Sticking to the course despite all odds is what perseverance is all about. The need for perseverance comes about because you were not effective for the first time; your actions are facing resistance from your peers or stakeholders. Perseverance is about taking multiple shots at the same thing, it is about using a variety of ways to get the things done.
Perseverance is easier said than done, standing up like the Great Wall of China in the face of adversity requires stamina and conviction. Lets look at some of the ways to develop perseverance. As Thomas Alva Edison said, ?Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.?
Don?t Give Up After One or Two Tries
If you are having trouble going back to the task after you have tasted failure, its best to switch approaches and do something different. Thinks about multiple ways to get to the same outcome. In case you are stuck, get to the drawing board and try drawing out or visually depicting alternative solutions. Sometimes due to lack of words we are unable to get a solution to the forefront.
Hit A Brick Wall
Does conflict and resistance puncture your zeal and shale your confidence level? When your initiative hits resistance, keep going irrespective of what you hear from the naysayers. Resistance is natural, the key is to keep listening and make corrections if needed.
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Don?t Take Resistance Personally
If you tend to take rejection or inattention or non-responsiveness personally, remember it is in human nature to differ from someone else?s opinion. It?s best to develop a philosophical stand towards rejection and failure. Anything worth doing takes repeated effort and could always be done better. Keep reminding yourself about what you want to achieve, resistance and rejections would then become a pothole to navigate and not a dead end for your work.
Don?t Procrastinate
One of the biggest keys to success is to keep trying repeatedly one after the other in quick succession. Reduce the time between the attempts and get an early head wind in the task. This will ensure that you incorporate the learning?s at hand in the next phase of implementation. The naysayers and other who gave you feedback are also pacified, because you moved their feedback to prototyping.
Take A Stand
You may have to go back to the drawing board because you did not make a strong enough business case for the first time. Be prepared, do your homework and don?t make it sound like a trial balloon ready to be busted. Don?t be tentative or vague, use a more direct and confident approach. In case you don?t believe in your idea, nobody else will rally behind it. Prepare by rehearsing tough questions, counter questions and arguments. Plan as if you are going to have only one shot and your life depends on it. Lead the discussion with strength and conviction.
Lastly, remember that by opposing your idea, people may be protecting their territory. Now the question is who blinks first and concedes.
Jappreet Sethi
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