Persistence Makes Better Managers

Persistence Makes Better Managers

Should you believe that in our “MTV,” instant-gratification world that perseverance and persistence have no value, just try to find some recognized experts over the millennia who agree with your position. You will quickly become frustrated, since few, if any, respected observers will support your argument.

Throughout recorded history, great men and women, superior athletes, popular inventors, and wildly successful businesspersons understand the unquestioned value of perseverance and persistence in all important areas of corporate and personal life. Even in the era of the mind numbing speed of technological improvements and short business cycles, perseverance still often determines the winners and losers.

Many believe the great international leader and statesman, Winston Churchill, still holds the top ranking for his famous speech to his beloved Harrow School. “Never, Never, Never Give Up” is universally regarded as the gold standard of endorsements for persistence. Thomas Edison, after almost 10,000 experiments failed, still discovered electricity and holds a close second place. He eloquently stated, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Should you believe in the perseverance and persistence strategy, you’ll find hundreds of respected opinions that agree with you. Those who succeed will reinforce that if they hadn’t gone that “one extra step,” success would have eluded them.

How to Use Some Perseverance Specifics to Enhance Managerial Performance

To learn how to best use persistence and perseverance to become a better manager, you should perform a self-analysis of your strengths and weaknesses. After you understand where you are personally, consider adopting some of the following tips to achieve recognizable goals at the workplace.

• Become so determined to succeed that nothing and no one becomes more important.
  If you choose to only adopt one of these suggestions, let this be the one. Internalizing a dedication to succeed that supersedes all else, you will typically find an effective way to achieve your goal. This becomes more than an attitude or strategy. This determination to succeed will become part of your “being.” Persistence and perseverance will also become part of your everyday life, like eating, breathing, or any other normal human function.
   
• Learn to handle adversity with style and grace.
  You have probably noticed that some peers and managers seem to raise their game to superstar level in the face of workplace adversity. Unfortunately, others appear to become frozen with fear and uncertainty. Meeting all business situations with style and grace displays a sense of control, calm, and professionalism that is respected by peers and management alike. Another important benefit: It “buys” you the time you might need to construct an effective response to adversity. Your public projection as a stylish and graceful leader often convinces your team and upper management that you have all under control and will take the appropriate action when you’re ready.
   
• Become comfortable with changing plans, processes, and procedures when appropriate or necessary.
  Never giving up does not mandate that you rush into a hail of enemy business bullets with nothing more potent than a squirt gun. Do not continue strategic plans and procedures that simply won’t work. Once you are convinced a process doesn’t work, just move on and try another approach. Being confident in your ability and persistence allows you to modify action plans to pursue your goals in a different, possibly better direction. Understand that every idea you have won’t be a big winner. Plans and procedures should never be encased in stone, making it difficult to change.
   
• Learn to develop a “laser-like” focus on your targets and goals.
  Developing “tunnel vision,” often criticized in other life situations, will lead to success in the workplace. A sharp focus on your goals eliminates many things, often minutiae, that can cost you valuable time and effort. Keeping your eyes on the prize encourages you to take only those steps that further your progress towards your target.
   
• Be ready to give up only when a situation dictates a new strategy to help make or save money.
  It’s all right to give up when faced with an obviously poor policy. For example, some years ago one of the megabanks, after looking at their huge investment in ATMs (that most customers weren’t using), decided it would be a stunning idea to charge customers every time they spoke with a teller. Senior management believed they would generate some new income, while forcing customers to use their hundreds of new (expensive) ATMs. Bad idea. Customers revolted and threatened not to use ATMs, but to close their accounts and find another primary financial institution. Fortunately, management “gave up” quickly. They admitted this was a bad idea and discarded it. This reduced their losses and the negative public relations they received.

Never give up, either mentally or outwardly. Publicly display your commitment to perseverance and persistence. Acting on this strategy will also ensure higher performance and better managerial success.

SourceL Kelly Resources