Why do we need tenacity in business?

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies soly in my tenacity." Louis Pasteur

Taking the consistent steps required to run a business, keep a house, or achieve a monumental goal, is something that requires persistence. Doing these steps with a strength of purpose puts the right energy behind them that will ensure your success. This is the definition of Tenacity.

Tenacity is the theme that melds all innovators, entrepreneurs and problem solvers. If you want to rise to those heights, make this skill part of your identity.

Being able to self motivate is such an important part of running your own business, and in the face of many adversities, this can be a challenging task in itself. Self Motivation is what it takes to persevere with tenacity and stretch yourself until you reach your goal. Scientists have found the source of motivation in successful people comes from neurotransmitters in the brain, and in specific, dopamine. I was excited to learn that motivated people have higher levels of dopamine, as it is something we all have the ability to influence.

A lack of dopamine in your system could be responsible for, fatigue, apathy, forgetfulness, insomnia, sugar cravings, and of course, low motivation. The great news is, there are simple things you can do to increase your dopamine naturally. To get the best out of your days, and start motivating yourself to reach that goal you have been dreaming of, dive into the 6 tips below. 

1.   Increase Dopamine - Supply foods rich in tyrosine such as almonds, bananas, avocados, eggs, beans, fish and chicken. Encourage regular exercise, can be as little as 15 minutes per day, make the time to fit this in, and you will be surprised at your improved productivity. Finally, promote good sleep patterns. For more information on improving your sleep, you can check out my article “Tired of Counting Sheep”

2.   Keep focused on your “WHY” - Earlier, I mentioned that tenacity is about taking action with a strength of purpose behind them. There are many ways you can train your brain to focus on the positive outcomes that you are striving for, one of my favourites is vision boards. They may sound childish, but they are great for people who are driven by visual stimulation, which is many of us. For those of you who prefer auditory measures, record your children playing, your favourite band, anything that anchors you back to what it is that made you start towards your goal in the first place. Where is the vision for your business on display in your workplace?

3.   Measure Income Producing Activities – These are the activities that get you noticed, increase your lead generation, and convert your prospects into clients. Marketing, Face to Face conversations, Follow up surveys, all of the activities that are working “on your business” rather than “in it”. Obviously completing your services to a high standard or delivering the products to your customers is important, but not at the expense of these income-producing activities. Set time in your routine to regularly complete these important activities, and do not let any excuses get in the way. Record the necessary data, including the constants and the variables that allow you to observe where the impediments are, and what is required to create improvements. Schedule time to routinely review and reflect on the numbers and information. In the absence of tangible facts, our minds will fill these spaces with subjective assumptions that are not useful for building resilience.

4.   Lean on your support network – Often we feel the weight of the responsibility of our business lands squarely on our own shoulders, and while this is true, it doesn’t mean we have to do it all without help. Delegating tasks among employees, asking for help from neighbours or friends when you need it, or even leaning on them when you are feeling down, and talking through your concerns. We all have people in our lives that we can rely on to help us when we need it most, sometimes the hardest part is putting up our hand and asking for it. It can be as simple as a neighbour taking the bins out, or a family member babysitting the children for a night, all of these little things add up. Just knowing people are there can be enough to lift the weight and allow you to get back on track. Within our business, it is important that our employees feel the same sense of support from their co-workers. Psychological safety means creating a space where your employees feel they can trust each other to share their concerns without the fear of shame or blame and have permission to make the occasional mistake.

5.   Remind yourself what is possible – We can focus on the fears that come up and let them drown us, preventing us from stepping forward and taking action. Sitting in our space of safety and comfort, letting procrastination and excuses be our saviours from all of those fears. Or we can focus on all of the possibilities that could become a reality if we just stick to our plan and keep taking action one day at a time. Whom are we impacting? What positive changes are we making within the community? How will our life look in 5 years, if we are to succeed with the goal we are chasing today? You can write the answers to these questions, speak them out, or just imagine them, any acknowledgement towards the value of the work you are doing is better than none at all. Journaling, Open Communication, Team Commiseration Sessions, these are all healthy coping mechanisms for handling the stressors as we face setbacks within our business objectives. Is your break room designed to be a calming space? In the event of a setback, of my favourite ideas is a workplace book group. Select a book that has relevant lessons to the challenge you are facing, encourage your employees to read the book, and host a meeting that allows you all to come together and discuss the take away’s from the book, and thoughts and ideas that arrive from this experience.