Patience leads to successful leadership

“Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.” ~ Soren Kierkegaard

So many people equate successful leadership as the act of achieving results. Having patience can help you achieve results because it is the ability to tolerate frustration that can come about through having to wait or delay what you do.

In life we will have many roadblocks even some that knock us right off our path like a wrecking ball. Patience will enable you to pick yourself up and see the way out without undue agitation because you have the ability to keep going with calm and confidence.

In today’s world of instant results and gratification, patience is a leadership skill that you must practice. Some of the ways that you can practice patience are:

Eliminate Stressful Situations- This may sound counter intuitive if you are seeking to learn patience, but believe it or not eliminating the stressful factors in your life will greatly reduce your stress thus allowing you to handle other issues that arise.

Take your time - When you come upon a situation that you feel stressed or agitated about, actively seek to calm yourself. Take a few deep breaths and then contemplate how this will truly affect the big picture of your vision. Often, given the time, you realize that what is blocking you is helping you. Then you can eliminate the block so that you can move on.

Think before acting - Always consider the results of every action you make - thoughtfully and carefully. Give yourself permission to say "no" before you say "yes. This reduces rash decisions without knowing as many details as you can.

Live in the moment - Learn to live mindfully in now. That sounds opposite of what you've been told above but it is not. If there are no destructive situations in your path, you can enjoy and fully experience your leadership power now.

Practice - In every situation that arises actively practice patience, whether it is your two-year-old grandchild crying during your entire afternoon together or the customer service person on the other line.

Developing leadership skills takes actively practicing your skills on a daily basis. Take the time to develop your patience by being patient. You never hear the advice to “do patient,” for patience is a way of being and not something that you do. To “be patient” is the mark of a successful leader in all of life.