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Churchill on Hell
November 2007

I am fortunate to be an advisor to a great company in Denver. In a board meeting the other day, the CEO was describing a rough patch that they had gone through when one of my fellow board members opened a bottle of ice tea and handed the CEO the bottle cap that contained a brilliant saying by Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through Hell… keep going!”
 
A similar message had come my way the night before at an event to recognize successful entrepreneurs. The overriding theme of success that came across from this talented group was not luck, a trust fund, or even brilliance, but rather, perseverance.
 
A third point and then we’ll try to tie this together. I recently went to an advanced coaching college and learned that there is some compelling research from 15 global companies that says that 90% of executive success can be attributed to emotional intelligence which, unlike cognitive intelligence, can be improved.
 
What’s this all mean? Mental toughness and good people skills will get you a lot further as a leader than a deep understanding of FASB, subatomic particles or knowing how a hard drive works.
 
IQ of 150? Great, but it won’t give you a leg up on the guy who can communicate more effectively with his people. Graduate of Oxford? Good, but if you crack under pressure like a corn tortilla in the hot desert sun, your competitor who has the perseverance to… persevere, will win the long race.
 
Another brilliant remark from Churchill, “Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.”

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Todd Ordal helps CEOs and senior leaders connect the dots between current reality and a compelling vision of the future. He consults on strategy and serves as a thought partner for CEOs because he understands from his days as a CEO that it is lonely at the top. You can contact Todd at todd@appliedstrategy.info or call 303-527-0417.