Tenacity is a great trait to see in people. The ability to dig in and stick with a problem, even when things aren’t going well, is very important. At work, at girl scouts, and at home, we’re trying to teach people to become problem solvers and leaders. One of the marks of a leader and a problem solver is someone who knows when to dig in, and when to admit defeat. They know when to ask questions. But they also know when the font of information has been worn out, and they will have to find an alternative approach, or a solution to the problem themselves.
In general, I encourage my team to work on a problem when they’re stuck- but only for 30 minutes or so. Sometimes we run into problems that have to be sorted through because no-one else knows the answer either. The mark of success is someone who can dig in, and put all of the pieces of information that they have together and solve the puzzle. It requires deep thought, and creativity. It also takes a bit of grit, and determination. It’s easy to ask others for help all the time, but not so easy once you’ve reached the end of the line, to push it further to become the subject matter expert, and take and own a project, problem, or situation.
Sticking with a project until completion is important to achieve results. Pick up the problem, and work on it until you get the results that you’d like to get. Tenacity is key to achieving results. Being a bit hard headed is a good thing too.
So, dig in, use your head. Wrap your head around it, and really think hard. Be strong.
