Over the next month, I am going to share four mistakes I vow not to make again as a leader.

#1 Giving Into Impatience

Patience is a virtue. And, honestly, one that I do not always possess. Impatience has its roots in frustration. It is a feeling of rising stress that starts when I feel I am not reaching a goal as quickly as I want or when I think people ignore my needs and wishes. Impatience is ultimately rooted in ego.

I can get frustrated as I am not getting the change I want or a process in place as quickly as expected. I have a vision for what I want, but many times want to get there quicker than is possible. Success in education is more like the adage, “slow and steady wins the race.” Impatience ultimately leads to more mistakes and can compromise the integrity of my work. When I get impatient, I can jump into a new process too quickly or have unrealistic expectations for people.

I must remember, I have a choice about how I react to certain situations. I can choose to be patient, or not: it’s up to me. Here are a few places I am going to try to keep my mindset when impatience arises.

• Find ways to create stillness in my everyday life through mindfulness practices.
• Challenge my negative assumptions, instead of letting my impatience build.
• Aim to reframe the circumstances in a more positive light.

I know I am still going to get impatient at times as a leader, but I will do my best to hold myself to not giving in to those impatient feelings in 2020.