A couple of years ago a group of women CEOs were asked “What is the one leadership trait that led to your success in your business?”
They were asked to write it down on the piece of paper.
When they were asked to share what they had written, a majority of those women CEOs said persistence, dogged stick-to-it-ness, getting back up and trying again.
Of course, that is not the only trait that leads to success. They were willing to take a risk, they had a dream or an idea about which they were passionate, and they were able to build a team that executed the plan.
If you have a passion and can’t let that passion go, you won’t just work 40 hours a week, you’ll be there until the job is done. The price you pay for that persistence could be very high.
Lack of sleep is just the beginning, right? You miss family events. You may not pay good attention to your eating, and to exercise. You either learn to delegate, and to hire good people or you burn out.
The successful entrepreneur learns to make trade-offs. They take a less good but on-time solution over late but perfect. This happens in their personal life, too. Maybe, the cupcakes for the birthday party are store bought. But, the parents are there and spending time with their kids and their friends when they say they would be.
Why work that hard? Because you are passionate about what you do and you will work hard day after day to reach that dream.
Is it worth it? You bet! You should have seen the shining faces in the room as the CEO’s told their stories.
Where do you need to be more doggedly persistent this week to achieve your dreams and goals?
Photo by Nora Paller of May Chu receiving the 5 year VIstage Membership Award