Three Reasons Why Successful Transformations Require Time and Patience

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.” – Edmund Burke

It may feel like an oxymoron to discuss “transformation” and “patience” together. The whole purpose of a transformation is to drive change. Often transformations are fueled by a sense of urgency to activate change quickly. On the other hand, patience means that you should tolerate delay and a slower pace without complaining or becoming angry. So, how is it possible to be a successful transformation leader if you tolerate delays?

Simply put, transformation is a journey that also requires patience. In fact, according to a 2019 Forbes article, 39% of executives believe their companies will get the most value from digital transformation initiatives in three to five years.

Accept the fact that successful transformations take time and patience. Why? Here are three reasons:

The first reason this journey requires patience is because everyone embraces the idea of change at different rates. Where you have had time to digest the possibility of change and to construct a vision for the future, many others have not. Some colleagues have an inner dialogue with themselves long before there are outward signs of accepting the transformation. While other colleagues embrace change as a result of participating in the process—choosing to go “through the motions” until they are able to personalize the transformation for themselves. Yet still, there are others who sit on the sidelines, choosing to participate once the transformation is well-established, strong results attract their curiosity, or upon a mandate from leadership that accepting this change is the only option. In such cases, don’t complain. Instead, spend more time communicating the goals and addressing any objections that they have.

Second, patience is critical because everything won’t work perfectly the first time. Yes, that’s right. There will be mistakes and missteps that you and others will make throughout the course of the transformational initiative. However, if you establish a compelling vision and yourself as a credible leader early on, stakeholders will be willing to endure occasional blunders which are just part of the journey of “doing something different.” Expect them to happen and don’t abandon the initiative because one action was not executed well. Exercising patience will enable you to learn from the situation and to move forward with more knowledge and wisdom that you can apply to future situations. In my personal experience, some of my most valuable growth opportunities came as a result of overcoming challenges I faced while leading transformations. (Side note: Although mistakes are likely, never forget that some could be extremely costly. Therefore, it’s still important to be thoughtful in how you approach and execute the most critical actions.)

Finally, effective transformations apply a long-term view to their approach—making patience a key ingredient for sustainable change. Transformation is not a “check the box” activity. The transformational initiative may need to address deeply rooted “status quo” behaviors and ways of working that could require more time to transform. It takes time and patience to establish and maintain a new cultural foundation. You will need to listen to key stakeholders, build a comprehensive project plan, socialize recommendations, pilot new processes, and deliver results. Furthermore, as the leader, you’ll have to manage potential detractors, while motivating other leaders to activate the vision. You have to be patient.

You can’t rush transformation. As the leader, remain agile—as there will be times when you need to pause, other times when you need to push, and a few times when you need to pivot. Don’t get frustrated with perceived delays. If you remain diligent, the results achieved from the change program will outweigh the time and resources invested. Stay focused, be proactive, remain resilient, and most of all be patient. You got this.

What do you think? Please share one example of how patience made your transformation more successful.