Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
–Calvin Coolidge
PERSISTENCE is the 4th component in our series “what do leaders really want from their staff”. We’re stating the case that leaders want a sense of ownership for all members of their organization.
For those that have not read our prior 3 newsletters, we’re linking the 5 P’s of Leadership with the 5 P’s of Ownership:
- Passion
- People
- Plans
- Persistence
- Profit
Wikipedia defines persistence as a personality trait measured by levels of eagerness and effort, hard work, ambition, and perfectionism.
We’ll define it as your disposition to continue your task or initiative despite problems, difficulties, or barriers encountered along the way.
Have you ever worked on a project, task force, or goal where all objectives were achieved with absolutely no difficulties or problems? We used to cringe when we were requested to support projects or changes that were accompanied with the words “seamless” and “transparent”. Even the simplest objective may encounter problems and barriers.
As we mentioned last week, expect and plan for obstacles, and don’t give up at the first sign of difficulty. It’s important to maintain your focus and be purposeful in your efforts.
If truly committed, you’ll accept failure, learn from it, reassess what you’re doing, and seek alternative solutions to better position you to achieve your desired end result.
Ownership and accountability are pieces of persistence. To be successful you must not only work hard, but you need to keep your skills current, continually develop areas that are not serving you well, and don’t neglect your strengths. (They need to be honed too!). And leaders and owners also make it a priority to motivate and inspire their teams, help them grow their interpersonal skills, and enhance relationships and interactions.
Persistence is a behavior exhibited by owners and effective and successful leaders. Are you persistent?