Language matters. If we take little care of the terms we aspire to, our results will be mixed and we won’t understand why. The more specific our language, the more specific our outcomes.

Generally speaking, we like things to be simple. Increasingly, we are learning that the world—and the problems in it—are complex. Too often when we think aspirationally, we treat qualities and traits like goals to be achieved.

In business, we want more engagement, trust, and learning. But those aren’t goals, they are by-products of a responsive, healthy system. Those terms are being replaced by new ones like resilience and grit. The good news is that all these terms are part of research seeking answers to similar questions of: “How do we get more of that?”

There is much research suggesting that these qualities are needed in a variety of fields, from banking, journalism, law, medicine, and business—to the arts. The definitions of almost all qualities and traits are fought over in academia, but here is my take on these definitions for our purposes.

Resilience is a term most widely favored in psychology and is characterized by the bounce-back ability of individuals who return to a similar shape, form, and condition after misfortune, harm, or injury. Article.
Grit is a noncognitive trait involving passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Athletes and people in the military, above all, require grit. Whatever the situation, no matter how hard it gets, they must attain their goal. Resilience may not be helpful to such individuals, and internal growth is not necessarily required. Article.
Fortitude is defined as the strength to manage stress and stay well and this strength derives from an appraisal of the self, the family, and support from others. The interesting aspect of this term is its inherent systems perspective, starting with the individual—>out. It is sometimes interpreted as courage, and like grit, it does not generally imply a desired state of happiness, just a determination not to give in to adversity. Article.
Adaptability involves changing to manage under new conditions. Adaptability can explain a different kind of resilience and one that may be necessary to cope with unforeseen futures. Resilience through adaptability emerges through decisions to leave a path that may have proven successful in the past in favor of a new, related or alternative trajectory. This different kind of resilience carries a series of substantive challenges in developing capacities and tolerances to deal with uncertainties. Article.

What we don’t see on the resumes we review or the job descriptions we want is the litany of emotional entanglements we bring to our roles, uninvited, to the team and organizations we work in. Alongside technical skills, people who can master a range of subjective skills are better able to influence, deal with ambiguity, bounce back from setbacks, think creatively, and manage themselves in the presence of setbacks. In short, those who learn lead.

Observing subjective qualities in others past and present gives us a mental picture of the behaviors we want to practice. Each figure in the Profiles in Craft series illustrates a quality researched from The Look to Craftsmen Project. When practiced as part of our day-to-day, these qualities will help us develop our mastery in our lives and work.