So far, we have explored the first two words, Gentle and Pressure. Today we turn our attention to the third word in the process: RELENTLESSLY.

Relentless may be the single most important word in the mantra. What does relentless mean? Constant, incessant, oppressive, showing no sign of letting up = relentless.

Here’s the reality: no one likes to change. Oh, sure you might like the unexpected surprise here or there, but people inherently resist change. Change can threaten us. We resist it, and in many cases, we will go to great extremes to avoid it. With so much pressure resisting change, it’s easy for you as a leader to simply take the path of least resistance. And it’s easy for your team and employees to do the same. Often, this is where movement toward change comes to an end.

So. You must be relentless in your pursuit of the result you seek. 

I’ve come to believe that in some cases, people will work harder to avoid change than they would need to if they simply accepted the change!

Because of this reality, YOU MUST BE RELENTLESS. In other words, be persistent, constant, consistent, nonstop, never-ending, steady, continuing, unwavering, sustained, determined, purposeful, even stubborn.

Self-check: Can you describe your leadership style as “relentless”? If not, you may be seeing signs of it in your team: lack of accountability, poor follow up, inconsistent results….lots of frustration.  

Here are some tips on how YOU can be relentless, and of course, I explore these concepts much more deeply in my new book, Leading Change: How to Achieve Superior Results with Gentle Pressure Relentlessly Applied. These are important concepts for you as a leader, and most of them can also be helpful for those you lead:

•  Make the decision to be relentless. You will be a determined, purposeful leader. Write it down. Say it out loud. Tell someone. Make it a real goal for yourself.
•  Be clear about your reason why. This one is vital. Humans have been known to go to extraordinary lengths to accomplish something they truly believe in. What is that thing for you?
•  Take care of yourself. It’s a fact that you are not at your best when you’re tired, hungry, or stressed. One way to remain determined, focused, and steady is to simply stay rested, relaxed, and healthy. (This probably sounds like the advice your mom gave you. It turns out she was right, and research backs her up.)
•  Create discipline about your time management. When you’re rushed and “out of time,” you will end up distracted, stressed, and ineffective. 
•  Stay focused on the end result you want—and why it’s important. In fact, the more you can picture—actually visualize—your intended result, the more likely you are to achieve it. 

We conclude next week with the fourth word in our mantra: Applied.