“Never give up” and “Don’t quit” are frequent encouragements we use to keep employees, partners, teams and clients working in unison toward a goal, no matter how tough things get. In fact, we use them so frequently, they’ve kind of become background noise - cliches that have lost their intended impact.
But persevering in the wake of defeat, or in the face of daunting challenges is important, especially in uncertain times. This is one of the earliest lessons I learned on my journey as a leader.
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"𝘞𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺."
They were just printed words, but they felt like a gut punch. Ever since I discovered there was such a place as a service academy, I had aligned my young life to earn admission at either Navy or Air Force and a job in the cockpit.
The letter didn't include any specifics, so I busted out my US Naval Academy catalogue, flipped to the admission requirements page and began comparing my grades and scores with those listed. My disappointment turned to confusion when I couldn’t find any standard I didn’t meet.
The closest I came to missing a mark was my ACT math score. The minimum acceptable score that year was 27 and my score was … 27. Right at the minimum. But not below it.
The application process up to that point had paired me with an advisor, a retired Air Force B-52 pilot. I don’t remember what time it was, but I picked up the phone and dialed the number he wrote on the back of his business card when he encouraged me to “call anytime.”
“Colonel,” I started. “Navy says I’m not academically qualified.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” he responded. “Are you?”
I hesitated. Was it possible the Navy was just wrong?
“I checked the numbers, and I don’t think that’s correct.”
The Colonel’s reply was simple. “Well, if you think they made a mistake, tell ‘em.”
So, I did.
I wrote to the Academy’s Admissions Office and respectfully made my case.
While my ACT math score wasn’t great, it was ... good. Sure, it was the minimum acceptable score … but not below it. I closed with
"I request to be reconsidered as a qualified candidate for admission to the US Naval Academy."
After signing the letter, I sealed the envelope and triple checked the address I had just written on the front. The stamp left a bitter taste on my tongue, but that was the only bitterness I felt.
I wasn’t at all hopeful a historic institution like the Naval Academy would consider the plea of a barely qualified kid from small-town Texas, but I was proud to stand up for my shot and felt justified in my response.
About three weeks later I received a large envelope from Navy Admissions.
Inside was a form letter congratulating me on becoming a qualified candidate and instructions on the next step - pursuing a congressional nomination.
The envelope included no explanation for the status change and no mention of my letter; but I also wasn’t looking for any of that! I just got busy working on that nomination!
I sometimes wonder whether the Academy changed their mind about me because I might just be resilient – or stubborn - enough to stick it out for four tough years!
In the 45 years since I learned the importance of not taking no for an answer, I’ve had dozens of opportunities to share this lesson with young men and women as encouragement to never give up when their dreams face daunting challenges.
How about you? How are you feeling about those 2025 resolutions a quarter into the year?
TD Smyers is Long Game’s Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant. TD holds a Physics degree from the US Naval Academy and a Master’s in Resource Strategy from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School. He’s led diverse, high performing teams as Commanding Officer of a US Navy aviation squadron and a joint military air base, as well as CEO of major market offices for two global nonprofit organizations and BoardBuild - a nonprofit SaaS company. The Fort Worth Business Press named TD the city’s “Top Nonprofit CEO” in 2019. TD joins Long Game after returning from a career pause exploring the Atlantic and Caribbean for three years with his wife, Barbara, on their sailing catamaran, La Vie Dansante.
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