Be Agressive or Be Patient?

Being patient or being aggressive seems to be the dichotomy we have to figure out in our business journey. Dichotomy is defined as “a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.” The operative part of this definition is “… ARE REPRESENTED as being opposed or entirely different.” The real answer is both patience and aggressiveness are required…just at different times.

Aggressiveness applies to generating torque from the day-to-day spin. Generating opportunities and helping mold them toward your goal or end state takes a certain amount of aggressiveness. Aggressiveness in your work ethic can serve you well…to an extent. There is a point at which you have to transition an aggressive approach to patience. Helping your client understand the benefits of your service, capabilities, etc, requires a transition to patience to allow them to process the value to what they are trying to accomplish. I think many would agree that too much aggressiveness here can take a good trajectory off in a less desirable direction.

Patience can also be accompanied by frustration. “Red Tape” is a good example. I thought during my time in the Department of Defense working at a senior level in the Marine Corps had its share of red tape. Trying to keep momentum on a project that just seemed to take forever due to approval processes that were cumbersome and lethargic. I have also discovered that as challenging as I though Red Tape could be in DOD it is also very prevalent in industry to nearly the same levels and for similar reasons. This is where aggressiveness and patience often must be used in close proximity to each other to avoid losing momentum without pushing the project off the deep end.

I would offer that how effective you are at balancing these two attributes can make the difference between success and failure…or at least success and frustration. In the end its about assessing progress and applying the right attributes at the right time to keep progressing toward your goal.

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** For those of you that missed it, I wrote a short piece called “Turning Spin into Torque” focused on assessment that I would say is one of the most important parts of any mission success. Take a look. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/turning-spin-torque-mark-wise