On Leadership, Persistence and The Strong-Willed Leader

My Way

When I was a kid, I was known to be a little hard-headed at times. I must have driven my parents crazy with all the times that I refused to do what they asked me to do.

I wanted to do things my way.

What Goes Around…

I can see that God has a great sense of humor now that we’ve had our daughter, Ava, because she definitely inherited the hard-headed gene. I say that I see a sense of humor because if I don’t laugh, I’d be crying!

In educational circles, we would call Ava a “strong-willed child.” As parents, we call it “you make me want to scream, now get into timeout!

You have just  got to love those hard-headed kids that insist on getting things their way, don’t you? We joke with Ava that she’s going to be a lawyer because she negotiates every last request that we make of her.

  • We ask her to eat all her dinner before she can get dessert and she will try to negotiate it down to taking just a few more bites.
  • She even tries to negotiate the amount of time that she spends in timeout when we discipline her.

It took her a while to learn that we might negotiate dinner portions, but we will not negotiate timeout. We haven’t budged on that front once, but she keeps on trying. She just won’t take “no” for an answer.

Just Saying No

I have realized over time that many of the successes that I’ve had in my life were because of my hard-headedness. The same is true for all leaders. Sometimes “no” comes out as someone saying, “it can’t be done” or “no one has ever done that before.

However you phrase it, it still means “no.” I have learned that “no” is just temporary. Persistence pays if you want something badly enough.

Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ~ Winston Churchill

What’s the Big Idea?

All success starts with an idea and a desire to make it happen. This idea becomes fixed in our mind as something that we’re going to achieve. We’re not talking about the fleeing ideas that we allow to pass.

We have to grab hold of the one that we can become convicted about. Grab hold of it and don’t let it go until it’s achieved. All great success stories start off this way.

Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” ~ Napoleon Hill 

Determination to Succeed

True determination comes from knowing, not just wishing, that your idea will succeed. It has to be so fixed in your mind that you are determined to make it come to life.

Any setback that you may feel is a minor one in the scheme of things. Having determination means that you are willing to make sacrifices in order to succeed. Do you really want this thing that you’re striving for?

Persistence Is Key

Persistence and determination run hand-in-hand with one another. Nothing worthwhile ever comes right away. Those that are willing to persist through the adversity that life throws their way are the ones that succeed. Times will be tough.

It seems like life will do what it can to test you. Life will throw you a few setbacks just to be sure. How do you persist through the tough times?

Keep Good People Around You

The people around you can help lift you up when you’re feeling down. The pressures of success can wear on leaders from time to time and encouragement from the people around them are special cogs in their success engine.

I have been blessed enough to have family and friends who believed in me attaining my dreams that failure wasn’t an option in their eyes. They know without any shadow of a doubt that I can be successful in what I do. Who are you spending time with that will lift you up?

This post was adapted from Rich Bishop’s book, “Child-Like Leadership.”

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———————–
Rich Bishop

Rich Bishop is President of Bishop Coaching & Consulting Group
He takes a hands-on approach to your Development through Coaching & Training
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Image Source: ronedmondson.com

 

L2L Contributing Author

3 Comments

  1. bhedden on June 26, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    Bravo Rich! I would contend that convictions of leadership are an underlying force that act as motivation to drive individuals. Additionally, I can completely associate with the “no” factor as it seems to fuel the fire of conviction. Individuals with a desire to accomplish a “leadership mission” do so no matter the odds, barrier or persecution. It is in these instances that true leaders emerge out of commitment and dedication to the principles of leadership.



    • Rich Bishop on June 26, 2014 at 8:49 pm

      Thank you, bhedden! Leaders who don’t lead with conviction are seen as inauthentic and their followers will struggle. I think you have captured that thought well in your comment. Leaders with conviction stand out among their peers.



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