Persistence and Perseverance in Business
Five Principles to Succeed in the Competitive American Marketplace
Aug 6, 2009
How does one spell "survival" in the context of the American marketplace? If he was Felix Anthony, he would spell it "p-e-r-s-i-s-t-e-n-c-e" and "p-e-r-s-e-v-e-r-a-n-c-e." At 73, Anthony continues to work hard and does not appear to be ready to slow down any time soon. That does not mean he has had it easy. No, in the course of his business life, he endured prejudice, betrayal, and age discrimination, but came out on top. What principles has Anthony exercised to survive and thrive in the competitive American business marketplace?
#1 - Showed Up to Work Every Day
The first principle to thrive is in business is to persistently show up to work every day. To show up to work every day means both physically and mentally. Regardless of the working conditions, the attitudes of supervisors and coworkers, or personal health issues, Anthony got out of bed every day, went to work and gave it his best effort. By this mundane practice, his employers began to take notice that he was reliable and trustworthy and soon gave him more responsibility.
#2 - Continually Upgraded Knowledge and Skill Sets
The second principle to thrive in business is persist in upgrading relevant knowledge and skill sets. This means to learn everything about the business and everything about how to fulfill the job description in every possible way. In 1961, Anthony was hired as a route salesperson for a commercial dish washing company. In order to perform his duties to the best of his ability, he studied and applied proven sales techniques. When after 30 years of loyal service he was let go from that company, he was able to use the same skill sets to build a successful career selling products in a new industry.
#3 - Learned How to Connect with Others
A third principle to thrive the competitive marketplace is to learn how to connect with others. Anthony was always seen as reliable and trustworthy but not necessarily a people person. Recognizing that networking with others was an important factor in business success, he enrolled in a Dale Carnegie course to gain more training on how to interact with others with positive results.
#4 - Maintained Genuine Honesty and Integrity
Long-term success in business is a matter of building trust. When supervisors, co-workers, and clients feel they can trust a person they will want to help that person succeed in their business life. At age 60, Anthony had to hit the pavement to find a new line of work. Accordingly, he followed the common procedure of typing up a resume to hand out to those who were interested. After Anthony's current employer called on his references, he commented that Anthony's resume was the only one which matched the person.
#5 - Never Gave Up
The last principle to thrive in the marketplace is to persevere and never give up. At the commercial dishwasher company, Anthony promoted from route man to executive vice president only to be let go after 35 years of loyal service. In order to receive a severance package, he had to sign a letter of no compete. As difficult as it was, Anthony did not give up. He picked himself up; dusted off his suit; found a new position in a new industry; struggled through the learning curve; and helped to expand his new company from a staff of 10 employees to 160 in less than 10 years.
By these five principles, Anthony has been able to survive and thrive the competitive American business marketplace.
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