The Importance of Consistency and Support in Achieving Success

Last weekend I completed a 22-mile-long run not because I am training for another marathon but to support friends who are prepping for their upcoming London Marathon debuts in around 4 weeks time. Not least, because I want to maintain a certain level of fitness so that if I did decide to book a race (more on that later), I’d be well prepared and ready to go. For me, consistency is one of the key recipes to success in any scenario and after such a rewarding weekend, I wanted to share my thoughts on that very topic.

Whether it's running long distances, searching for a new job, growing or starting a business, pitching for investment or simply learning or trying something new, the importance of showing up and putting in the work cannot be stressed enough. Practice makes perfect, consistency breeds discipline and momentum, which in turn leads to progress and eventual success.

As a business, you may have seen we recently celebrated a major milestone - we turned one! Happy Birthday to us! I’m very proud of myself and the team for getting to this point, however, it wasn’t plain sailing and we’ve had to work extremely hard to get to where we are today. When things haven’t gone our way, we’ve got back up, learned and improved for next time, consistently showing up and looking at ways to improve and grow.

I have penned down my thoughts about this on a blog, give it a read here. And while you’re at it, also have a look at the recent chat I had with David Hunt, CEO of Hyperion Executive Search, here.

The importance of maintaining consistency also applies to many of you reading this, who are perhaps actively seeking a new job, considering a change in career, or wanting to land your first role within cleantech, but struggling to get anywhere. Maybe you are on the other side of the fence, in need of great talent and struggling to find it or trying to raise investment for your start-up and getting nowhere. Either way, the process of job hunting, hiring or raising capital can be long and sometimes disheartening. Rejections, setbacks and a lack of progress can make it easy to lose motivation and give up altogether.

Just like running, success in job hunting, hiring great people or scaling a business requires perseverance, resilience, and a willingness to simply keep going, even when things get tough.

In equal measure, you should also seek support from those around you. Whether it's friends, family, a professional network, or specialist recruiting firms like us, having a support system can make all the difference. They can offer encouragement, advice, and help motivate and support you to get to where you need to be. Two years ago, I couldn’t run a mile but in consistently putting my trainers on week in week out, leaning and feeding on the advice and support from more experienced runners around me, I’ve chalked off two marathons and am now contemplating my third!

Reaching out and asking for help does however often take courage. It is something I struggle with personally. It's ok not to know all the answers, and trust me, asking for help does not make you weak, in fact it is quite the opposite. When you reach out and ask for help, you'll feel so much better and by doing so, you'll increase your chances of success. If you are struggling to find a new role or struggling to find that perfect hire for your business, reach out to those who can support you. Just like me supporting my friends in their marathon training, there’s always someone who knows your pain, has been there before and may be able to help you achieve success.

For all your hiring and job hunting needs, connect with our team at [email protected] and we would be more than happy to guide you.

If you are still reading this, remember that 22 mile run I did last weekend? Well, yesterday I completed the Liverpool half marathon, which was a very last-minute entry due to a friend who couldn’t make it. I finished the race with a new personal best of 1:41:56, knocking almost 10 minutes off my previous best time.

This was made possible through consistency and asking for help. As I wrote earlier, I’ve consistently kept up my running in order to maintain my fitness level so I knew I could cross the finish line but by leveraging my support network, leaning on friends, many of whom are far more experienced runners than I am, I was encouraged to go for a new personal best and was paced by two mates who led me to success.

Proof in the pudding that consistency pays off and when you need guidance, there's always someone out there who can help. Don't be afraid to ask for it.

Keep showing up and reach out for help if you need it.

Have a great week all.

Steve