Slowing down to coach may test your patience. You pride yourself on being able to move mountains to achieve the impossible. Yet impatience can arise when you feel like you know the answer, but your employee is not connecting the dots as quickly or arriving at the same solution. With your bias for action, you may find you perform the task yourself or tell your team how to complete it.
Patience empowers your team to take the needed time to figure out a tough problem. To be successful, you must suspend judgment and shift your focus from the need for immediate results, which can be a challenge with the rapid pace within your organization.
Sometimes you must go slower to go faster. Taking the time now to help an employee develop critical problem-solving techniques results in going faster in the future. Your objective is to not only solve today’s challenges, it is to solve tomorrow’s challenges as well. You will reap the benefits when the employee is able, through trial and error, to make better decisions, without your continuous intervention. Your patience promotes learning, improves satisfaction, boosts confidence, and motivates the team.
Active listening and asking questions are the key tenets for not only managing impatience but for being a leader coach. Your time investment will pay off enormously. Patience establishes your commitment to the employee to develop them further.
What is ONE WAY TODAY that you can “go slow” to move faster by practicing patience?
SAGE Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company; provides executive coaching, team-building, industry leading assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including: building a high-performing team through coaching, developing and optimizing your top talent, delivering commanding communications, creating a lasting impression, making a greater impact through personal branding for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.
Shelley Hammell, is the president, CEO and author of You Think You’re Coaching, But You’re Not! available HERE, and is available for book signings and speaking engagements.
One thought on “Going Slower to Move Faster – The Importance of Practicing Patience”
Thanks for this wise reminder, Shelley! Taking deep breaths helps me slow down and think clearer whenever I’m stressed and impatient.
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