In today’s fast-paced culture, leaders who are able to make quick decisions and take fast action are often perceived as confident, intelligent and strong. Conversely, leaders slow to act, or react, are often perceived as apathetic, incapable and even weak. This perception stems from the incorrect assumptions that 1.) all direction is immediately evident, or 2.) all choices are obvious or 3.) no deadline ever dare be missed. Seasoned leaders know better; they are masters in patience.
Leadership patience has been described as the ability to endure difficulties in the face of delay without responding in annoyance or anger; it’s the level of endurance a leader can have before negativity. Patience in leadership is the combination of understanding that many things take time and the willingness (and ability) to allow that to play out.
When a leader takes time to choose a direction, it isn’t always because of insecurity or the inability to grasp the specifics. Getting to the bottom of things often takes great effort and time to assure the most effective decisions can be made. Accounting for past lessons learned is also a significant process. Many corporate directions have failed because plans were rushed.
Another incorrect view of patience is common with that of other “soft” skills; they are associated with leadership weakness. Leadership expert Ritch Eich describes in Industry Week how patience is lumped into the same category as empathy, approachability, listening and transparency. The old-school mindset leads from intimidation, ego and control with little to no consideration of employee needs. In subservient cultures under old-school leaders, workers have little say and few options.
The great leaders I have worked with recognize that employees don’t put up with this. Talented people are hard to find, and retention is key for success. The old leadership mindset requires an entire paradigm shift; respect and support of employees is critical. Soft skills, including patience, are now employed by the best leaders to engage and inspire employees. They know productivity is vitally dependent on employee satisfaction. People on the receiving end of impatience won’t take long to dislike their jobs and find a better one somewhere else. Leaders who have patience are among those who forge the strongest teams and succeed from that strength.
Patience is seen by many as slowing things down, risking the quick completion of critical projects. Impatient leaders see a need to keep the pace of progress hot; they make rapid decisions in order to obtain rapid results. In reality, haste generally raises the likelihood of mistakes and oversights. This can cause major delays when work needs to be redone or cleaned-up. Paradoxically, slowing things down can speed productivity. Practicing patience to achieve optimal results is an effective use of time and talent.
What do you think? Is patience a leadership virtue? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, or, I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
