Do You Have Patience For This?

Have you ever left a meeting with two big questions on your mind: Why and How?

Sure, you and your teammates all understand what was presented. You know your tasks going forward.

But what was the purpose of the meeting, the why? What are your next steps, the how?

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the article “Becoming a More Patient Leader,” by David Sluss, an expert on organizational behavior.

Through his research, Sluss determined there are two types of leaders: Futurists, who are more task-oriented, and Facilitators, who are more relationship-oriented.

While Futurists are strong on How, Facilitators are strong on Why. Futurists connect their team with tasks, while Facilitators are more adept at making the connection to the bigger picture.

Those are two big questions: The Why, and the How.

Those are also two big opportunities for communication breakdown. While a Futurist may be great at helping their team understand the next steps coming out of a meeting, they may not take the time to really help that team get the Why. On the other hand, a Facilitator may fall short when it comes to helping their team get the full scope of How a project will happen.

How can a leader strike a balance between the two?

In my past corporate life, I had to transition from being everyone’s peer, to being their boss.

I knew from being on their level that the team was frustrated. The vision was never clear on what we had to own as strategic HR partners in the field.

I decided to bring the team together for a retreat, to explain the vision and do it in an environment where we could slow down.

Doing it this way allowed my team to have the space needed to understand the Why behind our work, and How we were going to move forward.

I had to have patience for this. And I had to shift between being Futurist and Facilitator, focusing on tasks and relationships, to make sure my team was cohesive and ready for the next step.

It took time to plan that retreat. Some people have said, “You should have rolled that out earlier.” But if I had, I firmly believe that my team would not have been as successful as it was.

In my opinion, many leaders make the mistake of not being self-aware enough to be patient.

For someone who is a Futurist, this could mean that you don’t slow down to share the big Why in a change or rollout. For a Facilitator, maybe you don’t explain How you will achieve something, to give your team time to process and buy in.

This is where Enneagram comes in.

Enneagram validates that we as leaders and the people on our teams process information differently. We all need patience in how we receive this information, so we understand the Why and How behind our mission.

I recommend during your next meeting, block time for your team to have a discussion. For those of you who see yourself as Futurists, leave extra time to help your team understand the Why. For those of you who are Facilitators, use that time to help break down the How.

In doing so, you’ll create a more collaborative process and help your team understand not just How to come together, but Why they need to.

Cheers to building a stronger team!

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