The Power of Persistence will Overcome Failure

Lessons in Leadership
By Roger Fritz

Persistence separates good intentions from results. It is the key to determining whether wishes ever become reality. The power of persistence depends upon an understanding and application of several commitments:

•Are you willing to constantly push yourself to do more?
•Can you be objective about yourself? Do you know your weaknesses and work to overcome them?
•Do you look for what’s wrong before finding someone to blame?
•Do you study to understand why good things happen?
•Do you set clear performance standards for yourself before you tell others what you expect from them?
•Do you insist that those who create problems are responsible for finding solutions?
•Do you change policies that stifle accountability?
•Do you avoid over-directing, over-reporting and over-managing?
•Do you know how to create a climate in which people will be self motivated? Have you done it?
•Can you sustain yourself over time with little praise or credit?

It’s better to avoid dragons than have to slay them

Somebody is upset and blaming you. What can you do?

First, don’t make excuses. They just provide more “fuel” for the fire.
Next, don’t get angry. If you flare up, it will only make matters worse. Instead, keep your voice at its usual level and slow down both your speech and your body motions. Be calm. Choose your words carefully. Don’t overreact.

Suggest that you sit down somewhere and discuss the issue quietly. Ask for more information. Avoid loaded language like “What a dumb thing to say” or “That’s a lie” or “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Don’t interrupt. Attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem. Ask, “What will make you happy?” Then ask, “If I give you that, will you give me this?”

Keep in mind, the goal is not always winning, but sometimes finding a solution you can live with.

Excuse makers don’t like to keep score

Rather than make excuses, it is far more productive to do some soul searching to discover why you failed to do whatever was expected.
Did you lack the resources needed? Should you have asked for an extension of time, more people to work with you, more money?

Whatever the reason, if you had communicated the need for additional resources early on, there would be no need to offer excuses now.

When you make excuses you are really trying to absolve yourself of responsibility. You are attempting to place the blame for your lack of achievement on something or someone other than yourself. Unless you break that habit, your ultimate excuse will be, “Nothing good ever happens to me, but I can’t help it.”

Coping with failure

The people who framed our Declaration of Independence granted us certain “inalienable rights”: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They said we had the right to pursue it, but nobody ever gave us any assurance that we would always be able to capture it.

The formula for failure is clear: never accept responsibility.

When Naomi Judd was 17, she got pregnant and married her boyfriend. Five years later she found herself living 2,000 miles from home with two kids to support, no husband and no job. Without a car, she found a minimum-wage job as a receptionist within walking distance of her apartment.

She did things no one else wanted to do and was soon promoted. She quickly learned she was more capable than she thought and has proven it many times since. This is the same Naomi Judd who has won six Grammy Awards and sold over 20 million country music albums.

Failure results from the lack of achievement, but it can be predicted by lack of persistence.