Perseverance has been a part of my legacy, reality, or maybe destiny.
I am headed into another season requiring perseverance and I wonder if I have what it takes. So, I have been thinking long and hard on the topic.
Do you/I have the power of perseverance?
The rigors of today’s competitive business climate push even the most seasoned leaders to their limits. No organization is immune to setbacks. Many top business leaders agree that life is a constant string of adversities—the new normal. Some, however, are ill-suited for it and pay a dear price.
Leaders achieve success through their talent, intelligence, flexibility and wisdom. Those who overcome the odds often point to an even more powerful trait: perseverance. Many of today’s top captains of commerce believe it’s the key to winning the race—more important than skill, more vital than past experience, notes management consultant Steve Tobak in What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur? Perseverance (Entrepreneur.com, January 25, 2016).
But what about leaders who lack the necessary stamina? What happens to those who don’t know how they’re going to manage, day in and day out, under the heaviest of loads? Are they simply destined to fail in a cruel world?
The answer is no, according to Dr. Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Scribner, 2016). Perseverance can be developed from within. If you’re a leader who’s gained a foothold on stamina, you can forge a culture with it.
What Is Perseverance?
More than simply trying hard, perseverance is a gut-generated determination to not give in and never give up. It comes from a spirit that refuses to accept the failure of quitting. A leader who perseveres stands ready to endure for the long haul.
Successful accomplishers are always chasing something greater: goals that are difficult to achieve. They feel they have something to prove—to themselves and/or others. They have direction, know what they want and hate falling short of it.
Leaders with perseverance strive to excel. As Duckworth puts it, perseverance is a satisfaction with being unsatisfied. Dogged leaders continually measure how far they’re willing to push themselves and how much they want to win.
What do you think? Do you have the stamina necessary for our new normal? Are you satisfied with being unsatisfied? I believe that “unsatisfied” leader in more about curiosity. I believe God invites us towards perseverance often as easily seen in 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize. So, run that you may obtain it.
I’d love to hear from you. I can be reached at marc@moldrcoach.com and on LinkedIn