James Clear said it well:
“Consistency versus intensity.”
I would go a step further.
For real change to actually take place, you need another ingredient.
Perseverance.
Creating innovations and even basic changes in your work can take a lot of time and effort.
There are hundreds of good ideas I see die all the time because of the lack of perseverance.
It takes a different kind of commitment and willingness to keep going past the finish line when it seems like an idea is stuck in limbo.
About 5 years ago, a colleague of mine reached out and asked if we could do some work together.
I was pumped.
I had worked with them before, and it was a blast.
So, when they called for more support at their new job…I quickly jumped at the chance.
We initially had a long meeting to discuss the project and proposal.
I sent over a draft…and then, another draft.
We landed in a good spot and then…crickets.
Nothing.
Weeks went by, and I thought to myself, I lost a client.
Then months.
Yes, then a year.
Then, another year.
I tried to check in and sent little notes from time to time but I didn’t hear back.
I put the client on my prospect list every year.
At the end of each year, I update my list and put a smiley face or a frowny face on the Post-it with the name.
If I get the contract, I draw a smile.
If I don’t get the contract, you guessed it—I draw a frown.
It always upsets me not to land a client.
But, no matter how frustrating it is, I will persevere and try again next year.
Two years ago…
…a client of mine on the East Coast wanted to collect and document all the processes in a department so they could build a robust performance program.
We had nothing to start with.
So we started slowly with one division at a time.
Never losing hope, we continued to build it out using SOPs and our little new tool, Coco.
Each week, we add a few more.
The team now has access to more than 100 different processes and services within multiple departments.
It almost got easier because we got into the routine of it…
…consistency over intensity.
Several years ago…
…I started chatting with our friends at ICMA about running innovation cohorts for members.
We did a few things over those years.
I went to an event in Dallas and taught a small group of ICMA members how to do some process improvements.
Then, I joined the big ICMA conference in Austin and presented about useless work and what happens when we get caught up in our useless work.
We kept connecting and discussing what a pilot would look like.
Then, we started sharing documents and…
…BOOM.
After about 3 years…
…it is coming full circle and we are starting to roll out our cohorts this year.
- I could have given up on my colleague 5 years ago and stopped circling back.
- I could have stopped the persistent pursuit of getting documents and maps for my client.
- And I could have stopped chatting with ICMA.
In fact, most of us in our right minds would do that.
Sometimes, our work feels so tough because people don’t respond to us when we want them to.
Our work can become mundane, and we find ourselves doing really tedious things like documenting hundreds of processes and services.
Every once in a while, we feel like we are drifting away from a cool project only to watch it bloom again.
This year, I get to work with my friend again.
And we are launching that pilot training for ICMA.
I also will get to see what it looks like when an entire organization has documented all of their services and processes.
Perseverance is defined as:
persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
This is your reminder—you can do incredible things when you persevere.
Stay tuned to learn about the work we’re doing with ICMA.
Interested in talking process improvement for your workplace? Drop me a line.