S. That coach led us to 3 state championships over 3 years, with only one loss. Yes it was New Hampshire Football. Yes we thought we were in Texas and Yes I feel like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite every time I mention it. You’re welcome.)

Winrate Update!

We’ve been approached by an incredible VC that I deeply respect with a seed stage term sheet. More on this soon!

The product is really coming along too and with it our messaging is becoming more clear. So what’s the latest? Winrate helps companies engage, win, and retain their customers over Slack and Microsoft teams.

Next issue will go deeper here!

🔊 Spotify Playlist of the Week