"Relentless or persistant?"

Definitions
Persistence is "continuing firmly in a course of action despite difficulty."
Relentless is "unyielding, showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace."

So, which are you and which should we be?

Relentless, I always picture as more aggressive. "Relentless in the pursuit of new business", for instance or, "A relentless pursuit of knowledge." It infers action. I think that's why I always liked "relentlessness" as a personal quality.

Persistence, however, is hardly a passive term, but it always feels more like "enduring" instead of taking action. Maybe I'm biased toward my own personality.

In business I think you need people who have each quality to make it through. You need the relentless, the attackers. People ready to fight for the business, for new business, to stand tall in the gap.

You also need the persistent. They weather storms, continue until the work is done. They are the foundation from which relentless attacks can be launched.

The toughest situation to be in is one in which you have neither; when the strength of will is gone from your organization. There are natural lulls in disciple and will, but if that weakness becomes systemic, danger lurks on the horizon. This is not the time for the faint of heart to be in business.

As the leaders of our business, it is our job first and foremost to display a relentless desire to win and relentless action to back the desire. It is our job to persist in the face of hardship and show our people that our will is strong.

Guard what you say. Guard closely what you do. People are watching. Are you relentless? Are you persistent? Can those who follow you see it in your actions? Can they hear it in your words?

My Dad is persistent. He is the working-est man I have ever known. He doesn't have to say anything about it. You can see it.

I am relentless. If you know me, you know it. We try more things per year than anybody. We always are testing, experiementing, pushing the boundaries.

This is a time for relentlessness, for persistence. Many in the "down economy" are learning hard lessons about working hard we life-long farmers learned as children from our parents. We are already forged for times like these and the advantage is ours.

Be proud of the lessons you have learned in this hard business of farming. Make sure that this week people know clearly whom you are. Be relentless, persist and victory will be yours.

Have a great week. - Hugh