Some Business Owners Are Too Patient
Some business owners are too patient.
I know that sounds odd. Patience is supposed to be a good thing in leadership. And it is, when you're giving people or strategies time to improve.
But I've watched owners give the same underperforming employee another chance for nine months. Or stick with a marketing strategy that hasn't produced results because it just needs one more quarter.
Sometimes that's patience. Other times, it's avoiding a decision.
I've written before about how business owners get stuck making decisions. And sometimes the hardest part is recognizing that you're putting one off.
Are you seeing progress?
Here's the distinction: being patient with progress is different from being patient with the absence of progress.
If an employee is learning, responding to feedback, and getting better, give them time. If a strategy is showing early signs that it's working, it may deserve another month.
But when you keep having the same conversation, getting the same results, and making the same excuses... what are you waiting for?
More time only helps if there's a reason to expect something will change.
Otherwise, you're just hoping.
And hope is not a method.
My college baseball coach drilled that line into our heads, and I'm thankful for it. Funny enough, an agency owner I spoke with yesterday morning brought it up, too. It's one of those reminders that stays useful.
Waiting has a cost
Deciding to wait is still a decision.
You're choosing to keep paying for the strategy. You're asking the team to keep working around the same problem. You're spending another month on something that might need to be replaced.
That's the opportunity cost. While you're waiting, you're giving up the time, money, and attention you could've put toward a better solution.
I'm not suggesting you abandon people or change direction every time something gets difficult. I've made the mistake of expecting results too quickly, too.
But there's a difference between giving a plan time to work and refusing to admit the plan isn't working.
How to decide whether to give it more time
The next time you catch yourself saying, "Let's give it another month," answer three questions:
1. What exactly needs to improve?
2. What evidence says it's actually improving, and how do I know I'm not just seeing what I want to see?
3. When will we review the results and decide what to do next?
You don't need a guarantee. You do need a good reason.
If you can't answer those questions, giving it more time probably isn't the solution.
You need to make a decision.
So think about the problem you've been carrying the longest.
Are you seeing meaningful progress,
or are you finding reasons to believe things are getting better?