On Leadership, Patience and Endurance It’s been said, “The best things in life are worth waiting for.” But have you felt at times like there’s too much waiting in life and not enough of the “best things?” Getting Things Done If you are a leader, chances are good that you have a knack for getting things done. If you’re like me, you like to keep a “to do” list and check through the items on that list. It gives us a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day to see a number of things checked off that list. A crossed off to-do list equates to progress! Then there are those days where it feels like you are active all day, but have nothing to show for it at the end. Your list either looks the same as it did when we start our day, or maybe, it’s even longer than when we started. Those can be frustrating days. Waiting… Two Different Ways We have to have a good mix of patience and endurance if we expect to be successful. We use these two words sometimes interchangeably, but they are very different things. No matter how you slice it, they both come down to one thing – waiting. Patience Patience is waiting for something good to happen. Have you promised your children a toy or candy at the end of the shopping trip for good behavior? How exited were they to get that treat? If your kids are anything like mine, they may have been so excited that they couldn’t contain themselves and ruined it! I wasn’t blessed with an abundance of patience. It sounds like a great virtue to have, but it’s not something that comes naturally to me when there is something that I want. I suffer from iWin syndrome – I Want It Now. That’s part of what makes me who I am. If I see an opportunity, I go for it. However, a lack of patience has cost me in a number of situations. Success is about capitalizing on an opportunity and executing, but the timing has to be just right. We’ve all heard, “The early bird gets the worm.” If you’re the early bird and you try to snatch the worm too early, he’ll see you and go back into his hole. What good things are you waiting for? How has your patience been tested? Endurance Endurance is waiting for something bad to be over. We hear the word “endurance” all the time when it comes to sports and we occasionally use to describe seasons of our lives. Couples need endurance if they are going through a rough spot in their marriage. You may need endurance to get through a rough patch in your career. Athletes need endurance to get through the grueling battle of training and of competition. Endurance is what separates the truly successful leaders from the short-term successes. Leaders with the ability to see their teams through the difficult times are the ones that grow the most. Through endurance comes growth and a strengthened resolve for success. What areas of your leadership journey are you needing the most endurance today? The Double Whammy Sometimes, the worst place to be is when leaders need to have patience and endurance at the same time! This happens when we are going through a rough patch with the promise of something good on the horizon. When an entrepreneur starts a business, they can be excited and filled with energy. After a short period of time, however, the business will get to what Seth Godin called, “The Dip” – a hard point where business isn’t easy anymore and requires a lot of hard work. This is where the truly successful leaders separate themselves by having the patience and endurance to see it through. Do you show patience and endurance, or are you like me and sometimes expect the good too soon? What have some of your mistakes taught you? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 08:19:03 +0000
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