Perseverance, keep moving

It has been some months for some of the delegates who attended the ‘Dead Men have White Collars’ seminar – just enough time for you to begin to get disheartened because nothing may have changed in your circumstances despite some months of hard work.

Malcolm Gladwell, at the Leadership Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa took time to point out that there is no such thing as an ‘overnight success’. Every successful person has put in 10 000 hours of hard work before success ‘fell from heaven’.

This is why we must follow our passion; it is the only thing that is going to get us through 10 000 of hard work with little reward, e.g. 10 years at 4 hours per day. Sadly western culture has diminished the value of hard work which is in direct contrast to eastern culture where it is the norm.

‘Dead Men have White Collars’ does not point in the direction of using Internet resources as a quick get-rich scheme. There is no short cut around consistency, passion and hard work.

Malcolm Gladwell - Book 'Outliers' about success and hard work.

Click here to watch the YouTube video.

Opposition to your leadership

Some things just go together “like peas and carrots” (Forest Gump)

When you decide to stand up and stand out – create an useful online resource that people will need and use – opposition follows.

It is human to think, “Wow, look at the resources I have created, look at the service /information / solution I’m offering. People will just LOVE this”. Yes, some will and yes opposition, difficulties, obstacles, problems will simultaneously spring up out of the ground from nowhere. From finance to computer to health to people to communication, to anything else you can think of. That is just life.

This is why it is not always the best product, service or solution that makes it to the top – it is the one that will not let opposition stop it; it is the one that goes the distance; it is the one that just keeps going regardless.

So you have to combine perseverance and courage to the formula when you create your online presence and resources.

We need to lead

Creating a blog, becoming an information resource and branding yourself is all about leadership. In his insightful book “Tribes”, Seth Godin makes some observations about leading.

Leaders are not born; they are created when a person follows their passion and decides to lead. Leaders are generous people who are committed to the needs of their followers.

Leadership is not about power, authority, charisma  or good looks. It is about service, perseverance, determination and vision; leadership empowers other people.

Leadership is about a person seeing the need to change the status quo, in a particular niche, for the better. They are driven to make the change because they see a better solution, offer a better service / solution and know that they can make a difference.

So, the resources on your blog, in your videos, in your podcasts, your newsletters and everything else you offer is bigger than you think – there are people wanting you to succeed because you will make their story greater, bigger and more fulfilling.

Brands, Leadership and Fear

You need to manage your career like a brand. This means everything must be remarkable i.e. product, services, knowledge, marketing, public relations etc. Then it is easier to get people to buy into “You (Pty) Ltd”.

None of this is possible if you shrink from leadership. Fear must be minimized. Leadership is a position of service, so don’t worry about the ego-stuff. People don’t actually care about ‘you’. They merely want to use you as a stepping stone in your own story, in their own quest for meaning, lifestyle and fulfilment.

And yes, it is fun, challenging and gives meaning to your professional life.