Be Motivated & Persevere
Main goal: Stay focused and don’t give up
We all know that starting a new venture will take some time and you’ll very likely encounter some obstacles and difficulties on the way. Being able to get through difficult times is a major skill for entrepreneurs.
There are some great things you can do to get through it, but all of them are based on knowing and learning about yourself and what works for you. In the same way, as you build milestones to manage your resources, you’ll need to build milestones to manage yourself. As we mentioned, you will have to step out of your comfort zone to grow and become successful. That means you don’t know how this will impact you and how you will react when you are confronted with new challenges.
The biggest step is to accept that you don’t know it yet. The “yet” is the important part. This kind of attitude will keep the excitement and motivation going. For perseverance, your commitment is the biggest contributor. Accepting the fact that there is a lot to learn and that only continuous action will give you the knowledge you need to master the unknown is the core element of motivation and perseverance.
In short, motivation and perseverance are about:
- Being determined to turn ideas into action and satisfy your need to achieve
- Being prepared to be patient and keep trying to achieve your long-term individual or group aims
- Being resilient under pressure, adversity, and temporary failure
Let’s look at each skill and see what each level will bring you:
Stay Driven
| Level | Ability |
| 1 | I am driven by the possibility to do or contribute to something that is good for me or for others. |
| 2 | I am motivated by the idea of creating value for myself and others. |
| 3 | I can anticipate the feeling of achieving my goals and this motivates me. |
| 4 | I can regulate my own behaviour to stay driven and achieve the benefits of turning ideas into action. |
| 5 | N/A |
| 6 | N/A |
| 7 | N/A |
| 8 | N/A |
Be Determined
| Level | Ability |
| 1 | I see tasks as challenges to do my best. |
| 2 | I am motivated by challenges. |
| 3 | I can set challenges to motivate myself. |
| 4 | I am willing to put the effort in and use resources to overcome challenges and achieve my (or my team’s) goals. |
| 5 | I drive my effort by using my desire for achievement and belief in my ability to achieve. |
| 6 | I can coach others to stay motivated, encouraging them to commit to what they want to achieve. |
| 7 | I can create the right climate to motivate my team (for example, by celebrating successes, learning from failures and encouraging innovative ways to tackle problems). |
| 8 | I consider all outcomes as temporary solutions appropriate to their time and context, and so am motivated to make sure they develop in a continuous cycle of improvement and innovation. |
Focus On What Keeps You Motivated
| Level | Ability |
| 1 | N/A |
| 2 | I can recognise different ways of motivating myself and others to create value. |
| 3 | I can reflect on the social incentives associated with having a sense of initiative and creating value for myself and others. |
| 4 | I can tell the difference between personal and external factors that motivate me or others when creating value. |
| 5 | I can use strategies to stay motivated (for example, set goals, monitor performance and evaluate my progress). |
| 6 | I can use strategies to keep my team motivated and focused on creating value. |
| 7 | I can design effective ways to attract talented people and keep them motivated. |
| 8 | I can reward initiative, effort, and achievement appropriately within my team and organisation. |
Be Resilient
| Level | Ability |
| 1 | I show passion and willingness to achieve my goals. |
| 2 | I am determined and persevere when trying to achieve my (or my team’s) goals. |
| 3 | I can overcome simple adverse circumstances. |
| 4 | I can judge when it is not worth continuing with an idea. |
| 5 | I can persevere in the face of adversities when trying to achieve my goals. |
| 6 | I can coach others to stay motivated, encouraging them to commit to what they want to achieve. |
| 7 | I can cope with unexpected change, setbacks and failures (for example, job loss). |
| 8 | I can make sure that my team or organisation stay positive when making difficult decisions and dealing with failure. |
Don't Give Up
| Level | Ability |
| 1 | I do not give up and I can keep going even when facing difficulties. |
| 2 | I am not afraid of working hard to achieve my goals. |
| 3 | I can delay achieving my goals in order to gain greater value, thanks to the prolonged effort. |
| 4 | I can maintain effort and interest, despite setbacks. |
| 5 | I can celebrate short-term achievements, in order to stay motivated. |
| 6 | I can inspire others to work hard on their goals by showing passion and a strong sense of ownership. |
| 7 | I can stay focused on my vision and goals, despite challenges. |
| 8 | N/A |
Note
If you are interested in learning and practising this skill group, please use the form on this page and tell us about it. We use this info for our planning for future programs and we will keep you up-to-date about it.
