Patience

In our haste to deliver short-term results, we can damage our long-term success.

An amateur gardener decides to grow strawberries.
> She digs up the soil and covers her plant's roots.
> She returns the next day: zero strawberries.
> She thinks it may be too close to her blackberry plants, so she transplants it to another spot.
> That afternoon: still no strawberries.
> She thinks the new spot must be getting too much shade, so she moves the plant again.

This is no way to grow strawberries, and it’s an even worse way to grow people.

In an era of one-day shipping, six-minute abs, and instant pot meals, we’re being conditioned for immediate gratification.

Yet changes to our strategic actions and the investments we make in our people take time to bear fruit.

As leaders, we need to recognize the difference between TIME TO ACTION and TIME TO IMPACT.

“How fast can we make the change?”
“Very fast, ma’am—as soon as next week.”
“Will it start working right away?”
“Oh, God no. I figure it will set us back 3-6 months compared to the plan we just kicked off two weeks ago.”

To exercise patience in your leadership:

1. Recognize what triggers you.
2. Take the long view.
3. Remember that when it comes to people, fast is slow and slow is fast.