Читать книгу Leadership - Michael Heath, Michael Heath - Страница 12

Are you about to rush through this page to get on to the next topic? If so, how much would you really take in? When someone’s speaking, are you similarly waiting for them to move on? Being impatient may look dynamic but it rarely has a positive outcome. In fact, impatience often leads to misunderstanding, rework and repair.

 Leadership demands patience. After all, we’re taking people not into the next hour, day, week or even month. We’re leading them to a distant place. A place that lies over the known horizon. Therefore we must have patience and self-control. So what do we need patience for? We need patience to deal with people, politics and perspective.

 Most people are not immovable in their thinking. But they have to feel that they have control over the decision to change. When pressure is applied they might comply. But they will not be persuaded.

 Goals often mean that you will need the assistance of others. Winning them over to your cause may take time. Thinking that you’ll just force it through anyway creates instant enemies. With people, time is a friend – not an enemy.

“Sit by the river long enough…your enemies will float by”

Confucius, Ancient Chinese sage

 Every organization has its politics. You have to read the politics and learn to wait patiently for the right time to move. There are better times to ask people to help you in your goals. Lose patience and you could move too quickly. Worse still, your miscalculation could end that person’s good will for ever.

 Finally, you must retain perspective. When it comes to standing your ground for things you really believe in, you want to be sure it’s for the right things. Impatient people do not choose their conflicts wisely and suffer as a result. Perspective is also about thinking twice when you’re asked to help others. If you’re a generous person then you may help. But what you could be doing is sidetracking your team’s energies into things that divert them from their goal. Patience involves assessing opportunities and seeing if that’s what they really are.

We must patiently take people with us. Take the time to understand the political environment we work in. Retain a cool perspective and make sure that short-term activities really do contribute to our long-term goals.

Impatience can often waste more time, especially having to repair the problems our impatience caused.