Patience With a Purpose

It might seem unusual to look for leadership lessons amidst the season we celebrate as Advent. After all, Advent is the traditional time of anticipatory waiting celebrated each year on the Christian calendar as the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day. For many persons the weeks leading up to Christmas are filled with shopping, decorating, and baking as we prepare for family and office gatherings. If you have endured camping out for that prized toy, stood in long lines at the checkout, or traveled hundreds of miles to spend the holiday with loved ones you also know the importance of patience during this time of year. Leaders would benefit from a purposeful approach to patience as well.

I admit to generally being impatient when it comes to traffic and shopping. Following a slow driver down a winding country road or visiting multiple stores to find a particular bargain has never been easy for me. Just ask my wife about our recent weekend shopping trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I prefer to get where I’m going in a timely manner and buy the first item that catches my eye. This lack of patience also impacts my leadership approach as I have a generally low tolerance for less than stellar performance from colleagues and vendors.

Over the years I have learned that my impatience generally doesn’t serve me well. Creating unrealistic expectations for myself and others is sure to disappoint us both. When might being willing to wait or accept a less than ideal solution actually be in everyone’s best interest? Suppose I restrained my need to offer feedback and allowed the other person to explore options and make a few mistakes along the way? Would my leadership image really be shattered if my patience had a purpose?

Most leaders have a short-term view of events and circumstances. Perhaps that is driven by an economic model that relies on speed and rewards immediate success. Yet there is plenty of evidence suggesting that real change can only happen when our plans are guided by a purposeful style of patience. An addict knows that each day is the only real battle they can win to stay clean and sober for a lifetime. Business leaders need strategic plans rewarding behaviors that will achieve long-term success for the company, not just a temporary uptick in a stock price.

I confess that lowering my work standards, tolerating the occasional distracted driver, and enjoying a shopping trip that doesn’t involve buying anything may never be easy for me. Where might you benefit from a healthy dose of purposeful patience? This Advent season of waiting seems a perfect place to get some much needed practice.