WEDNESDAY, May 4
10:15 aM - 11:30 AM
aurora ballroom A, level 2

sponsored by VERISK

GRITTY BY DESIGN: A Culture of High Performance Built on Purpose, Practice, and Process

In a world where disruption, volatility, uncertainty, and change never cease, GRIT is more critical than ever. Recent studies show no other trait to be more predictive of success, or career satisfaction than GRIT. Yet it remains an elusive quality—ephemeral and grossly misunderstood.

In the face of challenge, most teams and organizations turn instinctively to willpower. They GRIND. This is the hustle culture: late nights, skipped meals, exhaustion. GRIND ultimately leads to burnout and is not a long-term success strategy.

Contrary to popular belief, GRIT is akin to a flow state, aligned more with joy and grace than suffering and dogged determination. If teams and individuals learn to focus on a few simple fundamentals – Purpose, Practice and Process – their inner GRIT will flourish, naturally. True GRIT lives within us all.

Having led teams through unthinkable challenges (high- altitude storms, debilitating injuries, helicopter crashes, hostage takings), Bruce Kirkby’s entertaining and visually stunning keynote is peppered with stories of high adventure—a powerful reminder of the GRIT that lies within.

Bruce Kirkby, Acclaimed Explorer | Writer | Photographer