Why is Persistence Critical to Leadership?

Persistence and grit are about your passion and perseverance. For longterm success in any field of interest, and success in your ability to lead effectively, you will need to approach life and work with “grit.” The sooner you learn how to be more persistent, the earlier your success will begin. Your level of grit and Persistence will determine to a great extent your success as a leader, success in your career or calling, and success in life.

A leader needs to have Persistence to be able to rally their team in the face of setbacks and obstacles. A leader who gives up easily or becomes discouraged will quickly affect the morale and motivation of their team. A leader who stays optimistic in the face of obstacles and shares this attitude with their team will see the mindset of Persistence spread.

Hope, therefore, is an important part of Persistence and grit. It helps you not quit. You must believe strongly in a better tomorrow, and in the value of your own efforts in creating change. This deep level of belief is the key to being able to make that difference and being optimistic about it. By embracing Persistence and grit, and believing that your own efforts can make a difference, you cannot get bogged down in learned helplessness,* and you don’t quit. Persisters try to learn from mistakes and make their tomorrow better.

* Learned helplessness is the concept of backing down in the face of repeated obstacles and feeling as if you have no power to effect change.

The football coach Mike Ditka said,
“You never really lose until you quit.”