Delayed Gratification
You can change lots of “things” in an instant – but not people. When it comes to making professional changes, we need to allow time for people to put any new information into context, validate it from their perspective and try it out in some way. Only then can they really figure out what and
how much to change. Then they decide the ‘when?’ question. If you’re a manager or lead people in some way, you probably get a lot of satisfaction from seeing people develop and grow. Sometimes the gratification doesn’t come right away, but delayed gratification is part of being a leader. Your job is to coach; giving time is part of the game.
The Exception
When managing a performance issue, the game changes: it’s your job to set the deadline for ‘when?’ Be clear about the urgency (when) and the context (why). This can help speed up the learning process or enable the individual to realize, “This isn’t for me.” If they don’t realize it
during the set timeframe, you need to make a decision and act upon it.