Persistence is Key
Joey Havens
Thought Leader in Workplace Transformation & Public Accounting | Past National Managing Partner @ HORNE LLP | Author on Creating Magnetic Workplace Cultures
I am so blessed to be in our condo in Oxford, watching College Football Game Day, and so excited about the 11 a.m. kickoff while we wait for the Ole Miss Rebels to play later tonight. CeCe decided she wanted to go run some errands (remember this is code for SHOPPING). So I gave her my key to my SUV, and she was off and gone.
Oliver has crawled up in my lap and we are ready for some football. Then my phone rings and it’s CeCe.
CeCe: Do you have the key to your truck?
Me: No, I gave it to you; that’s the only way you could have cranked it.
CeCe: I know, but I can’t find it, and I have searched this truck over completely.
Me: Is it still running?
CeCe: Yes, I did not want to cut it off until I knew where the key was.
Me: Awesome, just drive back here, and I will help you find it.
About 20 minutes later, she drives up, panicked and still missing the key. After we discussed where she got out of the truck and how she searched, I knew it had to be in the truck. It’s going to be under one of these front seats, it must have gotten in a spot where we can’t see it. So I first searched around the driver’s seat and then moved to the passenger seat. CeCe begins searching the driver’s seat and pulls up the carpet edge under the seat, and there lies the key. YEAH!
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She was so relieved and embarrassed, but we laughed together. She also headed back out for those “errands.”
What impressed me was how she kept her cool and kept the truck running when she did not know where the key was. She would have been stranded there if it had not been in the truck and she cut it off. She also kept looking in places that she had searched before. Her persistence is what led to a good outcome.
This is our leadership lesson this week. When we are the most frustrated, it’s our persistence and how we respond that will determine our outcome. CeCe responded by staying level-headed and diligent in her search.
The Rest of the Story
Me: Hey, did you have any more trouble with the key when you went back?
CeCe: Not at all; I kept it tucked away in my purse. Now, could you unload those packages?
“If you were to anticipate how strong a company’s culture needs to be to transform and thrive in the future, Joey Havens paints a beautiful horizon in his book Leading with Significance.” • Daniel Burrus
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A professional coach built to serve Executives in Accounting and Finance.
2moGreat story Joey. It reminds me of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and how we can contribute to our overall well-being, performance, and ability, even while navigating pressure and challenges by being a HERO. Hopeful. Efficacy. Resilient. Optimistic. Thanks for writing this!
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2moWhat an awesome reminder! Oftentimes, it really does come down to our persistence Joey Havens!
Technology Futurist Keynote Speaker, Business Strategist and Disruptive Innovation Expert
2moGreat story and a valuable leadership takeaway! Staying calm and persistent in uncertain moments is often what separates good outcomes from setbacks.
CEO/Managing Partner at De La Hoz, Perez & Barbeito, PLLC | IPA Top 400 | SFBJ 16th Largest Accounting Firm | AT Best Firms to Work For🚀
2moYes! Things will always get in the way but it's how we respond to them that makes all the difference Joey Havens!