I recently questioned how many times I need to say something in order to make it stick. Oh, not for myself, but for someone else to understand what I’m saying. How many times do I say the same thing over and over and over again?

Leadership is a constant activity in communicating to others and then repeating it again and again and again, and then when you think you’ve done it enough, you start all over again. It’s the same for your company vision, your personal goals, and yes, your kids with picking up their pajamas in the morning.

I manage technology partnerships at my company. I wake up every day thinking about how my company can help organizations choose, grow, and stay with us by using third party integrations to simplify their work. Our product is like the center of a many-spoked wheel on a bicycle. We are the foundation—the center—but we’re not the only piece of what helps a biker move forward. That’s where the technology partnerships come in. They are the spokes that connect the outer perimeter of the wheel to the center, and helps the biker get where they are going.

That’s what I do—help organizations get where they are going.

But I said that last week. And today, I’m wondering why I have to say the same thing—again.

As we lead others, especially if our title doesn’t include leadership, our job can sometimes feel repetitive, going around in circles with the message we’re trying to convey. Very rarely does someone change course or a new project get started or a product invested in only because we asked once. Sometimes it takes longer to lead others to the decision to get going rather than the going actually takes.

So we keep communicating—again and again and again and again. It’s a process to lead others, whether they are up, beside, or below you. And here, we’re bought into the process.

“And here, we’re bought into the process.”

As you’re leading others today, maybe it’s your kiddos, your spouse, or your boss, here are some tips that have helped me remember to keep on repeating myself, not out of frustration, but because that’s what leadership takes.

Remember that others don’t think about you all the time. This one hurts. The only person who wakes up thinking about you every day is, well, you. Not your kids. Not your spouse. And definitely not your coworkers. So, when you have that conversation again with someone in your office, remember, they might have forgotten you talked with them about this topic yesterday. They need reminded, they probably weren’t thinking about you this morning. So remind them, they probably weren’t thinking about you today.

Stay focused. I can easily think that if someone doesn’t respond to my message right away it means that they didn’t like it, so I change what I said the next time I see them. Actually, they just didn’t understand it the first time, so they need to hear it again. By repeating your feedback, your goals, your objectives, it reminds others about your topic and keeps them focused on what matters.

“By repeating your feedback, your goals, your objectives, it reminds others about your topic and keeps them focused on what matters.”

Like my son, I probably tell him every day to put his pajamas away when he changes in the morning. I never change that tune. He’ll never wonder if I want him to put his clothes away. I reminded him today. There’s hope for him, one day I’m sure he’ll remember. 🙂 If you keep changing your tune, no one will get your song stuck in their head.

There might be competing priorities. Because your view and your project isn’t necessarily the only thing in this other person’s life, it can help to remember that there are other priorities. I remember when I launched a new partnership in early 2021. I thought that everyone was going to be on board with this new partner and jump right in to make it successful. But they didn’t. I quickly learned that other people had other goals and objectives that didn’t line up with my project. Remembering there were other priorities gave me patience for the process.

“I thought that everyone was going to be on board with this new partner and jump right in to make it successful. But they didn’t.”

If your plan, project, or feedback is worth it, it will prove itself over time. Sometimes people just don’t get it. So, you keep repeating your vision and mission, and then let the results speak for themselves. I had a partnership with a company that very few people thought would be successful. I was convinced that the people and the solution would add tangible value for our customers and our company. So I kept sticking up for this company again and again—in meetings, in other projects, in opportunities; and guess what, it’s working. They are not only producing the results we like seeing, they are also getting the attention from others to make it even more successful.

We’re all about the process here. Other people are in their own process, so as you’re leading others and needing to influence them, keep on doing what you’re doing. Be patient in the process, and it will produce the results you’re looking for.