First my apologies to any Vancouver ice hockey fans this morning. Although I would not call myself an ice hockey fan in any way, I do live near Boston and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years last night.
The Boston Bruins celebrate their first Stanley Cup victory in 39 years with much joy!
The Boston sports teams have shown the value of persistence, perhaps no more than the Bruins. After almost 40 years of trying to win this major cup, they are triumphant!
In project and process change we can learn a lot about teamwork from sports teams, when they are truly working as a team. But perhaps the most important lesson in this example is the value of persistence.
Here is my personal checklist of how use persistence to benefit your project:
- If the project and outcome is worth it, be patient to get to the result
- Don’t mistake persistence for continuing with a failing strategy; try something else if you are not getting the result you need
- Evaluate and reevaluate your project plan frequently
- Listen attentively to feedback, both positive and negative
- Be prepared to convince and resell the benefits of your project when needed
