Patience is/is not a virtue?

As I write this I am dealing with my own issue – patience.

I am also asking myself if patience wears thin with age and what is the balance between the need to be patient about getting results and the need to wait impatiently on other’s apparent tardiness!

Building a business requires both a sense of urgency and patience.

When I began Pola Cosmetics at the age of 36, I was very impatient but had to learn to wait for others to respond – in that case it was individuals as the business was direct selling.

Now I am waiting on businesses to make decisions and the delays are even longer… and I am older and less patient!

Recently my TEC group did a great exercise called Gold of the Desert Kings – really a metaphor for business.

The exercise was fascinating for me in that it demonstrated the need for patience (at a time when I needed to be reminded) and planning to ensure that things get done productively.

Patience is both a good and bad trait for an entrepreneur – impatience does lead to getting things done and as time is money having a sense of urgency is a good thing. The negative side is that impatience may lead to lack of planning and poor processes and systems.

There were some other great learnings from the exercise:

• Decisions made up front have the greatest impact on productivity. We need to take time to make good ones.
• Before you start, understand, prioritise and value the resources you have to hand – including time information and team capacity.
• Activity is no replacement for productivity.
• Take time to ask the questions you need to – don’t be afraid of asking questions and getting really clear about where you are going – before you start the journey.

Marcia Griffin’s latest book, High Heeled Success (pictured left), is a frank account of building a business from a solitary sales person to a multi-million dollar business with 4,700 sales consultants around Australia and New Zealand. Contact Marcia to purchase. Marcia’s latest venture is skin care company griffin+row.