I was working with a group of newly hired people in an ad agency. They were all enthusiastic to get into their new roles within the agency. They were very smart and keen to learn everything I was about to teach them.
Ad agencies, like many organizations, like to hire the brightest and most talented people within their industry. The advertising world is very competitive and people who work in it expect fast career advancement. This is similar to a lot of organizations and businesses within our new world – there is an expectation of fast advancement, and if this expectation is not met, many newly hired employees will leave (most likely to experience similar challenges within other organizations when it comes to “fast” advancement).
In our fast-paced world, we often overlook the performance skill of persistence. It means being able to pursue a goal, to go through the challenges and setbacks, and move closer towards achieving that goal. Persistence is becoming a lost art and science.
Great athletes who have mastered the performance skill of persistence are more focused and in more control of their performance. High-performance athletes actually take their time as they move closer and closer to their goal. There is no sense of urgency – hence the saying: “learn to slow down to go fast”.
As you work towards developing people in your organization to become more persistent, remember these points:
1) Try not to over-complicate the process of achieving a goal by adding too many processes and strategies.
2) Give your achievement plan time to work.
3) Be willing to lose a little in the short run in order to reach a significant goal.
4) Expect improvement, but not overnight success.
Within a culture that expects immediate results and rewards, developing the skill of persistence will have a significant impact on the people and teams within your organization as they try to reach those challenging goals and objectives.
All the best in achieving your highest performance.
Paul
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