I am very impatient. When I describe this for people, here is how it comes out: Good impatience. It’s my sense of urgency. However, I have also learned that patience is the most important attribute necessary for effective leadership, and it is rarely talked about.
Here is why Patience (at the right time) is the effective Leader’s best choice:
1. Too much speed, speed, speed. People and teams, like athletes, cycle through periods of great productivity and periods of recovery. Good leaders understand that recovery time is essential for speed in the next “sprint”, and they manage the pace and rhythm of their teams accordingly.
2. Developing people takes time, deliberate effort, (and yes) a great deal of patience. While you as the leader might see pure raw potential in a team member, people develop at their speed, not yours. Your encouragement is appreciated, but display impatience (even good impatience) and you risk derailing and demoralizing the individual.
3. People process change at different rates of speed. Some are quick to dive into waters they don’t yet understand, however, many others prefer to process on and internalize the issues around change at their own pace. Fail to show patience with those who are in mid-process, and you risk losing them.
Most leaders I know, like me, are impatient for action. They are excited about helping drive people towards a destination and they often see the gap between today’s situation and tomorrow’s idealized state. The most effective leaders however, understand that patience, for all of the list reasons, can help everyone get there faster.
