On Patience & Speed
The pace of modern life is accelerating. With every new widget, app, SaaS that is implemented, our productivity is increased, as is our expected output. As I parachute into various organizations and business settings, I am struck with the amount of pressure and stressors that the modern workforce is bearing. Whether the economy is booming or dooming, workers are pushed to produce more and more, while the hours in the day remain the same.
Given that many of us are working to solve big problems, we feel an urgency to reach our goals. This urgency only increases the pressure on us. Some things need to be addressed immediately, responded to swiftly and acted upon now! And a lot of our work requires us to take our time. What on your plate can wait? What needs to be taken care of yesterday?
I am an impatient person, in many regards. Traffic, lines and inefficient processes grind my gears. I am also a very patient person, in many regards. I was recently reminded of the importance of these incongruous traits and when they are best leveraged.
Patience is required for long-term visions and goals. I set my goal over five years ago to be a successful consultant who helps connect people and processes in pursuit of organizational excellence. It has been an exciting journey thus far, as I move toward the level of success I envision for myself. I remain patient and plug away, knowing in another five years I will be exponentially closer to my vision.On the path toward this goal, I am implementing a series of strategies and tasks. These tactics I implement with urgency. Speed is one of my strongest assets. As a consultant, I can be nimble and responsive - a vital skill in today’s market. I am quick to returns client calls and emails, I hustle hard to beat deadlines, and I strive to over-deliver beyond a client’s expectations By being speedy in my day to day implementation of my business strategies, my clients receive great service, and this moves me closer to my long term goal.
In a recent conversation with Euros Evans, founder of Etch, we discussed the importance of speed and patience as it related to being a social innovator. Etch is bringing payroll into the 21st century by creating a real-time payment system. Payday is one place where speed is key, as there is a festering disconnect between wage-earners’ billing cycle and the daily needs of employees and their dependents. In this conversation, Euros and I talk about the impact of speed in payment processing, and the need for patience in scaling any innovation.
Our visions and goals require patience. Our strategies and tactics require speed. As we all balance our goals, day-to-day work and competing priorities, it is important to maintain our commitment to our big goals, and stay grinding away in that direction. Here is a tool I use to help me and my clients manage, focus and prioritize our efforts as we speed towards our goals with patience. Give it a try and share your feedback with me!