"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."
There are times in our business lives when we've felt we've prepared and were ready to win a battle, only to suffer defeat at the hands of our competitors or even colleagues within the company. It is those times that test a person to the uttermost.
It's the time when we done our very best, that we are tested, if we are temporarily defeated. Of course the problem is at the time it happens, it isn't considered temporary, but has the feel of permanency to it. We are deflated and quite possibly at the professional low of our careers.
These times are what determines who you'll be professionally. When we loose battles that we don't have a strong, vested interest in, it's not that big of a deal. But when we put all we have into something, knowing we've done the best we could, a defeat at that time is devastating to us.
When you put everything you have into something, you can't be objective in the short term, it's just not possible. You've got to let some time pass to take a real look at what happened. First there is always the experience, second comes the explanation. There is a period of time between the two.
Assuming after a time of reflection and licking our wounds we still see what we went after is right, we need to continue our battle; but we must continue it at the right time.
This is one of the great secrets to leadership success; you're able to still take care of the things today, in spite of going through a defeat that eats at you. Those who usually fail in this regard, do it because they refuse to let go of what happened in a personal way, and it becomes an obsession which causes other important things to slide.
Once those things add up, the weight pretty much becomes unbearable, and it will crush you.
The trick is to hold on to what you have in a loose manner. Don't take yourself too seriously, but also keep your idea close to your chest. Don't let it go because it has been temporarily rejected or defeated.
If you know the stakes that Margaret Thatcher faced in her Britain, along with the cold war issues, you'd understand that a person can stand under the pressures and patiently wait until they get their way. If you're right, eventually you will get your way. Just don't allow yourself to be destroyed because you don't get it at the time you think you should.
The race is won by the patient. Most battles worth fighting aren't won the first time around. Keep it in mind when you want to give up.
Margaret Thatcher Resources:
The Best Quotes From Margaret Thatcher's 'Statecraft'
Margaret Thatcher & the Revival of the West
Interview with Margaret Thatcher
Magaret Thatcher's Life in the Shadows
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