The other day, I was reflecting on my time with Clari — 11 years and counting.
Sometimes our founding feels like forever ago. Other times it feels like only yesterday. And as I thought more about the years since we’ve started, a thought crept to the front of my mind.
I’m more inspired and excited than I’ve ever been.
Maintaining motivation for a decade takes a thoughtful approach. It’s easy to push ahead when things are going well. But when you get slammed, it’s a different story. You question your decisions. Worry about the future. Feel burned out.
True business-building motivation requires what my friend and fellow CEO, Mark Gainey, calls the 3 Ps: persistence, patience, and perspective.
Today, I’d like to share Mark’s simple three-part framework. Use it to stay motivated, driven, and ready to overcome any career challenge that comes your way.
Let’s take a look.
1. Persistence
Motivation can be fickle.
No doubt, you’ve seen professionals who are overflowing with motivation. They burst onto the scene looking to make their mark. But as the days go by, and the challenges pile up, their energy starts to fade. They lose steam. Soon enough, they move on or give up.
Maybe you’ve even experienced this yourself.
What’s going on here? Look deeper and you often find the heart or brain aren’t fully committed. Long-term motivation requires aligning your mind and emotions toward a common goal. The heart provides the raw energy and empathy you need to lead. And the brain equips you with the tools required to innovate and grow.
Together, the heart and brain equip you to persist day after day. They give you a shelter to persist through the storms that come your way.
Leadership steps to take:
Look closely at your current goal. Are your heart and brain working together, ready to pursue the goals for years? Or is there a part of you that’s holding back? If you want to wake up 10 years from now eager to keep pursuing your goal, alignment is non-negotiable.
2. Patience
The best things in life take time.
Even in the speed-at-all-cost world of technology, it’s amazing how long it can take to be an “overnight” success. The most impactful founders and leaders I know invested for years before making a major breakthrough.
If your goals are ambitious — for example, redefining how companies run revenue — give yourself the time and space to work on them. The strongest business leaders know when to speed up to capture opportunities and when to slow down to work a problem.
Leadership steps to take:
Practice patience on a daily basis. When you feel the urge to speed up or lose steam, take a step back. Consider the challenge at hand. Is your timeline realistic? Or are you trying to outrun market realities? Often, patience is the answer.
3. Perspective
Our problems relative to the rest of the world are good problems.
Mark told me this years ago and it stuck. When you’re throwing yourself into the company day after day, it’s easy to get tunnel vision. It’s easy to overemphasize and catastrophize your problems.
But there’s a wider world out there. And, in the grand scheme of things, the problems we work on are good problems. They’re problems that lead to stronger businesses. They’re problems that create jobs and career paths.
Leadership steps to take:
Introduce a dose of perspective. When you’re feeling down or defeated, take a step back. Talk with friends or grab a book. Reach for objectivity and remember that months or years from now you’ll look back on these problems as “good problems.”
Channel your motivation for success
Want to stay motivated for a decade or more?
Lay a strong foundation. Tap into your core motivation using the 3 Ps.
- Persistence. Align your heart and brain toward an ambitious goal.
- Patience. Recognize that game-changing goals take time to accomplish.
- Perspective. Step back for a big picture view of your career.
Do this, and you’ll have the fuel to overcome any obstacle that comes your way. You’ll set yourself up for a legendary revenue career.
Keep moving forward,
Andy Byrne
CEO, Clari