When Is It Time To Stop Being Patient?

Have you ever had a conversation with anyone when you had to repeat the same information over and over again, and the other person still appeared to "not have a clue"? While this is certainly disconcerting when it occurs in personal interactions, it is even more bothersome and annoying when it occurs in either business or organizational management situations.

Since I have served in top executive positions in both corporate and not-for-profit companies and organizations, and have been involved with organizations in various capacities, including paid staff management, volunteer leadership, and as a consultant, one would think that I would no longer get bothered by these types of occurrences. In fact, while I generally train others about the importance of effective listening and patience, I cannot personally tolerate certain types of annoying situations.

If the other party truly does not understand, I have no problem or difficulty with being patient, and I generally will not lose my patience with someone who asks "good" questions, and admits they do not understand. What generally frustrates me,however, is dealing with individuals in leadership positions, that are obviously (to me) in "over their head," and yet say they understand, while they clearly do not. While in some cases it is the individual involved, often this occurs because many leaders ascend to leadership positions ill-prepared for either leadership, or for the duties and responsibilities of their position.

I have witnessed these types of individuals when I've been called in from the onset to assist an organization regarding a particular project, as well as when I have been called in "after the fact," when the other organizational leaders recognize a "crisis" or "near-crisis" situation.

As a professional trainer, business and not-for-profit executive, conference and convention planner, and negotiator, I often think about how much easier it would be for me, and less expensive and painful it would be for the organization, if they simply would call me, give me their parameters, budgetary needs, programing needs, priorities, and what they wished to achieve, from the onset. That way I would not have to spend hours doing "repair" work, and everything would be set up the "right" way from the start. However, organization leadership being what it is, in most cases I am called in "after the fact," and must "fix" the situation.

Organizational leadership is often short-sighted, and rarely fully recognizes nor understands the "big picture." Effective organizations have learned when they are better off bringing in professional help, when they need the assistance.