“The nose of the Bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go”
– Winston Churchill
Okay… Tenacious D is for Tenacious DeMarco not the Jack Black rock band…
te·na·cious
/təˈnāSHəs/
Adjective
1) Not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a principle: “a tenacious grip”.
2) Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action: “a tenacious legend”.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” -2 Timothy 4:7
Who would not want that legacy? I have mentioned this before… so many times what is posted here is what I am struggling with today…wish I had it all down and all together, but part of being a leader in permanent beta means learning, reading, experimenting, so… I turn to John Maxwell.
Maxwell says being tenacious means:
1: Giving all that you have…not MORE than you have:
Just had a great convo with a colleague in Afghanistan regarding work ethic.
In a convo he had with an Italian Air Force Major, this USAF officer explained the concept of adhering to an 8 hour work schedule. The Italian said that in Italy, they typically only work for about 8 hours… some sort of overtime pay issues perhaps. However, the Italian perspective on 12 hour work days (typical in the USAF): if a day’s work cannot be completed in 8 hours, then the problem is one of two things: Either a person is being overworked, or there is a problem with efficiency. He said that if a person requires 12 hours to complete a task that should take no more than 8 hours, that person would/should be fired.
Some people believe being tenacious demands MORE than they have to offer…so they don’t push themselves. Being tenacious requires–100% not more… certainly not less.
2: Working with determination…. not waiting on destiny
“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”
― Thomas Jefferson
Tenacious people don’t rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. They know that trying times are no time to quit trying
3: Quitting when the job is done, not when you are tired
“Success is like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you are tired…you quit when the gorilla is tired.” – Robert Strauss
If you truly desire your team/unit/organization to succeed, you have to keep pushing beyond what you think you can do.
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” -Babe Ruth
Read more on John Maxwell’s thoughts on being tenacious in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player”
Mastermind Century Group 