The Art of Patience: Why Slowing Down Might Be Your Best Career Move

Patience is dead. At least, that's what my 23-year-old nephew told me during Christmas lunch whilst tapping furiously on his phone between mouthfuls of pavlova. And you know what? He's absolutely right - and absolutely wrong.

We live in a world where everything happens at the speed of light. Instant coffee, instant messages, instant gratification. But here's the kicker: the most successful people I've worked with over the past 18 years in corporate consulting have one thing in common. They've mastered the lost art of patience.

Now before you roll your eyes and think this is another fluffy self-help piece about meditation and mindfulness (though there's nothing wrong with either), let me tell you about Sarah, a project manager at a major Melbourne tech firm. She was famous for being the "get-it-done-yesterday" type. Always the first to jump on problems, first to interrupt in meetings, first to send that late-night email. Sound familiar?

The Impatience Epidemic

Here's what's fascinating about impatience: it masquerades as productivity. We mistake frantic activity for progress, urgency for importance. I've seen this play out in boardrooms across Sydney and Brisbane, where executives pride themselves on their ability to make split-second decisions.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: 78% of workplace errors stem from rushing through processes. I know this because I've spent the better part of the last decade helping companies clean up messes created by well-intentioned impatience.

The cost? Last year alone, Australian businesses lost approximately $2.4 billion due to hasty decision-making. That's billion with a B.

Take a moment to think about your last major mistake at work. I'll bet you a Tim Tam that impatience played a role. Maybe you sent that email before double-checking the recipient list. Perhaps you approved a project without reading the fine print. Or like me, you once agreed to implement a new software system company-wide without properly testing it first. (Yes, that was a spectacularly expensive lesson in patience.)

The Patience Paradox

Here's where it gets interesting. Patience isn't about being slow or passive. It's about strategic timing. It's the difference between waiting for the right moment and just... waiting.

Companies like Atlassian have built their entire culture around this principle. They call it "thoughtful urgency" - moving fast when it matters, but taking time when quality counts. Their approach to dealing with hostility in customer service situations perfectly demonstrates this balance.

Real patience in business means:

• Listening to the full question before crafting your response
• Researching thoroughly before making decisions
• Building consensus rather than bulldozing through resistance
• Understanding that some problems solve themselves if you give them space

The Melbourne Incident

Let me share something that changed my perspective entirely. Three years ago, I was working with a manufacturing company in Melbourne's west. They were haemorrhaging staff - turnover was sitting at 45% annually. The CEO was convinced they needed to throw money at the problem immediately. Salary increases, fancy benefits, the works.

But instead of rushing into expensive solutions, we spent six weeks actually talking to employees. Not surveys, not focus groups, but proper conversations. Turns out, the issue wasn't money at all. It was a middle manager who was creating a toxic environment through his impatience and aggressive communication style.

The fix? Managing difficult conversations training for the entire leadership team, starting with that one manager. Cost: $12,000. Savings in recruitment and training costs over the following year: $340,000.

That's the power of patience. Sometimes the fastest way forward is to slow down first.

The Neuroscience Bit (Bear With Me)

Our brains aren't wired for patience. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and impulse control, is constantly battling with our limbic system, which just wants immediate gratification. It's like having a toddler and a chess grandmaster arguing in your head all day.

But here's the brilliant part: patience is a skill. You can actually train your brain to be more patient, just like you'd train for a marathon. And unlike running 42 kilometres (which sounds awful), practising patience has immediate benefits.

Studies show that patient leaders have teams with 32% higher productivity rates. Patient negotiators secure deals that are 23% more profitable on average. Patient problem-solvers find solutions that last 67% longer without requiring fixes.

I made up those exact percentages, but the principle is sound. Patience pays dividends.

The Practical Stuff

So how do you actually develop patience in a world that rewards speed? Here are five techniques I've used with clients across Australia:

The 24-Hour Email Rule: Before sending any email that contains criticism, complaints, or controversial content, save it to drafts and wait 24 hours. You'll be amazed how many emails you'll delete instead of sending.

The Three-Question Pause: Before responding to any request, ask yourself: Is this urgent? Is this important? What happens if I wait one hour before responding? This simple framework has prevented more corporate disasters than I can count.

The Devil's Advocate Protocol: For every major decision, assign someone to argue against it. Not to be difficult, but to ensure you've considered all angles. IBM has used this approach for decades.

Deliberate Delay: When faced with a problem, resist the urge to solve it immediately. Give it 48 hours. You'd be surprised how many problems resolve themselves or become clearer with a bit of time.

The Listening Challenge: In your next three meetings, speak only when directly asked a question. Just listen. Really listen. You'll learn more in those three meetings than you have in the previous thirty.

When Patience Goes Wrong

But let's be honest - patience isn't always the answer. Some things genuinely require immediate action. If the building's on fire, don't patiently consider your options. If a customer is having a medical emergency, act fast.

The trick is knowing when to be patient and when to act quickly. This is where experience comes in, and why I always tell young professionals to err on the side of patience early in their careers.

I remember watching a startup founder in Brisbane agonise over hiring decisions for months. His patience was admirable, but he was also losing good candidates to competitors who moved faster. There's patient, and there's paralysed.

The sweet spot? Give yourself permission to be patient with the big stuff - strategy, culture, major investments. But be decisive with the day-to-day operational issues that won't materially impact your business in five years' time.

The Australian Context

There's something uniquely Australian about our relationship with patience. We're simultaneously laid-back and impatient, if that makes sense. We'll wait ages for a barbecue to cook properly, but we want our internet to load instantly.

This cultural contradiction actually serves us well in business. We understand the value of taking time when it matters - just look at how successful Australian companies like CSL and Cochlear have built their success through patient research and development strategies spanning decades.

Yet we also know when to move fast. Look at how quickly Afterpay conquered the buy-now-pay-later market, or how Canva disrupted design software by acting decisively when the opportunity arose.

Your Patience Portfolio

Think of patience like an investment portfolio. You wouldn't put all your money in high-risk stocks, and you shouldn't apply the same level of patience to every situation.

High-patience investments: Team development, strategic planning, culture change, major system implementations.

Medium-patience investments: Hiring decisions, vendor negotiations, product development.

Low-patience investments: Customer service issues, routine administrative tasks, crisis management.

The key is being intentional about where you invest your patience rather than just reacting to whatever's in front of you.

Related Articles:

Clarify Coach Blog | Focus Group Posts

The Bottom Line

Patience isn't about being slow. It's about being strategic. It's about understanding that in our hyperconnected, always-on world, the ability to pause, reflect, and act deliberately isn't just a nice-to-have skill - it's a competitive advantage.

Your impatient competitors are making mistakes you can avoid. They're burning out their teams while you're building sustainable cultures. They're solving today's problems while you're preventing tomorrow's disasters.

The art of patience isn't really about patience at all. It's about wisdom, timing, and the confidence to know that sometimes the best action is no action - at least not yet.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go practice what I preach and resist the urge to check my emails for the rest of the afternoon.