To succeed in business you need patience when it comes to making key decisions. FILE PHOTO | NMG 
Summary
In his timeless classic, The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene
tells of a story that extols the virtue of patience in the pursuit of
any goal. It is a story of a famous 17 century painter, Chou Yung who
travelled to a town that lay across the river from his own town.
“He
was bringing some important books and papers with him and had
commissioned a young boy to help him carry them. As the ferry neared the
other side of the river, Yung asked the boatman if they would have time
to get to the town before its gates closed, since it was a mile away
and the night was approaching.
The boatman glanced at
the boy, and at the bundle of loosely tied papers and books - “Yes,” he
replied if you do not walk too fast.
As they started
out, however, the sun was setting. Afraid of being locked out of the
town at night, prey to local bandits, Chou, and the boy walked faster
and faster, finally breaking into a run.
Suddenly the string around the papers broke and the documents scattered on the ground.
It took them many minutes to put the packet together again, and by the time they had reached the city gates, it was too late.
In
business and in life generally most miseries that plague the majority
are directly caused by impatient and desire to ‘make it faster or on
time.’
When your business decisions are based on fear
of losing out; greed to accumulate more or undercut your competitors or
desire to expand more and make money quickly, you create a myriad of
problems that require fixing on the way. The resulting challenges make
it take longer to achieve your ultimate goal than if you had taken your
time and did everything meticulously.
Business success that is sustainable in most cases is
evolutionary and not revolutionary. It is not an overnight success but
something that is built carefully over time. This is the growth that
allows the owner and managers of the business to understand and be
understood by the market and put systems in place to support growth when
it comes.
Allowing a business to grow without a sound
business model and systems in place is like rushing to build a house
without proper foundation. Regardless how magnificent the house without
sound foundation looks, it will last as long as there is no storm.
Patience
is foremost virtue of entrepreneurial success only second to courage.
Impatience is self-sabotage. It makes one desperate to succeed and in
the process make blunders that slow down the whole journey.
To
succeed in business you need patience when it comes to making key
decisions like expanding your business especially on loans, hiring
employees, developing and releasing a product in the market as well as
negotiating deals.
The notion that opportunities will vanish if not grabbed quickly is an illusion that has led many to failure.
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