We don’t use WD-1 to loosen stubborn bolts. We use WD-40, a product that resulted from 39 failed attempts by the Rocket Chemical Co. to develop a rust-prevention solvent and degreaser. Think of all the stuck bolts we would have if they gave up after the first failure.
It is easy to keep moving when projects are profitable, materials are available and the business is fully staffed. However, the reality is that we face challenges, obstacles and setbacks along the way to achieving our goals. Persistence is the ability to keep pushing forward despite the roadblocks and detours.
Leaders set the tone and develop the culture for a company’s success. Modeling persistence and perseverance shows that any goal is achievable by not giving up and digging deep for the strength to push through. Persistence is more than setting goals and working to achieve them. Persistence is achieving these goals despite the challenges and setbacks along the way.
As with many skills that make us successful, we can learn to persist through most challenges by allowing ourselves to fail and move on quickly. By being flexible, creative and determined, we can chart a new course toward the finish line.
Your company may not be inventing the next great rust-buster, but you likely have your own goals to measure successes. Over the past few years, many challenges have made it difficult to achieve our business goals, including COVID-19, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and inflation. The one consistency among companies that have successfully weathered the storm is the ability to persevere through persistence.
These six steps will help you to become more persistent and increase your ability to achieve your goals.
Set a clear goal and identify your “what.” What specifically do you want to achieve? Be clear about the goal and determine the metric for measuring success. For example, if we are currently producing $3.5 million a year in revenue, it is unrealistic that we will be able to do $50 million next year. On the other hand, we don’t want to aim so low that our achievement is meaningless to our overall success.
What is your motivation? Define your “why.” Do you have enough reason to dig deep and push through when the going gets tough? Your “why” should align with your purpose and be tied to the feelings you will have whether you succeed or fail.
Chart your course and plan your “how.” Along with Plan A, identify Plans B, C, etc., as well. Like hopping in the car and setting the GPS to the destination, start with one plan in mind. But what happens when we run into road construction or another obstacle? We don’t change our destination. Instead, we recalculate and take a different route to the destination. In the same vein, when facing a setback, we don’t change the goal. We find a new path or new way to accomplish our goals.
Maintain a positive attitude and stay focused on the action. It is easy to get discouraged when facing a setback. We might question if we are doing the right thing. Instead of the mindset that failing means being a failure, view failing as learning what doesn’t work and focus on the next plan of action to move forward.
Build a community and surround yourself with support and accountability. Being surrounded with other high achievers will bring you up and increase your likelihood of success. Joining a mastermind group is a great way to leverage ideas, garner support and be held accountable for your goals by others. One of the most significant advantages of a mastermind group is that the other members aren’t emotionally invested in your goal the same way you are. They can share their unbiased opinions and insights on the challenges in achieving those goals.
Create good habits and develop discipline. A strong “why” provides motivation to start working toward a goal. Creating habits of discipline allows you to stay on the path to a goal. Discipline and habits will enable you to rise above the noise and remain motivated to move forward even when you aren’t seeing progress.
Thomas Edison said it best, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Persisting through tough times and setbacks separates the good from the great. Don’t give up when Plan A fails. Move on to Plan B. Edison himself made thousands of attempts before he refined the first incandescent light bulb.
About The Author
FIRESTONE, a former contractor, is the owner of Firestone Consulting Group. He can be reached at [email protected].