Urgent Patience
Amaro Araujo
International Sales & Negotiation expert | Speak 6 languages | Published author | Multicultural minded
? This week’s card is about the frantic pace of our world and how we easily fall into the trap of motion instead of inspired action.
Urgent patience is a clear notion that something is derailing now or at a fast pace, but we need a calm mind to devise a set of actions to get back on track.
When facing urgent situations, it’s tempting to jump into action instead of thinking first. The problem needs action now, so we throw or use what we have at hand. But often, what we have at hand, the impulse of our movement or the tools or systems we use are not the best course of action and can even have the opposite effect of creating a snowball effect or leading to more problems instead of a solution.
Taking a quick step back is critical in times of trouble, uncertainty, or urgency. That’s when our default mode “fight or flight” typically kicks in, or we act under our most basic instinct of survival, and therefore our brain shuts down or narrows a lot.??
? As any other area of your life that you master or are good at demands two things in the correct order: awareness and practice. Awareness by recognizing the situation, not letting you fall immediately on shut down mode, and practicing such responses repeatedly. Either if you’re in the driving seat, part of a team, or involved people.?
领英推荐
? Urgent patience is a crucial trait of leadership. Any average leader facing adverse situations will start screaming and shouting, giving instructions in all directions hoping that things will fix themselves only by showing that “we’re doing something.” A good captain can be found on the sea in the middle of a storm, not on safe land. And yes, he may shout, and we may need quick responses. Still, he will assess winds, waves, boat conditions, route, and many other parameters on a speedy analysis and thinking process.
? It’s elementary and almost natural – remember our “fight or flight” default mode to shut down or to scream and shout in all directions when under urgent situations. But great leaders are the ones that can keep a still mind, reassure their teams, calm our spirits, and at the same time show us the way forward.?
? There’s an old saying perfectly explaining how one should act under such need of urgent patient situation:?“If I have two hours to cut a tree, I will spend 1 hour sharpening the saw.”