What’s in the Salesforce Secret Sauce?

What makes a ballerina, a world-class chef, or a civic activist great? Psychologist Angela Duckworth says the answer is GRIT — a power combo of passion and perseverance. I would argue – that GRIT is also the Secret Sauce for any current or aspiring Salesforce Professional.

Recently, I listened to cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar interview Dr. Angela Duckworth for the podcast, “A Slight Change of Plans.” Together they discussed what does it mean to be “Gritty” and how to cultivate and channel this mindset.

While a person’s natural ability and access to opportunity might give them a great start towards their dreams or aspirations, Duckworth proposes that this combo alone might not always get one to the finish line. When it comes to reaching big goals, it can often come down to focusing on what we can control, our effort, rather than our natural ability or some magical “X” factor.

Duckworth defines this concept as “GRIT” or the combination of passion and perseverance over the long term.

Oftentimes, I hear new Salesforce professionals proclaiming – “Maybe I just don’t have what it takes to do this? Maybe I am too (insert: inexperienced, old, out of my league, untechy, etc…)?”

In the Salesforce ecosystem, I believe that GRIT can be one of the most powerful tools in your tool box. The ability to preserve, to dig deep – this can get you far. But how do you cultivate GRIT? Dr. Duckworth gives us some insight:

How to cultivate GRIT?

Find Out What Interests You. In the Salesforce ecosystem, what do you find exciting? How can you see using Salesforce to help people? What problems are you interested in using Salesforce to solve? Asking these questions can help drive your direction in the ecosystem and overcome hard challenges.
Go All In. Being a Salesforce professional is no easy task. It’s a big ecosystem with many moving parts. To be successful you need to commit. To engage in focused practice of your craft and set clear goals.
Thing About the Big Picture. Why have you committed to a Salesforce career? Understanding your “Why” is critical to your success. Write it down. Put it in a place you can see everyday.
Cultivate a Growth Mindset. There will be times in your Salesforce journey that you might fail. You might not know the answer to a solution. You might be overwhelmed. What do you do in these moments? How do you respond? Cultivating a growth mindset will put you in a place of continuous learning. You can take these opportunities as data in and course correct your solution. Growth mindset puts us in a place to take on the challenge, even if it’s hard (especially if it’s hard), persevere, and overcome.

After we learn to cultivate GRIT, Duckworth asserts four ways in which we can channel grit in the right way – through deliberate practice.

1. Create Micro Goals vs. General Goals. The goal to “become a Salesforce Professional” can often be overwhelming and daunting. To make progress, one must outline smaller, more manageable and actionable steps.
2. Focus 100%. It can be so easy to become distracted on this journey. There is an overwhelming amount of information. Thus, once you have your micro goals, it is important to put full focus towards them. This might look like high focus for just a few hours a day without social media or other distractions.
3. Encourage and Be Open To Feedback. Finding ways to understand where you are in the process is important. This might mean taking a practice test for your next Salesforce exam or talking through a problem with a trusted friend. Find ways to encourage feedback and be open to the results and course correcting your approach.
4. Repeat the Cycle.

Cultivating GRIT can be a hard process – there are many temptations to our self control! So how do you set yourself up for success? Dr. Duckworth recommends these powerful tactics:

Change Your Situation. Create the right environment to manage your self control. Maybe you need to find a quiet space for an hour at a time to study or maybe you need someone to take away your phone so you can give 100% focus. Identify the situation in which you will be the most successful.
Change Your Attention. Make sure you are making the most of your time by focusing on the right things. Perhaps you are taking practice test after practice test, but not actually spending time to understand the right and wrong answers. Is your attention in the most effective place?
Change How You Think About The Thing. Oftentimes I hear from students, I just have to learn enough to “pass” the Salesforce Exams. I would argue that’s the wrong way to think about it. You need to study and understand like you are shooting for 100% on your Salesforce Exam – full understanding, not 60%. Make sure you are thinking about the goal from the right perspective.
Make A Plan. Without actionable steps, goals are just lofty ideas. Make sure that you are clear about what steps you need to take to move forward and when and where you are going to take those steps.

So what’s the Secret Sauce to becoming and being the best Salesforce Professional? The unique combination of passion and perseverance over the long term. GRIT can get you far. How are you cultivating this essential skill?

For more from Dr. Angela Duckworth, see her TED Talk, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.”