Do You Have “Pigheaded Discipline and Determination”?

Chet Holmes, author of the best-selling book, The Ultimate Sales Machine, lost his battle to leukemia in 2012. As I reflect on this remarkable man and his contributions to the business world, I realize that I took away much more than specific strategies or tactics when I studied his book or listened to him speak.

Chet had a conviction and confidence that immediately captured your attention…and held it. He was clearly passionate about his work to empower businesses to greater success. His enthusiasm and positive energy were contagious.

I first heard the phrase “pigheaded discipline and determination” when I listened to Chet being interviewed in 2010. I could tell he was someone worth paying attention to as his story unfolded.

Early in his career, he doubled sales three years in a row for a publication owned by Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett’s business partner). But that was after four months of having NO response from the marketing initiatives he’d implemented.

Here was a man who never gave up. He spoke with such conviction, confidence, and knowledge that I was sorry when the interview concluded.

I immediately grabbed a copy of his book. I also invested in the audio version so I could absorb the information during my commute. It continues to be one of my favorite business books. 

Chet’s key principles are closely aligned with our own approach to learning and mastery of skills. No matter what field you work in, you can apply his words to achieve greater results in your life.

Three of my favorites…

“Any area of achievement in your life required you to stick with the basics until you became great…Becoming a master of karate was not about learning 4,000 moves but about doing just a handful of moves 4,000 times.”

Are you busy trying to implement every new idea you hear? The key to success is to recognize that you have to become really good at only a small number of things, not everything.

In fact, when you constantly flit from one activity to another, you’re not investing enough time in practicing and repeating the few that will make the biggest difference and get you the best results.

What are the “basics” for you, and are you working on them?

“No one gets good at anything without repetition. Karate requires tremendous discipline. You’re just repeating moves over and over. This is true of tennis, golf, or any other sport. Practice, practice, practice and then, when you’ve begun to master your moves so that you know what to do automatically, it gets exciting. But pigheaded discipline comes first.”

Achieving mastery of any skill requires you to create strong neural connections in your brain, and that only happens with lots of repetition and practice. And that requires a real commitment to follow through – to do what needs to be done, every time, no excuses.

What have you committed to master? Are you putting in the necessary practice every day to make sure you become excellent?

“The missing ingredient for nearly all of the 1,000-plus clients I have worked with directly to improve their businesses is pigheaded discipline and determination. We all get good ideas at seminars and from books, radio talk shows, and business-building gurus. The problem is that most companies do not know how to identify and adapt the best ideas to their businesses. Implementation, not ideas, is the key to real success.”

It’s not enough to know WHAT to do. You have to take action. That’s what separates the wannabes from the real achievers. Nothing happens until you translate a good idea into observable behavior.

What idea is still in your head that you want to turn into a reality?

Identify one step you can take today to move you forward, and then do it.

Learn More

What if you could help every leader in your organization strengthen their ability to exercise pig-headed discipline and determination?

Now you can, with GSL SkillBuilder!

This unique, self-paced program strengthens 36 character skills and 10 high-impact communication skills that every leader needs to be effective.

Watch this 1-minute video about Perseverance, which explains what it is and why it’s important. Contact me to find out how you can use GSL SkillBuilder in your leadership development programs.

Want to create business relationships that last for years or even decades?

Learn how at this webinar I’ll be conducting on September 19, 11am PT/2pm ET, hosted by Sales & Marketing Management. REGISTER HERE.

About Meredith

Meredith Bell is co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders . Her company publishes assessment and development tools that help people build strong relationships at work and at home. Meredith is the author of three books, and the host of the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast .

You can get details about Meredith’s books, products, and podcast at GrowStrongLeaders.com.