4 Ways to Build Tenacity in Others
My sole strength is in my tenacity. Louis Pasteur
Tenacity is the bridge between goals and achievement.
4 Ways to Build Tenacity in Others
#1. Encourage an earn it mindset.
Teach people to say, “I want to earn an opportunity.” Useless phrases:
- Could I have an opportunity?
- All I need is an opportunity.
- Please give me an opportunity. (The worst!)
#2. Add weight incrementally.
Don’t throw people in the deep end.
- Invite people to take on challenges. Don’t force.
- Voice your belief in them.
- Monitor their frustration.
- Calibrate the challenge. On a scale of 1 to 10, how challenging is this? What level of challenge brings out your best?
#3. Focus on the next fifteen minutes.
Forget the big goal.
When people feel overwhelmed, ask them to accomplish one small task.
#4. Don’t help too much.
Tips for over-helpful leaders:
- Wait to be asked. Don’t jump in.
- When necessary, ask, “How may I help?” Wait for their answer, don’t give one.
Unsolicited help is a vote of no confidence.
Tenacity multiplies talent.
How might leaders build determination into people.
How to Develop Unstoppable Determination
Image source: Louis-pasteur
Leaders build determination by helping people understand that setbacks are often part of achievement, not signs of defeat. Remind people that many great successes came only after repeated failure. The WD-40 formula succeeded on the 40th try after 39 failed attempts. James Dyson developed 5,127 prototypes before creating the successful Dyson vacuum cleaner. Thomas Edison tested more than 1,000 materials before producing a workable Incandescent light bulb. Colonel Harland Sanders reportedly faced over 1,000 rejections before building KFC, and Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen saw Chicken Soup for the Soul rejected by more than 140 publishers before it was published. Leaders build determination by using stories like these to reframe setbacks as feedback, celebrate persistence as much as results, and remind people that success is often the product of one more try after many disappointments.
Setbacks are feedback. Thanks for the stories, Paul.