CEO
ISS Relocations
Being a leader means that you will be evaluated in a tricky situation, and your ability to be patient will be essential. During those times, as a leader, you will need to act and develop a cheerful outlook. That cheerful outlook will not only help you, but you will transfer it onto team and organization.
- Why is Having Patience in Leadership Important?
- What makes a leader effective in all the efforts to make
the teams succeed? - Why does the patience in leadership play such a key
role? - While many of us focus on different approaches and skill
sets, we tend to forget the main driver behind the
leader’s success. Is it true that patience is a virtue?
I discovered patience at the height of my anxiety issues while switching career paths and industries. It may have been one of the most daunting tasks I have ever taken and to this day, I still clearly remember every step of the way. I have not followed any guideline in practicing patience, nor was there anyone to nudge me in the right direction. Yes, I am one of those self-taught practitioners, but I invested an extensive amount of time in research and testing.
The following reasons are not listed in any order, but they do complete an entire picture if practiced together.
Gain and Show Respect with Patience – Nobody wants to work with someone they do not know. After you do get to know the person or a team, it takes time and effort to give and gain respect from fellow team members and co-workers. Since gaining and giving respect cannot be achieved overnight, leaders should employ patience. Being able to patiently approach people and in return gain their respect will be mutually beneficial to both leader and team member. The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others. Respect combined with patience is a long-term commitment and it must be worked on continuously. One must understand that once you do get respect, you need to nurture it and encourage others to do the same.
Improve Productivity with Patience – Each team member can produce results at a certain pace. Likewise, the entire teams can be productive as much as the individuals within that team. Rushing your team members can hamper productivity as it sometimes puts unnecessary pressure on them. Although leaders should encourage their team to perform and be more productive, approaching each member with patience can be more efficient.
Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy – Improving productivity with patience will be beneficial both short and long-term. It will also provide more confidence to your teams, as they will know that their leader is patiently stimulating productivity of each team member. You can achieve better results with purposeful guidance and patience.
Provide more Freedom with Patience – While developing teams and individuals, you should consider providing room for improvement. If you lack patience to provide freedom for your teams and encourage progress, they might consider looking for opportunities elsewhere. Have patience with all things, but, first with yourself – Since different people adapt at different speeds, giving them the freedom to process all the information, they will be more susceptible to change. This does not mean that you will completely leave your team on their own. It just means that you will leave “breathing” space for them, which will result in more trust, and therefore, better team.
Develop Cheerful Outlook with Patience – Being a leader means that you will be evaluated in a tricky situation, and your ability to be patient will be essential. During those times, as a leader, you will need to act and develop a cheerful outlook. A cheerful outlook is something everyone can work on, and everyone can learn how to employ it That cheerful outlook will not only help yourself, but it will be transferred onto team and organization. Teams and individuals will sometimes depend on the leader to display positivity. At those moments, having patience will motivate your team and its members to be positive.
Improve Time Management with Patience – As a leader, you will need to be proficient in time management. You may be tempted to push things and people beyond their capabilities to meet deadlines. That can result in a dissatisfied team members and a dysfunctional company. You can improve time management skills of yourself and your team by applying patience when appropriate. Sometimes you need to slow down and maximize the time allotted, as it will produce more efficient results. If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four hours sharpening the axe – That will lead to team satisfaction and will encourage individuals to improve their own time management skills.
Teams Grow with Patience – Building teams and individuals require appropriate time and effort. Leaders that do not recognize this may have difficulty growing their teams. With patience in leadership, the right amount of effort and by taking proper steps, you can strengthen your team. This requires you as a leader to remain committed and be persistent. The key to this goes back to being patient.
Individual commitment to a group effort – That is what makes a teamwork, a company work, a society work, a civilization work – Grow your team and encourage them to practice patience themselves. They will refine them as team members, and it will grow the entire company. Allow Recovery Time with Patience – Your team might be comprised of high performers and achieving amazing results, time over time. Just consider and remember that your team members are still human and that they have certain needs. Over-fatigue can be detrimental to individuals, teams, and companies. As a leader, you need to recognize when the time is right to provide some breathing room. This refers to allowing recovery time and rest, which is a crucial component of any successful team. There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither – Even the top-performing athletes take time off to recuperate and heal, which will help them overall. Thus, your team members should be treated like top performing athletes. Have patience for your team members and allow them decent recovery time.
Adapt to Change with Patience – Successful companies grow and change over time. Individuals and team members change and adapt at different speeds. Some of the teams may adapt quite easily, while others may take additional time to comprehend these changes. Leaders must recognize the importance of adapting to change by applying patience in appropriate ways. Sometimes, individuals may be caught off-guard if the change was sudden and unplanned. Have patience for those who need more time to adapt, and your team will develop more effectively. Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live – In the end, be ready to adapt to change yourself and grow as a leader, together with your team. It is all achievable with enough patience.
Build Reputation with Patience – Reputation is an opinion or belief about someone or something. In leadership, reputation must be built over time. It is falling under one of the more difficult things to build upon. You can be become a well-developed leader and differentiate yourself from the others through patience. Sometimes, reputation can be a fine line that some cross in the wrong direction. Be careful to build and maintain a positive reputation. It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently – Your team will be more confident in your abilities if you are displaying the right attitude, which will result in reputation build-up.
Achieve Greater Results with Patience – How many companies do you know achieved success overnight? – It takes 20 years to make an overnight success. Results are built over the course of time and are a continuous process. Your team can understand this concept better if you, as a leader guide them appropriately. Some companies and their leaders believe that they can achieve greater results by developing company culture. For that alone, you need to dedicate yourself and your team members to exercise patience. Progress, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Impressive results cannot be achieved at once; and we just be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step – Once you install the importance of patience to yourself and your team members, your leadership skills will guide your team to greater results.
Make Better Decisions with Patience – Leaders need to make decisions. It is in their job description. Decision making can be one of the most difficult tasks leaders can encounter. Lack of patience in making any decision can influence your team and company in a negative way. That does not mean it is impossible to make the right decisions. Leaders should not be making decisions during their inconvenient times. There is no decision that we can make that does not come with some sort of balance or sacrifice – If something is troubling you, take extra time before making that final call. Over time, you will learn to utilize patience and make better decisions. That will produce further growth for your team members.
Improve Listening Skills with Patience – Successful leaders have amazing listening skills. That is one of the main reasons why they are successful. If you recognize this and put it on your priority list, there is a definite chance that you will grow as a leader. Be careful to differentiate hearing and listening. It is important to have the patience to listen
to others as you will be able to fully understand what that person wants to say. Since communication is a 2-way street, it requires you to listen, understand and then respond to successfully communicate ideas with others. Listening is being able to be changed by the other person – Leaders can further develop if they improve listening skills with patience. Learn to be the active listener.
Why Patience in Leadership – Everything I learned about leadership was through patience. All successful leaders I met and spoke to practice patience every day. That gives me and my fellow leaders more energy to continue developing our teams. While it may be tempting sometimes to make decisions faster, thinking it will be more effective, hold yourself back for a moment. Acknowledge that you are aware of the decision-making process and time it takes to make any decision.
Grow together with your team by dedicating enough effort for individual and team development. Do not forget to take a breather occasionally and allow your team to recover. While doing that, maintain a cheerful outlook and be adaptable to change. Build a reputation by infusing integrity into your daily routine and let it become your second nature. It will show respect to everyone in your team, including yourself. If you are looking to become the best you can be when it comes to leadership, recognize the importance of patience. Make purposeful decisions, take time and be a great leader.