What really makes us successful ?

If someone had asked me that question, I would have said “Passion” for something that led me into a lifelong activity propelling me to success, but I recently read an article in Inc. magazine that opened my eyes on that subject. According to the piece I read, it wasn’t a trait that traditionally gets the spotlight like creativity, innovation, culture or vision, yet it was often the difference-maker. 

At least the late Steve Jobs thought so. He was not romanticizing resilience. He knew what it meant to keep going when things were bad, like after being fired from Apple, starting over with NeXT, then returning to build one of the most valuable companies in the world. His point wasn’t that talent, timing, or product don’t matter. Without persistence, none of those advantages can come to fruition.

It makes me think of Sisyphus who had to push that boulder up the hill to fully seize the concept of perseverance. We need to get into our heads that failures and setbacks don’t define us; they refine us. The best leaders don’t just move on after getting knocked to the ground; they bounce back and process to dissect what went wrong, what’s still worth pursuing, and what needs to change. That means gathering feedback and data from various sources. 

For example, we can all learn from an idea or an endeavor that flops as it reveals what’s wrong with it. It often exposes gaps in preparation or execution. If we are capable of treating setbacks as feedback systems, we’ll turn dead ends into stepping stones. We just need to remember that every failure always reveals to us some reasons for happening. Perseverance is easier if we’re committed to the reason why we pursue certain dreams. 

Of course, perseverance doesn’t mean charging ahead with a bad idea. It means picking a worthwhile goal and staying committed to it while being flexible in the ways we reach it. If our strategy isn’t working, simply adjust the plan without abandoning the vision. Studies on grit show us that sustained passion and perseverance over time are stronger predictors of success than IQ or talent alone. In retrospect, if I had valued persistence throughout my life, I would have gone much farther, but realizing how important it was came likes small crumbs of wisdom each time I missed a step. 

With enough failures that I can admit today, I finally got it. The leaders who refuse to quit, who show up one more time after setbacks, are the ones who ultimately cross the finish line. When we’re facing a day, week or an extended period of bad news, let’s ask ourselves: “Are we at a dead end, or is it just the natural friction of progress?” Before tossing in the towel, let’s give perseverance another chance. It might be the very thing that separates us from the rest.