麻豆传媒入口

LEXINGTON, Va., Oct. 30, 2018鈥擠on鈥檛 accept self-limiting beliefs. Practice the things you鈥檙e not good at. Then go back and practice them some more. Learn from failure and negative feedback. Most of all, be realistically optimistic鈥攁nd seek to uplift others, not just yourself.

Those were the key concepts that Milana Hogan, chief legal talent officer at Sullivan & Cromwell LLC, shared with attendees at the 麻豆传媒入口Center for Leadership and Ethics鈥� 2018 Leadership Conference, 鈥淕rit and the American Character.鈥� Hogan was the first speaker in VMI鈥檚 newly established Caroline Dawn Wortham 鈥�12 lecture series. The series honors the life and legacy of Wortham, a humanitarian activist who died in 2015 at the age of 26 after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle in Hanover County, Virginia.

鈥淪he had a total sense of mission in life,鈥� recalled her father, Dr. Edwin Wortham V, who came to post to attend the inaugural lecture. 鈥淣othing stopped that girl.鈥�

Following graduation from Richmond鈥檚 all-female St. Catherine鈥檚 School in 2008, Wortham sought a new challenge and matriculated at VMI, plunging into all that the Institute had to offer. Not only was she one of the founding members of Keydets Without Borders, traveling to Bolivia with that organization, she also served as the regimental S-2 captain (academics) and was captain of the women鈥檚 track and field team. She was a recipient of the Society of the Cincinnati Medal, given by the faculty to a member of the graduating class distinguished for efficiency of service and excellence of character.

After graduating from VMI, Wortham lived and worked in Haiti, where she strove to improve prenatal care for pregnant women. The Carrie Wortham Birth Center in Cabestor, Haiti, opened shortly after her death.

Dr. Edwin Wortham said that he hopes the lecture series will help current cadets to draw inspiration from his daughter鈥檚 legacy of service. 鈥淚f [Carrie] were here, she would say, 鈥楧ad, it鈥檚 not about me. It鈥檚 about what we can do to serve the world and make a difference,鈥欌�� he stated.

Serving the world, though, is an enormous undertaking, and one requiring that strength of character known as grit鈥攚hich is often thought of as an acronym standing for growth, resilience, integrity, and tenacity. In her remarks, Hogan spoke about some of the research findings contained in her recently published book, Grit: The Secret to Advancement.

Hogan, who holds an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, defined grit as behavioral perseverance in the face of adversity and the sustained, passionate pursuit of goals.

Seeking to explore the connection between grit and success, Hogan used the example of Roger Federer, the famous Swiss tennis player who鈥檚 won 20 Grand Slam titles. Talent alone didn鈥檛 get Federer to the top of his game, Hogan noted鈥攈e also had a very supportive family and put in the hours and hours of practice necessary to get to the top of his sport. He also failed, over and over again, yet kept going.

鈥淲hatever natural talent you have is only part of the story,鈥� said Hogan. 鈥淧eople of average intelligence and skill can and do become world-class experts and performers.鈥�

Mind, she argued, is just as important as body, if not more so. Hogan stated that a growth mindset free of 鈥渃eilings鈥� or self-limiting beliefs such as 鈥淚鈥檓 just not good at 鈥︹�� is crucial to success, as research has now disproven the idea that intelligence is fixed.

鈥淗aving a growth mindset puts you in a position to engage in gritty behavior,鈥� she commented. 鈥淭he brain is a muscle. The more you work it, the smarter you become.鈥�

Yet there鈥檚 good grit and bad grit. Hogan defined good, authentic grit as 鈥渢he passionate pursuit of hard goals that awes and inspires others to become better people, flourish emotionally, take positive risks, and live their best lives. 鈥� Authentically gritty people are the people who inspire us.鈥�

When thinking of good grit, 鈥淐arrie [Wortham] came to mind over and over again,鈥� said Hogan.  鈥�. Reading about her and what she accomplished after 麻豆传媒入口really resonated with me.鈥�

Bad grit, by contrast, involves taking shortcuts, having 鈥渟ummit fever鈥� and refusing to bow to common sense in the pursuit of goals, and focusing narcissistically on the self.

Building good grit, said Hogan, can be accomplished by getting comfortable with uncertainty, learning how to handle failure and rewarding oneself and others for effort, not outcomes.

鈥淢ost of the time when you鈥檙e getting really good at something, there鈥檚 also failure along the way,鈥� Hogan commented. 鈥淕rit is about playing the long-term game.鈥�

The Leadership Conference concluded Tuesday afternoon with small-group 鈥済rit caf茅鈥� exercises and a speech by Afghanistan war veteran and author James Hatch.

-Mary Price

-VMI-