July 10 Our Breakfast Club Meeting: Theme: Perseverance

Each of Our Breakfast Club meetings has a theme. The theme for July was “perseverance” because the word is commonly used to mean “to not give up” or “to keep trying”… attributes associated with building long term business relationships.  However, looking at the full, correct meaning of the word, we find an unexpected lesson about word use and relationship building.

 

 For those of you who don’t know, the origin of “perseverance” is the obsolete Latin verb severo, meaning “stick to rigidly”.  (The lesser known  derivative word  “asseverate”  means to stick rigidly to what you say,  in contrast to the more common “persevere” which refers to sticking rigidly to what you  do or undertake.) So as it turns out “perseverance” is a double edged sword.

 

It is essential to “stick to” a system, strategy, or plan to develop relationships with people who can help you grow your business. But, without a doubt, sticking rigidly to your plan will be counterproductive.   Why?  Well one reason is the golden rule of relationship building:  “First, give help”.  That means listening to the other person, and responding based on what they tell you is their need, not what you believe it to be. If you are rigidly focused on your “wants” and not on the other persons “needs” it is likely you’ll miss an important relationship building opportunity.

 

Have you experienced this lesson and how did you handle it?