The Case for Non-Traditional MBA Candidates: Part 3 Passion + Perseverance = Performance

This is the third part in my series on MBA candidates with non traditional backgrounds and why they make great employees. Here are Part 1 and Part 2.

According to research, children from low-income families are 2x more likely to have a learning disability, repeat grades, or drop out of school altogether. People of color are half as likely to have completed a college degree and hold significantly less wealth. Children from divorced households are more likely to have lower GPAs, resulting in lower educational attainment, and lower incomes as adults. Children that experience substance or alcohol abuse in their household are up to 3x more likely to become abusers themselves. Only 26% of children whose parents did not go to college will earn a degree themselves. This is compared to 70% of children who have at least one parent with a college degree.

I've been hearing statistics like these my entire life. Without diving into all the details, let's say I can check a lot of boxes. How about you? According to all the research, I should not be where I am today. I should be in jail, on drugs, or worse. Instead, I am a statistical anomaly; an outlier. Despite the circumstances, research, and probabilities stacked against me, I found a way to thrive. How?

In her research, Wharton professor Angela Duckworth found an incredibly strong and overlooked predictor of success. It is not talent, intelligence, or natural ability. It is not strictly related to household wealth, race, education, or other socioeconomic factors. Instead, it is a factor that she named "Grit". Duckworth defines grit as the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals. Some of us possess an innate, burning fire, fueled by our desire to achieve more despite the circumstances. It's more than tenacity; it's an unwavering commitment to our goals and the extreme focus it takes to achieve them. It's the voice in the back of your head that acknowledges the disparities and disadvantages in your situation and despite these, will not let you give up. Instead, it tells you to work harder, do better, and be faster. It is the force that pushes you to not only close these gaps, but continue outperforming your peers once you do. It is the result of trial by fire and a badge of honor for overcoming adversity.

Those who successfully overcome life's challenges have grit in spades. Yet, despite this, recruiters still see our backgrounds and eschew us in favor of more traditional candidates that fit their singular mold of the ideal employee. This mode of talent identification is severely outdated and overlooks an entire pool of highly capable and gritty candidates, which has only gotten worse with our overreliance on ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). These candidates would be among your highest-performing employees if only they were given a chance. To any recruiters reading this, my challenge to you is changing the way you think about non-traditional candidates. The next time you come across a resume that doesn't align with your preconceived notions of the ideal candidate, ask yourself if that's such a bad thing. Instead, consider it as an opportunity to leverage that person's drive, passion, and life experiences, all things that cannot be taught in school. In the best case, you will have given someone a well-deserved chance to prove they belong among your top performers. In the worst-case scenario, it doesn't work out, and you need to start the process over again. This is no different than it would be for any other candidate, and that's precisely what probationary periods are for. Stop being paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision and start taking calculated risks. In the long run, having a diverse team, including non-traditional candidates with proven performance, will benefit you and your organization.