Tenacious

                                                    

On the tail winds of the conviction of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s shooter, we should all take a minute and think about the word tenacious. Tenacious is defined by Webster dictionary as: “holding fast, highly retentive, pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, obstinate or cohesive.   I would like to dedicate this blog post to people like Congresswoman Gifford because she is tenacious.  Regardless of your political affiliations we can all agree that she is tenacious in all meanings of the word.   Some of the adjectives listed to define tenacious can be thought of as negative, but sometimes you have to be stubborn and obstinate to keep things and yourself progressing.

What we learn from Congresswoman Gifford is to never give up.  One day you wake up, go through your routine, and then something happens that completely changes everything.  None of us will hopefully experience anything like what Congresswoman Gifford experienced, but events happen to all of us that change our perspectives and lives.  How we handle and react to these changes defines who we are.  It defines what type of leaders, colleagues, friends, and even just members of a society we are.

When events positive or negative happen that completely through your world into chaos, you can show up, persevere or check out.  Being a leader isn’t defined as managing someone.  Anyone can do that.  Being a true leader means showing up, organizing chaos, and staying positive.  To all of my emerging leaders out there, when things get tough…stop and remember Congresswoman Gifford.  She returned to Washington only 7 short months after being shot in the head to cast her ballot on the debt limit deal.  Why?  Because she felt so strongly on the debt limit, and its effects on our country, that she couldn’t sit by and not contribute. She was being persisted, stubborn and trying to make a cohesive America. She walked into congress and did her job, regardless that her life is hard. 

Be tenacious for what you believe in.  As you begin your journey in the workforce decide how you want to be defined and stick with it.  As your perceptions change, allow it. Learn and grow from all your experiences, but always remain tenacious to who you are. We get over whelmed, but remember the events that define you as a leader aren’t the “walk in the park days”, but the days when everything falls apart. Stand strong in what you believe in, whatever that may be.