When Impatience Is Good for Your Career - The Muse

When Impatience Is Good for Your Career - The MuseWhen Impatience Is Good for Your Career Throughout our lives, were told to be a little more patient. From our parents when we complained while waiting in line for a rollercoaster, from our friends when theyre taking forever to get dressed (seriously Sarah, you dont need to spend two hours getting dolled up for the movies), and even from our managers when we think were ready for a promotion or to take on new responsibilities.But how often are we really in the wrong? And how often is our impatience, well, acceptable?The thing is, like some bad qualities, impatience can be a good thing in the right setting. Its a driving force for some of the worlds most successful entrepreneurs, and one could argue nothing would get done if we never questioned how fast something should take.Here are three times your eagerness can be bad for your career, and three times its actually beneficialIts Hurting it If You Expect Big Results Right AwayYou know th is, but the higher your expectations, the more disappointed youll ultimately be when they arent met. So, when were impatient that somethings taking too long to get off the ground, or our careers are moving too slow, we never fully appreciate the small strides we make along the way.Achieving some of your biggest goals will take time- and often, theyll take multiple tries and consist of many failures. Rather than twiddle your thumbs expecting everything good to happen right now, be patient that things will happen at the right moment, when youve put in the right amount of effort.Read mora 4 Ridiculously Smart Reasons to Slow Down at WorkIts Helping it if You Know Things Should Happen SoonerThat said, some things go on longer than you know they should- maybe youve done this before in past jobs or know from experience that somethings off. Let your impatience question systems that are outdated, inefficient, or slow- even if you cant directly change them, you can often start productive con versations on ways to do things better.Related 3 Useful Phrases to Say Instead of My Old Company Did This BetterIts Hurting it If Youre Too Quick to ReactYou sent someone an email yesterday, and they havent gotten back to you yet, so you send them a follow-up email. Then another one two days later. Then you ping them on Slack to see if they got your message. In the day to day, being impatient in how you communicate will only lead people to ignore you or dislike working with you. No one likes a nag.Give people the respectable amount of time to do something, and trust theyll get it done (and when they dont meet your deadlines, then you can follow up).Read MoreHow to Get People to Take Your Deadlines Seriously (Without Being Rude)Its Helping it If Youre ProactiveHowever, if your impatience just means that youre eager to get involved and help out, thats OK.The people who spin their impatience into a positive thing do so by focusing on what they can do rather than what they need from oth ers. Otherwise, when you find yourself getting antsy over someone elses delay, ask yourself What systems can I create to encourage people to work faster? What pieces can I do without them? What can I get started now to make it easier for them to finish later?Read More How to Stealthily Motivate Your Lazy Co-workers to Pull Their WeightIts Hurting it If You Want to Move Up Before Youre ReadyIf youre six months into your job, you probably wont get promoted. If youre 23, youre probably not qualified for a C-level position. If youre three weeks into a new role, you probably wont get to represent that next big account.These are unfortunately the realities of your career. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule (we all know a friend of a friend who got promoted after only three months), but for the most part, you shouldnt expect a raise or promotion or some other big career opportunity before youre truly ready for- and youve earned- it.Read More3 Questions to Ask Yourself if You Keep Getti ng Passed Over for PromotionsIts Helping it If You Find Ways to Challenge YourselfThat said, some of that impatience might just be a form of ambition. Maybe youre not qualified for a position bump, but youve mastered your job and are ready for more responsibility, so you talk to your boss about taking on new projects. Or, you plektron up a side gig. Or, you decide to learn to code so you can fix your sites problems on your own.Impatience can be an amazing thing when its converted into drive. It forces you to think of new and different places to take your career, push yourself a bit further, and ultimately achieve your goals.Read More How to Know if Youre Being Ambitious- or Just Plain Old ImpatientImpatience gets a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. However, when you choose to turn it into something productive and motivating, it can have a huge, positive effect on your career.The key is knowing when its acceptable to push forward, and when its better to wait it out.