Another great agile leadership principle, that teaches us to focus on goal behind the goal. Because when we learn to lead ourselves and be grateful every day, we need patience as a crucial trait of an agile leader.

Often the nature of our work and the environment in which we work make us “impatient”. The need to act quickly in order to achieve a result as soon as possible can often cause a counter-effect. Especially when we talk about leadership, leaders often tell their team members how to do something or how to solve a problem. That speed costs them a lot in the long run.

Patient leaders do it differently. They do not resort to all the tools and techniques to manage people. They lead people.

They let their team make mistakes, with one clear intention. To learn from that mistake. It really requires a lot of patience and energy in working with the team at the very beginning, because the leader constantly encourages the team members to do their own task, and then diligently, together with them, corrects mistake by mistake. There are fewer and fewer mistakes over time, and team members reach their full capacity and slowly solidify their safety and create their comfort zone. When they are completely confident in themselves and their work, the leader leads them again to some new challenges and some new teachings.

I went hiking recently. The goal, one mountain peak at 1860m above sea level. The journey to the top itself is what gives it charm. Beautiful surroundings, the silence that is only sometimes disturbed by the wind or some birds. It is tiring and requires a lot of patience so that we don’t hurry and look forward to coming to the top with excitement. And on top of that, the feeling is phenomenal. Goal achieved, fatigue and satisfaction. But we immediately started looking for some new top, some new challenge.

Just like in leadership. When we think that we have reached the maximum and that we have successfully overcome all obstacles in our expertise, some new areas and peaks appear and we start our journey once again.