In Business — and in Life — Persistence Is a Major Competitive Advantage

One of my favorite illustrations of success is something often referred to as the Stonecutter’s Creed. Imagine a stonecutter standing in front of a massive block of stone. He picks up his mallet and strikes it. Nothing happens. He strikes it again. Still nothing. Ten blows, 20 blows, 50 blows, 95 blows, and the stone appears completely unchanged. 

Then, on the 100th blow, the stone splits cleanly in half. 

To a casual observer standing in the back of the room, it might appear that the 100th blow was somehow different. Perhaps the stonecutter struck the stone harder. Perhaps he found a better angle. Perhaps he used a different tool. 

But the stonecutter understands something that the observer does not: The 100th blow was no different than the 99 that came before it. It was the cumulative effect of those 99 earlier blows that allowed the 100th one to work.

I have always loved this analogy because it so perfectly describes what success looks like in business, particularly in commercial real estate, and in life. 

Unfortunately, we live in a world that tends to celebrate the 100th blow while ignoring the 99 that came before it. We see a company become successful, a major transaction close, an athlete win a championship, a book become a bestseller, or an entrepreneur achieve financial success, and we often assume the breakthrough happened suddenly. 

What we rarely see are the years of preparation, repetition, discipline and persistence that made the breakthrough possible. We do not see the early mornings, the late nights, the countless hours of study, the rejected proposals, the unsuccessful meetings, the failed attempts and the thousands of small actions that accumulated long before there was any visible evidence of progress.

I have seen this firsthand throughout my entire career. I have witnessed thousands of individuals who have tried to sell buildings. When I entered the real estate brokerage business in 1984, there was certainly no indication that I would eventually sell more than 2,400 buildings.

During those early years, much of what I did seemed disconnected from any immediate result. I spent my days prospecting, meeting property owners, gathering information, studying neighborhoods, walking blocks, and trying to understand every aspect of the New York City investment sales market. Many days felt unproductive. Many efforts produced no obvious reward. 

Looking back, however, I now realize that every one of those activities represented another blow against the stone. At the time, I could not see the progress. But progress was occurring nonetheless.

The same lesson applied when Paul Massey and I started Massey Knakal Realty Services in 1988. The territory system did not become successful overnight. Our specialization strategy did not become successful overnight. We did not suddenly wake up one day and find ourselves leading the market. 

What happened instead was far less glamorous. Every day we simply tried to execute the activities that we believed were correct. We met owners. We gathered information. We built relationships. We refined our processes. We followed up relentlessly. We promoted our successes. We did whatever we could to remain top-of-mind with our potential clients. Then we came back the next day and did it again. 

Over time, those efforts compounded. Eventually, the stone cracked. To outsiders, the success may have appeared sudden. To us, it was simply the cumulative result of years of consistent effort.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is abandoning a sound process because they are not seeing immediate results. Everyone wants the glory of the 100th blow that splits the rock in half. But, they confuse a lack of visible progress with a lack of actual progress. 

The reality is that many of the most important things in life develop beneath the surface long before they become visible. Relationships often take years before they lead to opportunities. Expertise may require decades before it is fully recognized. Credibility is earned gradually through hundreds of interactions. Momentum often develops quietly before it becomes obvious to others. Just because the stone does not appear to be changing does not mean it is not changing. 

Of course, persistence alone is not enough. If you are striking the wrong stone or using the wrong approach, simply working harder may not solve the problem. The first requirement is identifying the right activities and committing yourself to a sound process. But, once you have done that, consistency becomes one of the most powerful competitive advantages available. 

In my experience, most people do not fail because they lack talent. They fail because they stop too soon. They stop after 10 blows. They stop after 20. They stop after 50. The people who ultimately achieve extraordinary results are often not dramatically more talented than everyone else. They are simply willing to continue long enough for the process to work.

This lesson extends well beyond business. Strong marriages are built through thousands of small acts of care and consideration. Great health is built through years of disciplined habits like working out and eating right. Expertise is built through countless hours of study and practice. Meaningful relationships are built through repeated interactions over long periods of time. 

The better business and the better life are both built in remarkably similar ways: one day at a time, one decision at a time and one blow at a time.

The stonecutter understands something that all of us would benefit from remembering: Progress is often invisible before it becomes undeniable. If you are doing the right things, and doing them the right way, keep going. If you believe in your process, keep going. If the results have not appeared yet, keep going. 

Because when the breakthrough finally arrives, it will not be the result of one extraordinary effort. It will be the result of all the ordinary efforts that came before it. The 100th blow may receive the credit, but it is the first 99 that deserve the praise.

Robert Knakal is founder, chairman and CEO of BK Real Estate Advisors.