Perseverance

The theme of the Project Management in Healthcare conference on May 18, 2021 is "Rock hard soft skills". Project management in healthcare requires extremely hard developed soft skills. In the run-up to the conference, we will therefore consider soft skills from the perspective of project management in healthcare in this series of blogs. In this issue we will discuss: perseverance.

Perseverance stands for a person's ability to achieve a specific goal, despite the setbacks that arise. As total 'project management nerds' we therefore occasionally participate in obstacle races (also known as "mud runs") with the Project Management in Healthcare Foundation. They are a wonderful, living metaphor for project management. After all, you also encounter obstacles on your way to the finish. In addition, concepts such as " throwing mud " and "muddling through" are also not uncommon in the project management context. My ultimate thought is, however: when we can learn to overcome obstacles by practicing sports, then we will certainly benefit from it in our workplace.

Perseverance, in the sense of persistence is rewarded, tenacity, determination, discipline, etc., is a skill for which one obviously has more aptitude than the other. Yet it most certainly can be cultivated. In the book “Dealing with adversity, practical tips for overcoming obstacles”, Paul G. Stoltz offers a questionnaire to measure your current AQ, antagonism quotient. This quotient determines to what extent you know how to persevere when you encounter setbacks. If you know what your AQ is, you can start to use it. Stoltz also provides various useful tools.

More recent and scientifically substantiated is Angela Duckworth's work on the grit factor. Duckworth formulated the hypothesis that real success mainly comes from a special mix of complete surrender and the determination to work on long-term goals: grit. According to Duckworth, six core values ​​determine a person's grit factor: hope, effort, precision, passion, rituals and priorities. “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.”

A Dutch specialist in perseverance is Sander Aarts. Through his book “Niet te Breken” (red. Unbreakable) you will become mentally unbeatable by taking note of the experiences and lessons of the Special Forces. This book inspires and reads like an exciting boys' book (also for tough girls!). If you're looking for a special team outing, check out his Unbreakable Academy.

Incidentally, there is no shortage of (former) soldiers, who inspire in the field of perseverance. Jocko Willink and David Goggins are very popular at the moment. I also found the story of Ross Edgley very special, who was the first person to recently swim around Great Britain. Perseverance could also be a nice theme of a Hell Week, which has a somewhat military footing but above all, practically "sandblasts" your life.

Is perseverance a skill of particular importance to project managers? Yes, because projects do not come about without a struggle. There is always resistance to change, even if the change is an improvement. Then you must persevere. Not against your better judgment, of course, but sometimes against all odds and by bypassing yourself. At the very end of projects it is a matter of perseverance until you’re done. The last mile is the hardest and not easily walked. That requires perseverance, if only to motivate others to also persevere.

Is perseverance a skill of particular importance to healthcare project managers? No, because always and everywhere more projects will be started than continued. But in healthcare, resistance to change can take on enormous proportions, for example because of conservatism, and persistence can be particularly problematic in an environment that does not excel in holding each other accountable.

© 2020, John van Rouwendaal