Persistence – Key to Effective Leadership

Persistence – Key to Effective Leadership

Persistence is one of the keys to successful and effective leadership. Persistence is defined as “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.” Effective leaders are persistent; they view setbacks as temporary. Success is not a matter of chance for great leaders, but rather a matter of making good choices and then seeing them through with the same steady effort day in and day out. They relentlessly pursue their goals.

Former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge once said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Successful leaders don’t have some special genius or secret set of tools that others don’t have, they are just persistent.  Dale Carnegie made this observation: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” Effective leaders accomplish and achieve great things because they just keep going – they are persistent.

Are you an effective leader?  You will be, if you learn to be persistent!