Everyone knows the story of Benedict Arnold. His name has become synonymous with “traitor” in the American lexicon. Yesterday was the anniversary of one of his more infamous acts as a turncoat. On January 5, 1781, Arnold led a British raid on Richmond, Virginia, destroying a large portion of the city. Arnold is an easy guy to hate, but his treachery is only part of the story.
Patience is a virtue. This pearl of wisdom has been a bone in the throat of even the most patient leader. Patience is an easy thing to talk about, but it is extremely difficult to practice. Webster’s defines patience as, “the quality of being capable of bearing affliction calmly.” Patience is the third attribute Rudyard Kipling described in the poem ‘If-:’ If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Most of us think of patience as a construct of time, but Kipling was addressing the broader definition – enduring difficulty and hardship while awaiting the appropriate opportunity to act. He is also referring to the patience required to bear the nagging and sniping that often accompanies a decision to wait.
One of my favorite parts of leadership is working with people who are just getting started in their careers. Most people enter the “real world” with passion that is almost palpable. It comes from a combination of naiveté, audacity, and most of all, ambition. For most, reality sets in over time, and our passions fade. Some extraordinary few never lose the fire. Many of those become visionaries and entrepreneurs who inspire and excite those around them. What happens to the rest? What becomes of the vast majority of idealists who leave college ready to take on the world? Many simply burn out. Their passion consumes them like a star consuming itself. Others collapse under their own weight.