Perseverance is a powerful proposition. It has the ability to inspire, drive change and make new realities possible — in business, on a competitive stage or in one's own personal journey. 

It's easy to give up in the face of adversity. In fact, it was Thomas Edison who said: "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try just one more time."

At World Wide Technology, we use our collective sense of perseverance — rooted in our own corporate history as a small minority-owned startup that blossomed into a $15 billion technology solutions provider — to deliver positive outcomes for our people, partners and customers globally.

Recently, we've been reminded of the potential of perseverance through the inspiring grit and determination of Derek Anderson, who spoke to a group at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.

Anderson, a former professional basketball player who spent 12 years in the NBA, spoke about his personal experience overcoming adversity at our Business Leadership Forum, hosted during the tournament. 

By 11 years old, Anderson found himself living in drug-infested project housing on his own after his mother and father walked out on him. A single father while in high school, he worked multiple jobs to take care of his son struggling to simply survive. Through hard work and a relentless focus on creating a better situation for himself and his son, Anderson graduated with honors and received a scholarship to play basketball at Ohio State University.  

"The blueprint is working hard with a good attitude and good habits," he told attendees of the Business Forum session. "Every time I worked hard for something, good things came out of it."

After a successful NBA career, Anderson established multiple businesses, a non-profit organization and even wrote a book — aptly titled "Stamina".

Anderson's story is a reminder of the rewards for pursuing your passions at all costs and tackling challenges head on no matter how difficult they may seem. His story also provides a blueprint for businesses. 

Fueled by a desire to become more agile and innovative, business leaders across all sectors of the economy are embracing digital transformation and seeking to use technology investments to drive strategic initiatives, not the other way around.

But nearly every company that embarks on a digital transformation plan experiences significant headwind. The list of challenges is long — organizational buy-in, an overcrowded marketplace, budget restrictions and lack of know-how, just to name a few, all stand in the way of digital progress.

At those moments of struggle, perseverance pays off in spades.

WWT's ability to advise and execute, align business and technology, and blur the lines between physical and digital simplifies the transformation journey. And our track record of doing whatever it takes gives you the stamina to see it through — from beginning to end.