Don't back down

Persistence is the difference between success and failure. You must be willing to stand your ground, see things through, and live to fight another day. Survival is success and don’t let anyone ever tell you any different. I believe companies fail because they choose to. Instead of keeping the pressure on, they become complacent or lose the love they have serving customers. The entrepreneurs that don’t take “no” for an answer are the ones that see their dreams come true. Leadership is not measured by how you behave during the good times, it is measured during the bad times.

In the current financial climate now is not the time to fold; rather, it is the time to push forward, draw on every asset, and utilize every available resource to make it through to the other side. If you close your eyes you can imagine a time when all this will be far behind us; a stronger, smarter economy that rewards the companies that provide value and generate real revenue. Gone are the times of cheap money and free rides. Now we all have to work together to rise above insurmountable odds; repair our economy, environment, and the well being of all Americans.

Now is the time to see what we are truly made of. Our generation may be the most entrepreneurial in all of history. The world is in a state of decline and this is our opportunity to fix the broken systems created by previous generations, that bore this instability. This is our chance to rise to the occasion and remake the world as we see it. There are so many opportunities: from better financial tools, smarter healthcare, more agile government, and cleaner technology. Everything is up for grabs. It is almost like someone hit the reset button, allowing an entirely new generation of entrepreneurs to define the way these industries will take shape.

I urge you to take control of your destiny. Pay off your debts, cancel what you don’t need, and approach everything with honesty and practicality. The sad truth is that most Americans are broke, overweight, or dumb. This cannot be the status quo. We have to repair the damage that has turned the American dream into a nightmare. We have the power to right our course if we work together in a common language. Barack Obama calls this “CHANGE.” I believe he is right – but our new President can only do so much. It is up to each and every one of us to make a difference.

At New Leaders, we have a motto that has helped us to keep our focus: “If we succeed we will do so together.” This is no longer a zero sum game. For me to succeed, others will lose has been the standard operating procedure for too long, and it has lead us to this point. It is time for a new strategy, one in which we help each other to mutually succeed. There will soon be an entire world of competition and Americans need to work together to hold our standing, repair the economic and environmental damage we’ve done, and remake it into a better world than it was given to us.

I have watched our generation bend industries to our will. The music industry is a perfect example of the people taking the power back and inventing new ways of rewarding the artist. We are a long way away from seeing this come true, but it is within reach. The media is now being democratized and this is only the beginning. Everything will change to more beneficial business models that reward the people who make it happen. You can be one of these leaders; just ask yourself what you are most passionate about, and how can it be executed in a mutually-beneficial way. Therein lies the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

There are no more ploys, tricks, or easy money. Now is the time to get real, to create the world we always knew could exist but has never been attempted. Don’t back down, don’t give up, and don’t take “no” for an answer. Put pressure on the system and demand that it works the way it was supposed to from the start. If it breaks under the pressure, find a new way to fix it so it is optimized and beneficial for all.

Posted on Dec 31, 2008 by Kevin Milden

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