There's A Lot To Be Said About Patience

I sent an e-mail to one of my friends (actually a past client who is now a friend) this weekend because I needed some business advice. Frank is an astute entrepreneur who started his company when he was in his twenties. He has a passion for business, and he revels in the entrepreneurial spirit.

What I needed from him this week was his no-nonsense perspective. I figured if anyone would tell me the truth, it would be Frank.

As we were talking yesterday, I was outlining my business model and how frustrated I am becoming.   I said, "I need to figure out how to maximize leverage here, Frank.   But I also need to be careful not kill my business in the process of doing that."

After asking lots of questions, he told me I was just being impatient. Frank reminded me that it takes time to build what I´m trying to build. And I started laughing.   Why?   Because he´s right.

Three years ago, I wrote a column about this concept I called "lag time."   You see, lag time is the gap between when you started a project and when it comes alive.   Let''s pretend you recently came up with a new business idea.   You''re jazzed about what you want to do, and you know the marketplace will eat it up.   But then reality sets in when you plot out the activities that need to be done.   You have to find funding, hire employees, locate new office space, develop a web site...the list goes on and on.

But you''re committed to your idea.   So you forge ahead.

Soon you realize that everything - yes, everything - takes longer than you want.   But you keep trucking along.   Until one day you wake up frustrated, impatient, annoyed or bored.   That''s lag time.   It''s the space you''re in when you''re waiting for everyone else to catch on to what you''re doing.

You see lag time everywhere you look.   A client of mine decided he was going to lose 20 pounds so he started an exercise program.   For the last two months, he''s been working out every day and improving his diet, yet he has 10 more pounds to go.   Lag time!   Another client of mine is building up her consulting business, and she has a big vision of where she can take her services.   But she''s stuck because she needs to build a strong foundation before she adds something else to the mix.   Lag time!

And then there´s me.   I ´m building my coaching company as fast as I can, adding new coaches to the team every month and preparing for the big launch of my new leadership book due out in bookstores in early July. It´s simply not moving fast enough.   Lag time!

Which is exactly why I called Frank.   To get perspective.   When you have a strong personality, there are few people who have the capacity to tell you the truth.   Frank is one of the rare breeds, and he gave me a big ol´ kick in the behind yesterday afternoon.

For every fast-moving-I-want-to-get-it-done person reading this column, please know you´re not alone.   Lag time is the pits.   Yet Frank reminded me that there´s something to be said about patience. You can´t plant a seed one day and expect it to sprout the next.   I´d be the first to tell you that this is something I certainly need to learn.   After I planted my summer flower bulbs a few weeks ago, I went out to the garden every day to see what was coming up.   That much attention forced me to fertilize, water and get rid of the weeds.   Right now my flower garden is full of little tiny green things that will eventually become flowers.

That´s the key word here:   eventually.   Lag time gives you the time to cultivate your ideas, tweak what you ´re trying to do and fertilize the heck out of your business.   The only way to do that is have patience as your vision unfolds.

The victory of success, when it comes, is that much sweeter when you know you put your heart and soul into a project.   And there´s a lot to be said for having a little patience.