By: Chinkee Tan
Are you still waiting to get promoted at work? Do you sometimes feel like your role in the work place is not really bringing you anywhere? Are you still wondering whether your effort is really making a difference?
Let me be honest with you. The only way you can answer these questions is if you can confidently say you have done your work with utmost sincerity and commitment.
Very often, it is not about the promotion. More than the promotion, there is something else that you are possibly missing.
Your career is a journey. And just like any other journey, the most important lessons are the ones you learn along the way.
This is where PERSISTENCE comes in. PERSISTENCE is continually doing something in spite of opposition or difficulty.
Former United States National Security Advisor Colin Powell once said, “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence.”
The former four-star general served as National Security Adviser of President Ronald Reagan in 1987. He eventually took over as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1991.
In 2000, President George W. Bush gave Powell one of the most challenging tasks in his life by appointing him as Secretary of State. At that time, Powell’s appointment was considered to be the highest civilian rank ever entrusted to an African-American.
In 2008, Powell became a dedicated supporter of Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy.
Before Powell directly served several Presidents, he served two tours in the Vietnam War, earned a position in the Pentagon and the US Department of Defense, and served in the Persian Gulf War.
His term as Secretary of State under the Bush administration proved to be the most challenging for Powell. But in spite of the controversy he encountered, he remained PERSISTENT.
There are three very important lessons we can learn from Colin Powell’s experience.
1. You only need to focus on what you are currently doing and how you are doing it. The promotion will follow after.
2. When the tough times happen, you don’t give up. You stay and make it work.
3. The lessons you learn along the way will prepare you for your promotion.
REMEMBER:
PERSISTENCE equips you and prepares you for bigger things in life.
THINK. REFLECT. APPLY.
What things at work are you persistent about? What prevents you from being persistent? How can you apply persistence in the workplace?