Page 123 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

THE LESSONS

said. “The president took in a lot of input and he knew it was going to be
a very controversial decision, but he made that decision about where he
wanted to go and then he stuck to it. In this instance it seems to have
worked.” Saeed took that lesson along with him to his newest venture: In
2008, former Treasury Secretary Snow, in his capacity as chairman of
Cerberus Capital Management LLP, tapped his former White House Fel-
low as the company’s new managing director and president of Cerberus
Middle East. Cerberus is one of the world’s foremost private investment
companies.
As White House Fellows, Wesley Clark and Ahmed Saeed both learned
that a successful leader never gives up even when faced with seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. When you say to yourself that you will never,
never, never give up—that’s persistence. Lack of persistence is the major
cause of failure. Effective leaders have the staying power and persistence
to follow through on their goals regardless of circumstances or what other
people say, think, or do.

Persistence will mark you as a leader and separate you from others. You must
learn to cultivate a habit of persisting, since all things are possible if you
persist. Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of
persistence. Talent will not; nothing in the world is more common than
unsuccessful men with great talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is
almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

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