The Importance of Persistence in Innovation

Talent alone doesn’t guarantee success. What matters is effort and persistence. Grit is what counts when talent falls short. After 20+ years building teams and watching careers evolve, I've noticed something crucial: The people who create lasting impact aren't always the most naturally gifted ones. They're the ones who show up everyday and consistently work hard. I read a book recently called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.  She really nails what grit is and why it's important. Grit is the combination of passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. It’s about staying committed, working hard, and pushing through setbacks over time. Here's why grit matters more than raw talent: 1. 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 Natural ability can get you started, but it plateaus. Grit? It compounds. Each challenge you push through builds resilience for the next one. 2. 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 The best solutions rarely come from first attempts. They come from the 10th iteration, after everyone else has given up. That's not talent, that's pure perseverance. 3. 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Your team doesn't need you to be brilliant. They need you to be reliable. Grit builds the trust that talent alone never could. Grit is easy to spot on teams. It's the individuals that put in effort all the time to get things right. The key word here is, "right."  You can put in all the effort in the world, but if it's in the wrong direction, you're only going to become exhausted. Talent might open doors, but grit decides who stays in the room. Want to develop more grit? Start here: • Take on projects slightly beyond your comfort zone • Commit to deadlines that scare you (then meet them) • When others pivot away from challenges, lean in • Focus on progress, not perfection Your capacity for growth isn't fixed. It expands with every obstacle you overcome. What's your take? Have you seen grit outperform raw talent in your career? -- ♻️ Repost to inspire other leaders ➕ Follow Jason Moccia for more insights into launching great products.

You’re not a pest if you’re being persistent. Yet, too many times projects and initiatives fail to be completed or fully realized because someone decided they didn’t want to be “a pest.” Remove that word from your vocabulary when you’re self-reflecting or self-describing. Coming into to a new role in any organization and you’re going to learn about current and past strategic initiatives and projects. If you think about it an underlying theme for incomplete or failed projects is the absence of persistence. During my vacation I had time to think about how I would succeed at my strategic initiatives and projects. I realized my key attribute I relied on to be successful in the past was my persistence. Yet, I came upon a more profound realization when thinking about the projects or initiatives that I wasn’t successful with—I stopped persisting because I felt that I was being “a pest” and was a bother to someone or some team that had plenty of competing priorities. While generally I am one to persist, I still recall beginning messages with “Sorry to be a pest…” Even when feeling like a pest wasn’t stopping me, I was still letting it add a negative connotation to my persistence. This is why we should all stop using the word “pest.” I’m not pestering you, I’m persisting in getting the job done. This calls to mind a quote I read as a young man from Calvin Coolidge - “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” So Press On! #legalops #projectmanagement #inspirationalquotes #persistence #success

We are not a patient culture. The human attention span has shrunk to that of a goldfish, while an insatiable online news cycle demands constant updates with little room for nuance. What does that mean for innovation, which requires ample time for experimentation and failure? Some of the most impactful systemic changes took decades, even centuries. But in the current environment, companies face increased pressure from VCs to deliver ROI, and the media is quick to write off a setback as the demise of an entire category. (What would today’s reporters have said about Thomas Edison, who made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before inventing the lightbulb?) I’ve written a lot about how cynicism can stifle innovation. Impatience is another hurdle. It is also another example of why strategic communications is invaluable. There are a few ways smart comms and marketing strategies can offset impatience: 💡 Rally audiences around the vision: impactful storytelling can help stakeholders buy into the long term vision and hold on for the ride. 💡 Set reasonable expectations: a steady cadence of proof points and progress can feed a news cycle hungry for updates while setting expectations around what is possible (and when). 💡 Acknowledge setbacks: there is no innovation without failure. A strong comms strategy can turn setbacks into storytelling opportunities to help stakeholders understand the importance of trial and error. 💡 Earn the right to patience: Companies are not entitled to anyone’s patience as they progress through the process of research, partnerships, setbacks and milestones. They must earn it by amplifying consistent evidence, securing external validation and sharing authentic timelines. How are you and your teams navigating the impatience hurdle? What storytelling strategies am I forgetting here? #innovation #communications #PR #failure