AgriCorps Fellows: Finding the Men and Women of True Grit

Guest Blogger: Kenny Quick – Business Strategist, Cargill & Returend AgriCorps Fellow from Chandigarh Area, India

Grit – of the business buzzwords, it ranks supreme.  It exemplifies qualities that make the difference when it comes to getting the job done, no matter what.

How do we find employees that have grit, that will push through difficult times and not lose focus or passion for the tasks that lay ahead? The go-to answer has been to ask behavioral questions regarding grit. The better solution is to recruit candidates where the experiences on their CV can be taken at face value to be synonymous with the coveted quality. Key among these: international development work.

It takes courage to uproot life to settle down on the other side of the planet – even more so when not in a cozy expat position with the security of a corporate patronage, but rather a raw experience in the most rural parts of the world.  Courageous employees develop new skills, ask important questions and epitomize initiative.

It takes pluck to unceasingly try to inch forward the status quo, slowly making the communities you’re working and investing in better than when you arrived. Pluck translates from an ability to work cooperatively and patiently with farmers whose traditions and technology is vastly different than their own, into implementing change and the ability to forge relationships with even the most difficult customers or teammates.

It takes to resolve not to quit or loose heart; being alone, culturally isolated and constantly challenged even amid the most basic tasks is not easy.  Globally or in the corporate world, resolve is key to retention of quality individuals within an organization.

Courage – Pluck – Resolve, these are pillars of grit and the hallmarks of those involved in international development. Since 2012, AgriCorps has placed college graduates of American agricultural universities into rural African villages where they are tasked providing experiential, school based, agricultural education to the local children. The qualities that made them successful here will be the same that make them a successful member of your team. If you are looking for men and women with true grit, look no further an AgriCorps Fellow alumnus.