Persistence

Being at the lake is such an inspirational place for writing, and offers such great reminders about business. Today Christopher and I enjoyed watching a hawk and osprey fishing.
As we watched from the deck, we were amazed at the patience and tenacity of these two birds as they zeroed in on the fish in the water, spiraled then dove into the water gracefully. When not successful, they continued the process without taking short cuts. Their persistence eventually paid off. In business, and in leadership roles, following this model can get us further ahead. Often when at first we don’t succeed we give up, or, try and find a short cut. The short cut sometimes just results in wasted time and energy. Next time you are circling around your goal, follow the lessons of the hawk and osprey:
- Accept that it might take repeated efforts to achieve the goal
- Be strategic, seek the most direct route to your goal
- Don’t rush
- Celebrate your efforts as well as your success