Welcome to 2022! As we kick off the new year, here’s your reminder to be impatient in the short term and very patient in the long term. We’ve all put together our plans, goals and budgets for the upcoming year, and we want to be driving those results as we begin this first week of January. I’m not known as the most patient person in the world, and as I was reflecting on this, I heard someone talk about being impatient in the short term.
We want to be setting deadlines so that we can drive short-term results. Deadlines create a sense of urgency that aligns with our expectations and helps us get things done. However, while you should be impatient for the short-term results, you need to be patient for the long-term results. We have the whole year ahead of us to accomplish our long-range goals, and this won’t be done in the first week or even the first quarter. We can’t achieve all our goals overnight; we need to be patient as we develop the strategies and habits that will lead us to long-term results. You need to have a plan and be disciplined to work on that plan throughout the whole year.
So how do you stay patient? I think about the leading indicators. What activities are we doing to provide long-term results? Once I identify these indicators, I track them. For example, at Service Express, we track leading indicators through our performance measurement system. We can utilize these measurements to see if we’re on track to accomplish our bigger goals. If we’re on track, that’s great. If we’re ahead of schedule, we’ll maybe invest in staying ahead. If we’re off track, we’ll adjust to try and continue on the path we had anticipated. Showing short-term progress creates long-term patience.
I encourage you to reflect on this contrast in your organization, leadership spectrum, and personal life. How can you be impatient in the short term and very patient in the long term? Let’s get it in 2022!
