Jeff Bussgang wrote a great post about grit. It’s a word that I’ve been thinking about since reading it.

It’s an important topic, as I’ve seen that the teams that persevere the most tend to do better. Having grit does not guarantee success, but it certainly ups the odds.

I’ve also seen many examples of personal grit. For me, “grit” is:

• My friend Andrew Lau and his wife, who are getting up a few times each and every night to nurse their newborn
• Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg giving 20 speeches in 12 days, and then, flying to Europe to do the same (she is speaking this Friday in Boston)
• Our founders at OwnerIQ, led by Jay Habegger, who overcame many skeptics, including a few on his Board, to pivot the company and is now on a roll
• People battling addictions, anxiety disorders, depression, discrimination and difficult childhoods

The more I think about it, the more I think we all have been, are, or will be in situations that require grit.

Challenges are inevitable. It is how we choose to respond to them that will make all the difference.