Since the age of twelve I have had a job. Over the years I have started many businesses
and have worked for many companies; some of which were successful and some
complete failures. As I sat last night
contemplating what I wanted to accomplish in 2013 I reminisced about the years
passed. I thought about my successes and
failures in business. As I thought about
it three words kept coming to mind - persistent, patience and focus. These three words kept coming back with
resounding clarity as themes in my successes and one or more were always missing
in my failures.
Without persistence, patience and focus it's hard to
accomplish continued success in any field whether its sports, business,
relationships or a chosen profession.
These words seem so obvious yet even the best sometimes miss the
mark. The athlete can be persistent to
make the team but lacks focus for the game when he is on the field. The entrepreneur can be very focused on his
new product but lacks the patience to see it through to market. The worker can be patient on the job but lack
the persistence and focus to follow through on the prerequisites necessary for
the big promotion.
As an entrepreneur or business leader you must be persistent
in order to achieve success. Being able
to endure over the difficult times, refusing to give up just because the road
gets rough, can be the difference between winning and losing. How many times have we seen a football team
down two or more scores with only two minutes left on the clock come back to
win the game against all odds? In
preparation for the game the coach and team persistently practice their two
minute drill in anticipation of winning the game. Only through the team's persistence to win do
they realize success. The same holds
true in business. The successful
business leader refuses to give up when the going gets tough rather he
persistently endures through the tough times knowing it will bring success.
The ability for a team to persistently endure the two minute
drill when down by two scores or the business leader who faces the difficult
business circumstances that come his way requires patience - the ability to
endure over time without responding negatively.
Teams and business leaders who can persevere in the face of extreme
difficulty or provocation without acting out negatively exhibit the steadfastness
to endure the difficult moments that come their way. Being able to endure difficult
circumstances without responding
negatively is an important characteristic trait both on the field and in
business.
How many times have you heard someone say "that player
needs to focus" or "you lack focus on the job" or "you need
to focus"? On the football field
the team that has the distinct clarity of what they need to do wins the
game. It is no different in business. In order to win you must have narrow
attention and concentration on what's required to win. The job of the business leader, coach or
entrepreneur is to set the distinct clarity required to win. This distinct clarity is focus. When a team or business is in focus it is
easy to see what the goal or target is however, when they are out of focus the
players or workers have a difficult time knowing what direction to take. With focus the coach or business leader draws
the narrow attention and concentration needed to guide the team to success.
So as I prepare for a great 2013 I am focusing on what I
want my team to achieve. I will encourage
them to be persistent in our pursuit of new business and I will instill upon
them a sense of patience to persevere through the difficulties that await us on
the horizon. How simple these three
words seem but how important they are to realizing success in everything
we do.
