"If you’re going through hell, keep going!"
Winston Churchill
My father was a tenacious man. He retired as the Chairman of AMF Wheel Goods, which made RodeMaster Bicycles, Hercules Bicycles, and Junior Toy Tricycles. He was one of the first to introduce Shimano Products into the U.S. market and helped create the first training wheels for children’s bikes. Dad loved life and taught me many great leadership lessons. He had a favorite poem titled Keep A Goin’. It’s an early twentieth century poem laden with metaphors of the outdoor life, told in a Southern style lingo. The theme of the poem is the power of tenacity.
I can see the smile on my dad’s face and the positive swing of the arm across his chest when he would encourage me - Always keep a goin’. His message was that with tenacity and a positive spirit, I will figure out life. That message has served me well. I have also since learned that it is a key attribute for any successful leader, especially an entrepreneurial leader who wants to innovate, make changes with a new product offering, design a new process, or build new culture. A great leader will keep a goin’. Think of Elon Musk. After hitting it big with Pay Pal, he showed incredible tenacity when he went all in with both Tesla and Space X at the same time. After months of missing the mark on both products, he was literally one rocket launch away from failure with Space X but refused to give up. He had spent all of his own money, had borrowed millions of dollars, and was on the edge of complete failure. He then launched a rocket one week prior to Christmas in 2011. It was his third attempt. He knew that if the third attempt failed, he was doomed. The launch was a success. In less than seven days, because of his tenacity and good fortune, NASA pledged 1.5 billion dollars in future space shuttles, and Space X was again infused with capital. Without incredible tenacity to win in the marketplace, both theSpace X enterprise and Tesla Motors would have been finished - but I guarantee you - Elon Musk would still not have given up as a person. Why? Because he has a Never Give up Spirit. He always will keeps a goin’ - no matter how difficult life gets.
Mahatma Gandhi said, "The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery, and tenacity." Every company and every country thriving today is indebted to a leader who made a courageous decision and said, "I'm going to solve a problem and create something new." No founder, innovator, or change master anywhere has ever had it easy. The ingredients needed are just as the great Mahatma said, "a sheer force of self-confidence, bravery, and tenacity." These qualities can pull a leader through the weighty forces of pulling an idea into reality. There is no substitute for courage followed quickly by tenacity - a sheer force of the will to win.
Here are some great innovators who understood the mantra, keep a goin’
* Thomas Edison: His favorite quote when a light bulb solution failed was, “Ah, one more way that does not work. I know to not try that again.”
* Steve Jobs: He admired tenacity in his people. He worked until he solved a problem and he was not willing to give up until the problem was solved to his satisfaction. He kept a goin’ until the very end. In fact, he was working on new business solutions the week prior to his death.
* Peter Drucker - at 89, Forbes did a cover story on him titled, “The Youngest Mind In America.” Now that’s a gentleman who knew what it meant to keep a goin’ and never stop. Why? Because it was in his character to keep creating, to stay young at heart, and to never loose his ambition to contribute - even though it required tremendous focus and hard work. He loved it all!
We can all think of people we admire who keep a goin’. I can’t think of a single person who would deny tenacity is a key trait of a successful business person, politician, homemaker, or any other good citizen. I know to this day that when I feel discouraged with a problem, the poem, “Keep A Goin’” comes back into my head. I can see dad’s smile, the twinkle in his eyes, and the enthusiasm in his voice as he would quote to me a memorable verse from the poem. And so, here is dedication not only to my father who kept a goin’ but to all of the father’s who kept a goin’ and made our lives better as a result. As a tribute to our fathers, the poem ends this blog. May all of us who are inspired to make a difference in this world find encouragement, gratitude, and tenacity to, as the author says, “drain the sweetness from the cup.”
"KEEP A-GOIN’"
If you strike a thorn or rose,
Keep a-goin'!
If it hails or if it snows,
Keep a-goin'!
'Taint no use to sit an' whine
When the fish ain't on your line;
Bait your hook an' keep a-tryin'--
Keep a-goin'!
When the weather kills your crop,
Keep a-goin'!
Though 'tis work to reach the top,
Keep a-goin'!
S'pose you're out o' ev'ry dime,
Gittin' broke ain't any crime;
Tell the world you're feelin' prime--
Keep a-goin'!
When it looks like all is up,
Keep a-goin'!
Drain the sweetness from the cup,
Keep a-goin'!
See the wild birds on the wing,
Hear the bells that sweetly ring,
When you feel like singin', sing--
Keep a-goin'!
Author: by Frank L. Stanton (1857-1927)