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AUSTRALIA postage stamp - circa 1965: Sir Winston Churchill head portrait on light blue
These words of courageous commitment are attributed to Winston Churchill. It was his iron will that motivated Great Britain to stand against the overwhelming threat of Nazi Germany in the early days of World War II.
Churchill understood that while we cannot always choose the circumstances of our struggles, we can choose the level of tenacity with which we confront them. If not for his leadership at this critical time in history, the lives of every person living today would have been dramatically and negatively altered.
So what about us?
As leaders, we must constantly look for future opportunities while confronting present obstacles. In these circumstances, success often hinges on whether we are willing to push on, even though much of what we see around us looks bleak. How can we pump up our tenacity?
Commit to commitment: No one enjoys following a wishy-washy leader. As business owners, executives and managers, we are expected to be committed to a well-thought-out plan of action and be competent to help others execute their parts. As often happens, even when our plans prove inadequate, our commitment to our people and their commitment to our customers often wins the day.
Consider all criticisms: In 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt gave a famous speech at the Sorbonne in Paris titled “The Man in the Arena.” He started by saying, “It’s not the critic who counts.” And while I agree that in the context of choosing fight-over-flight, this is a superior strategy, critics can often shine a valuable light on our shortcomings and opportunities.
Learn from learners: It turns out that there are a lot of really smart people in the world. It’s also true that they need friends just like we do. So, when given a chance to invest time in new relationships, why not upgrade to a smarter group of friends? Actively seeking out people who are more experienced and educated than we are is the mark of a serious leader.
Plan for pain: Many of us know veterans who have served in the Middle East, a theater of war often referred to as “The Sandbox.” Why? Because the sand is everywhere and in everything, and there is no escaping it. It is so pervasive that soldiers have an expression for how to cope with it and the war itself. They simply tell new arrivals to the battlefield to “embrace the suck.” To lead a group of employees through difficult situations filled with uncertainty, conflict and drama (the sand of business growth), planning for pain is not optional. As leaders, we cannot expect others to push through hardships if we have not already worked out escape scenarios and embraced the suck. As the Navy SEALs say, “You don’t have to like it; you just have to do it!”
Encourage the encouragers: Every company has certain employees, vendors and customers who are just naturally encouraging people. But in the grind of everyday business, even these folks get discouraged. Understanding that someday, these people may make the difference between success and failure is critical. Right now, today, before the really tough times come, make every effort to support these individuals. Figure out each person’s love language, and use it to show how much you care about them. It may turn out that these are the very folks who will keep you from sinking into depression when things get rough.
Mind your mentors: One of the great myths surrounding entrepreneurship is that, as business owners, we are not accountable to anyone. I call it a myth, because anyone who has owned their own company for more than week understands we are accountable to an entire army, including employees, vendors, customers, government regulators, and banks. What is not a myth is that placing ourselves into an accountability relationship with a great mentor is a solid recipe for long-term success. That said, while it is the mentor’s job to provide wisdom and understanding gained through years of real-world experience, it is our job to honor his or her investment in us by using it to better lead out in our company and our community.
Testify to tenacity: For whatever reason, many leaders like to tell stories that feature themselves as the hero. But when it comes to inspiring a tenacious spirit in the lives of our employees, they seem to prefer stories about how people in their circumstances adapted to difficult changes and achieved success. Learning to share these kinds of testimonies of tenacity knits the hearts of our people together in a way that offers them the opportunity to become the heroes themselves one day. The next time someone in your company goes over and above to help a co-worker, customer or vendor, take the time to find out the details of that situation. Then, in an appropriate setting, recount the story with that employee as the star. It won’t take others long to find ways in which they can become the star of the next story.