July 2019 - Beyond the Crucible by Warwick Fairfax

Leadership is hard. We may have a vision that we are trying to pursue, but for some reason it’s not happening. We feel stuck. We feel despondent. We don’t want to give up, but what else are we going to do? We might even think it’s time to quit.

Great leaders don’t give up. George Washington and the American colonies fought an eight-year-long war for independence. Winston Churchill spent most of the 1930s as a lonely voice railing against the threat of Nazi Germany, eventually becoming prime minister during the six year-long Second World War. These leaders had huge, almost insurmountable, goals they were trying to achieve with the fate of a nation depending on them. Your goal might not feel as hard as winning independence for the American colonies or ensuring freedom for your country during the Second World War, but it still may feel extremely difficult.

What is perseverance?

Perseverance is the ability to keep going no matter what. Giving up is not an option. The obstacles may be large, but you are going to press on. The kind of tenacity that is required to keep going in the face of seemingly impossible barriers requires a high degree of commitment and a strong belief in the vision or cause you are pursuing.

How do you persevere?

Before you take more practical steps, you first need to both understand the nature of why you feel stuck and then what to do about it. In order to do this, it’s helpful to do an internal review as well as an external review of why you have hit a roadblock in accomplishing your vision.

Internal Review:

Why is this vision so important? Life is hard. So is leadership. Your vision should be important to you or it will have no staying power. You need to be able to articulate why it’s important to make your vision become a reality. And, by the way, this needs to be your vision, not your friends’ or your parents’ vision. As I have often said, you cannot inherit a vision.
Do you have the skills to accomplish the vision? You might feel like it would be great if your vision happened — someone should do it — but should that someone be you? Do you have the inherent wiring and the skills to make your vision a reality? A key part of accomplishing your vision needs to be related to your skills. Walt Disney was an animator. He was able to work alongside his fellow animators in the early days, guiding them to make such classic movies as Snow White.
Are you passionate about your vision? Your vision might relate to a crucible experience you have gone through. For those that have suffered abuse, you might want to help others who have gone through abuse. Ideally your vision would be fueled by your belief system. If your vision is anchored by your most cherished beliefs, that will give it a lot more staying power.

External Review:

Do you have the resources to accomplish your vision? You might not have sufficient financial resources to take your vision to the next step.
What are the external threats? Perhaps the economy is challenging, or you have significant competitive threats.
Do you have the right people? You might not have the right people on your team. Ideally you would have a team with skills and abilities that are complementary to yours. They should be totally committed to — and passionate about — the vision.

Creating an Action Plan

You might have a number of issues from the above lists or you might have only one. Identify the issue, reflect, and then consult with relevant advisers and/or your team to help you figure out the next steps.

Internal

For the internal side, often a group of people that really know you can help. They could be friends or fellow team members of yours. Ask them to ask you tough questions, questions such as:

Is this your vision or someone else’s?
How passionate are you about the vision?
Are your skills and aptitudes a key part of accomplishing the vision?
Is your vision related to and fueled by your core beliefs?

Between your own reflection and the input from your team and those close to you, you might have to face some tough decisions. If you are pursuing a vision that is not yours, that you are not passionate about, that you don’t have the key skills for, and that is not anchored and fueled by your fundamental beliefs, you are in a difficult position. You would be right in asking yourself some serious questions about the viability of pursuing your vision.

External

For the external side, in a similar vein, you need to reflect and consult the relevant people.

If there are financial issues, consult with people with financial expertise on what your options are.
If the issue is the economy or competitive threats, you might consider getting input from your core team and potentially outside experts.
If you don’t have the right people, first make sure you understand your own skills and aptitudes, and then determine the complementary skills that you need to hire. It might even be worth asking your team what, if any, skills and aptitudes are missing from the team.

The Bottom Line

The internal and external analysis of what is holding your vision back is valuable and can be very helpful. At the end of the day, however, the two questions you have to ask yourself are:

How passionate are you about the vision?
How much is the core of your vision tied to your innermost strongly held beliefs?

Passion and perseverance break through many walls. If the answer to these questions is a resounding absolutely, then you will have a much greater chance of making your vision a reality.

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One of the great stories of perseverance is the American Revolutionary War and George Washington’s dogged determination to not give in. It was in large part Washington’s commitment to the American cause of independence and his refusal to give up amidst overwhelming odds that was the key to the birth of the United States.

Washington, the commanding general of the Continental Army of the American Colonies, was not a brilliant strategist or tactician. He was not particularly well-educated either. He was up against British generals with far more significant command experience and he lost more battles than he won. Thomas Jefferson later said that Washington often “failed in the field.” He was sometimes guilty of gross military blunders, such as when he placed his army on Long Island, New York, in 1776, exposing his entire army to capture. So why is Washington revered as the Father of the Nation and considered such a great leader?

The Greatness of Washington

The greatness of Washington lies in his character and in his capacity to learn. These were the two areas that led to the preservation of the Continental Army, the American cause and, ultimately, led to our country’s independence. One historian called the American Revolution “almost a miracle,” saying that “the war came much closer to ending short of a great American victory than many now realize.”

Washington was a wealthy man who did not take a salary and risked all he had for the cause. Through it all, he showed unrelenting courage and perseverance, never losing sight of “the goodness of our cause.” He truly believed difficulties were not insurmountable, saying “perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” This inspired great loyalty among his troops.

Self-Awareness and Humility

Washington was also self-aware. He knew his limitations and his lack of experience as a military commander. In his formal acceptance of the command of the Continental Army in 1775, Washington said, “I am truly sensible of the high honor done me by this appointment, yet I feel great distress from a consciousness that my abilities and military experience may not be equal to the extensive and important trust.”

Leaning in as a Learner

In addition to his self-awareness and humility, Washington’s great strength was his capacity to learn. Washington realized that trying to fight open-field battles against the might of the British Army was not wise. He turned to hit and run tactics — guerrilla tactics — that he had seen Native Americans use so effectively in the French and Indian War, a decade or so before the American Revolution.

Washington realized the key to victory was survival — survival of the Continental Army and the American cause. Eventually, this survival led to the French entering the war. This culminated in the combined American and French forces, aided by the French navy, defeating the British at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, which effectively ended the war.

What can we learn from Washington?

Never Give Up. Never giving up and being able to survive can be the key to ultimate victory.
Keep Your Ego in Check. Have an accurate appraisal of yourself. Arrogance will only hold you back and may end up depriving you of victory.
Surround Yourself with a Good Team.Surround yourself with a team that has complementary skills to yourself, even to the point of hiring people who you may feel are better than you in many respects.

Key Takeaways

Believe in Your Cause. Your passion has to be bigger than the obstacles you might face along the way. This will keep you going and focused on the vision you’ve set out to achieve.
The Strength of Your Character can Lead to Victory. Being humble and self aware can enable you to take advice you don’t want to hear and surround yourself with a great team with complementary skills.

Character and humility, combined with a fierce belief in the cause and the determination to never surrender, will inspire many passionate followers. These are the kind of qualities that will help a leader persevere and prevail amid the toughest trials and challenges. This was the key to American independence. The American Colonies were led by a man of great character and humility — who passionately believed in the righteousness of their cause.