Patience

 

Patience with others is the next quality that Brady and Woodward include in the Trilateral Leadership Ledger's factor of Character.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines patience as: 

1 : the ability to wait for a long time without becoming annoyed or upset

2 : the ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when dealing with problems or with difficult people

3 : the ability to give attention to something for a long time without becoming bored or losing interest

 

Effective leaders MUST exercise patience when dealing with people and with situations.  Impatience can be the Achilles heel and downfall of many a good leader.  I frequently quip 'Dear God, give me patience, and give it to me NOW!'  Well, it doesn't quite work that way.

Perhaps the greatest example of exercising long term patience is the great Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden.

 

His Hall of Fame website entry reads:

John Wooden’s UCLA teams scaled unmatched heights that no future organization in any sport is likely to approach. Under Wooden’s masterful guidance, the Bruins set all-time records including four perfect 30-0 seasons, 88 consecutive victories, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories, and ten national championships, including seven in a row. Wooden’s approach rested on the idea that basketball is a game of threes: forward, guard, center; shoot, drive, pass; ball, you, man; conditioning, skill, teamwork. Considered one of basketball’s finest teachers, his ability to instill these principles in his players made Wooden a master of developing talent. Wooden’s famous Pyramid of Success shows the influence of his mentor from his days at Purdue, Hall of Fame coach Ward Lambert. The Pyramid’s principles are the basis of Wooden’s outlook on life and explain much of his success on and off the court. Whatever the measure, John Wooden was one of the greatest coaches in history.

https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/john-wooden1/ 

What it doesn't say is that John Wooden arrived at UCLA for the 1948-49 basketball season and didn't win his first national championship until the 1963-1964 season.  It took Wooden 15 years to mold the program into the greatest college basketball dynasty in history.  It did not happen overnight.  Wooden was patient, had a vision, and worked each year to improve and advance.  Neither was his famed Pyramid of success created overnight.  It took years of working as a coach, first at Indiana State University, then at UCLA.  Wooden's Pyramid of Success is a classic in leadership and coaching!

During all his years as a head coach, Wooden concentrated on developing character in his athletes and knew that the results (in his case, wins) would take care of themselves.  Wooden exercised patience with his program and with his players! And... obviously... the wins did take care of themselves through hard work and patience.

It has been said the patience is a virtue.  It is!  It is also a key indicator of leadership Character.  Effective leaders MUST learn and exercise patience in all things!

Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward: "Launching a Leadership Revolution."  Business Plus. New York. p.96