July 13, 2016 by 
This inspiring quote about perseverance comes from an inspiring man—Vince Lombardi, Head Coach of The Green Bay Packers. You and your team can take these words off the football field and into your conference room. While I was CEO of HR Solutions, I had the pleasure of consulting with hundreds of world-class organizations and seeing firsthand what contributed to their success. Those who scored in the top 10% on their employee engagement surveys were considered “Best-in-Class” and were always an inspiration to me. Interestingly, they shared one uncanny commonality: they chose perseverance over victimhood.
Many of these organizations had faced calamities such as industry downturns, sudden executive deaths, and employee thefts, and yet, they kept moving. What a great best practice to put in place: keep moving. In times like these, momentum is your best friend; this is also true when you face personal trauma or challenges. Keep moving.
Conversely, I also worked with hundreds of organizations that might be called “Worst-in-Class,” since they scored in the bottom 10% of our employee engagement survey database. They also shared a commonality: when facing adversity, instead of persevering and continuing to move forward, they gave up and chose victimhood. Their circumstances weren’t any more challenging than those of other organizations, but the way they responded made bad situations even worse.
As the saying goes, “You haven’t lost until you quit trying.” (For you Chicago Bears fans out there, this quote is often attributed to Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame football player and 1985 Super Bowl winning coach.) I doubt he was the first to say it, but in any case, it’s great advice. Whether you’re on the field or at a desk, believe in yourself, train hard, stay focused, and never quit!
Image source: SI.com