Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
A favorite quote from Guy Kawasaki. May I add – instead of concealing, let us think channeling. Embracing. Harnessing.
I don’t suggest the “I want it right-here-right-now impatience.” That is an easy sort of petulance. It may have gotten us what we wanted when we were a toddler. It rarely works for grown-ups.
No, I’m thinking of the sort of repetitive and spirit-killing impatience that gets triggered in our places of work. Impatience with the slow pace of change in our organization. Impatience with processes that plain don’t work. Impatience with colleagues who never get their stuff done in time. Impatience with questionable ethics. Impatience with glaring incompetence and the same tired excuses for why something cannot be done.
Our daily frustration with individual and systemic mediocrity.
Your impatience might benefit the other person who has been patient enough to break your patience."
Ancient proverb
I get it. You’re impatient for change. Impatience with the status quo is the hallmark of an impassioned leader. You sometimes feel like you will burst out screaming if things don’t change a little faster.
Scream at home. When you want to get things done in business, however, focus your impatience. Consider these 5 ways of directing your impatience well.
NOT: What we’re doing right now sucks. I know what will work better.
You may like the language of bluster and bravado. It may feel authentic to you. It really does capture exactly how you feel. Dump authentic for a moment and opt for skill and finesse. Invite folks into your point of view – don’t hit them over the head with it.
BUT: It seems we have been struggling with this same dilemma for a while now. I have a few ideas that we may wish to consider.
NOT: Really, I can’t believe we’re still doing this the way we did it 30 years ago.
Most of us have worked in situations where processes feel arcane. Like, really, who ever thought THIS was a good way of doing business! Work flows inhibit progress. Rituals seem rigid, not nimble, don’t make any sense. Truth is, they likely made sense to someone at some point. Especially when rituals are tied to a company’s core values. If core values and tradition matter where you work, find a way to publicly honor them before you go on the attack!
BUT: I can see why this way of doing things contributed to so many of our early successes. There are some very impressive companies that we all know who have found ways of improving how they do things. Let’s see what we can learn from them.
NOT: I will bring this up at our next Executive Meeting to make sure everybody is in the same room and hears the same message from me.
Yes, you will have a captive audience. You also run the risk of being labeled a loose cannon. Before you bring up a potentially explosive topic in a large forum, test it in private 1-1 conversations. Float an idea by a colleague or two. Think of these as casual, low-risk lobbying conversations. Instead of forcing your idea on these colleagues, invite their honest reactions. Pay attention to what they say and what they don’t say. Truly listen. Then decide what to do with your idea.
BUT: I will test my ideas in informal 1-1 conversations to hear what others think and discover if my ideas resonate before I take a bold stand in the “big” meeting.
Patience is not passive. On the contrary, it is concentrated strength."
Bruce Lee
NOT: I will take this on as my pet project because nobody here is as passionate about this as I am.
Don’t be a martyr. Don’t assume that you’re the only one, or the most qualified one, to take on a cause. You may, in fact, be the most qualified. You will, however, have a lot more impact if you have allies. Your effort will be harder to dismiss. Take your lobbying conversations to the second level – that’s the level where you switch from testing an idea to getting a commitment of support from your conversation partners.
BUT: I will work to make sure that at least 3 other key influencers are as fired up about making this change as I am. We will be a rebel tribe. Together, we will have a powerful voice.
NOT: Great conversation. Let’s revisit this at our next monthly staff meeting.
We know that when we desire change and momentum, this is not a compelling way to end a meeting. And we’ve all been in meetings, especially those where new ideas were proffered, that end in deferment. Don’t accept deferment. Ask for more. Suggest next-step commitments. And make them time-bound, please.
BUT: Great conversation. Let’s commit to the following three actions! Can we get this done by the end of next week? Who will take on which item? Awesome.
Successful impatience is strategic, it is persistent, and it pushes the proverbial envelope while playing successfully with others.
Celebrate your impatience. Impatience with the status quo is a powerful incubator for new ideas and new ways of doing/being. Season your impatience with your ability to be patient. They are flip sides of the same coin.
Hard? Perhaps. Not harnessing your impatience is harder. Go and grab it by the horns – and direct it WELL!
