Why Persistence Matters

Do you have the ability to continue in your course of action even when it becomes difficult, or you face opposition? This is the definition of persistence, and it’s a crucial leadership quality that you will need in work, marriage and home, to ultimately be successful. Persistence is a key character trait for a leader, but it is not an isolated one. In order to be persistent, you must have vision, goals, values, foundational faith, trust, honesty—other attributes to which you can apply persistence. ?

Perry Holley of the John Maxwell Company explains, “A leader without persistence will be distracted by every challenge or uncomfortable circumstance that appears. And if you have been a leader for more than an hour, you know that challenges and uncomfortable situations can happen daily. Developing a persistent mindset requires courage to continue moving forward even when obstacles appear, and the path is unclear.”[1]

Persistent leaders overcome doubt. Doubt in decisions, direction and goals is something leaders face that can cause us to stall out. Persistence can take the form of self-confidence, which may be required to overcome insecurity. Persistent leaders develop a clear and simple reasoning for their course which they can lean on when they become unsure, or circumstances become unpredictable.

Scripture reminds us “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). This idea of being a “work in progress” helps a Christ-centered leader remain calm when they are unsure, because they are ultimately trusting in the God who is sure, and orders their steps, and will bring them to completion.

Persistent leaders overcome setbacks. Every leader faces failures, and outcomes that don’t meet expectations or goals. Persistence can take the form of patience, which may be required to continue the course, or start over and try again. Setbacks can also come in the form of resistance—and staying on a path we know to be right takes determination in the face of opposition. Winston Churchill famously said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Persistence also adds to one’s experience. When you are persistent in a course, you learn from failures, you gain a better understanding of what the path ahead requires, and you are more likely to succeed in future efforts. With each setback, you become more resilient. A resilient leader learns how to overcome challenges by facing them.

Author Ryan Holiday explains, “We always have the opportunity to practice virtue, to use the situation as an opportunity to be our best selves. We don’t control when things get hard, but we always control how we respond. We can show patience, courage, humility, resourcefulness, reason, justice, and creativity. The things that test us make us who we are.”[2]

Persistent leaders drive the team. The heart of leadership is bringing people along with you through the journey. When the path is rough and difficulties come, it’s easy for members of a team to want to turn back, or splinter off toward other goals or easier courses. Sometimes the only person holding a group together on course is a persistent leader.

President Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On!’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Hebrews 10:23 reminds us, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Notice in Scripture that this is a joint trust—"let us hold fast.” A persistent leader reminds his team that challenges are best faced together, and that a team functions best when they maintain their course together.

[1] https://corporatesolutions.johnmaxwell.com/blog/persistence-obstacles-and-the-remarkable-leader/

[2] Holiday, Ryan, The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph, 2014 Portfolio.