Acronym

LOVE this. Particularly since being patient is not one of my forte's.

I saw this great post this morning about entrepreneurship - http://walktalkchewgum.com/career/why-i-love-entrepreneurs/ - which lists a bunch of qualities entrepreneours have that are worth it for anyone to pay attention to in themselves.

So I think the key for me would be FIND YOUR PASSION.

Joe I would add “Be patient but never settle”.

I agree that many of us come out of college ready to conquer the world and have to realize it may take longer than planned, ala "Avenue Q" for my fellow musical enthusiasts. And yes, we have to learn the hard way we may not be the Vice Presidents within a year. However, I think that if that energy is channeled effectively it can not only move individuals but organizations forward. Sitting back and simply being patient guarantees nothing will ever change.

My pet peeve is when individuals constantly whine about the way things are and yet never take action or have no suggestion to rectify the situation. If the appropriate action has been taken, even if it is simply speaking with a supervisor and providing a possible solution, then yes have patience for the gears to turn. If you hate your job so much that all you can do is complain about it, start looking for another.

As my time winds down at ASAE & The Center I reflect on the things I had hoped but haven’t yet seen move forward and with pride on the things that have. I know that an organization is an ever evolving mechanism and as long as the right people are on board (as are at ASAE) things will move in the right direction, even if the pace is not at the speed of light.

In sum, recent grads need to know that sometimes things take longer than one might hope, but nothing will happen if we don’t continually push and challenge ourselves.

PS: I have VERY recently started a blog, http://manageemanager.blogspot.com, which addresses some of my “lessons learned” thus far in my career. In fact I have a post in the “to be published” queue titled: Respect for process vs. need for innovation.

This may be too long but...

Sometimes what you get is way better than what you planned.

My advice - 'be sure you have your listening ears on'. Borrowed from my sister's advice to my 5 year old niece. Seriously, in a day where our newest grads are used to communicating with the peers through texts and electronically - they will need to learn how to listen to what others are saying not only for cotent, but for context.

I love both BE PATIENT and FIND YOUR PASSION. I definitely think it's possible to turn your passion into a career, but it absolutely takes patience, resilience and tenacity. One of my favorite phrases right now is FOLLOW YOUR BLISS, which I also think is applicable to recent grads.

Great advice, Joe! When you add audio to your message, make it "You Can't Always Get What You Want," by the Rolling Stones.

I would say: If you agree to do something, do it.

One of the things that can do someone in early in a career is to take on too much and then not follow through. So this is what I advise my younger colleagues.

My commencement advice?

Be patient - but only about things that don't matter.

Does it matter that you don't get a c-suite office two years out of college? No. And you won't. So get over yourselves. Does it matter if you win the battle over the dress code today? No. (But keep fighting anyway :).

But be patient?

Be patient - that Nazi thing is a German issue. Be patient - you'll get to sit at that lunch counter eventually. Be patient - eventually that trickle down theory will work. Be patient Mr. Gates and get that degree from Harvard so you have something to fall back on when that PC thing doesn't work out. Be patient - it takes time to shut down a place like Guantanamo Bay. Be patient - you'll get the right to marry the person you love and serve in the military but only when we are ready for it.

Be patient - we are drilling that relief well as fast as we can.

The time for patience is over. The time to get things done is here. Our organizations are training grounds for actionable thinking and innovation. By continuing to promote "patient" thinking in little things, we unintentionally stymie our ability to radically change the big things.

Yes, be patient. But only when it doesn't matter.

Shelly

I see Shelly's point and think we just need some extra words here....tenacity and wisdom.

In a world where we get meals in minutes, tv on demand and immediate connectivity please recognize that things take time. Making a request for action and then just sitting and waiting is not enough.

Have ideas, passion, desire and a work ethic. Then, add in some tenacity. Season with wisdom so you can recognize the times you need to push and the times where you need to exercise...yes, it's that word again....patience.

I agree with Shelly Acorn -- being patient about certain things would be a HUGE disservice to the person, the organization, their family, their country, the world, etc. Shelly gives some wonderful examples where patience is NOT a virtue that should be encouraged.

I need to be patient when waiting in line at the ATM machine, because everyone in that line has other places to be; I need to be patient when the elderly person in front of me is counting out their money in the grocery line (someday I will be that person); I need to be patient when listening to a child tell a story because they need time to think of the right words to use; I need to be patient with co-workers when they are being asked to do many things at the same time that I am asking for their assistance; and I need to be patient with my volunteers --- because they are volunteers who have jobs, careers, families, and other obligations.

Great post for me to read today!

Everyone, thanks for the comments. I wasn't sure if this post would generate much feedback, but this has been great.

I'm beginning to think I used the wrong P word in the post. Maybe "Be persistent" would be a good revision, because I think that takes into account a lot of what some of you are saying about how patience can be a problem in some situations.

I have a lot of additional thoughts, actually, which I will save for the follow-up post that I alluded to. Definitely want to continue this conversation.

For now though, I'll just say that I really like all the other ideas and pieces of advice you've all shared. From listening ears to the follow-through to finding passion, it's great stuff. Thanks again. Keep the ideas coming!

I think my lack of patience has actually served me well in my career. My advice: Do it NOW. There are plenty of others who will wait forever to start, who will wait for the perfect time (when there is no such thing) or wait for someone else to do it.

There is a difference between waiting and doing the work of staying through the hard places. But it's often hard to tell the difference in the moment.

This post falls perfectly in line with the "Twitterfied" world in which we now live. Choosing words carefully is the work of good wordsmiths. I like the challenge of fitting a concise, clear message into 140 characters. I wonder when college essays and other writing requirements will challenge students to write something compelling that does not exceed 140 characters.

Reminds me of a friend in high school who won a scholarship from Coca Cola. The award was given to the best essay response to the question, "The world would be a better place without...(fill in the blank)." His one-word answer to the essay question was: Pepsi. How's that for compelling and knowing your audience? :)

To Joe's question, my two-word commencement speech would be "Do something." Then of course I'd show a 20-minute montage of photos of people who made a positive difference in our world, all set to a moving musical score. :)

Don't give up so easily, Joe. It's nice that so many people expect to succeed at whatever they do. But it's important to be realistic and know what can be accomplished.

At the end of the day, it's better to enjoy a windfall than suffer a shortfall.

Great post, Joe! I'd advise, "Maintain your idealism and enthusiasm." There will be setbacks in your job or organization or personal/professional mission--many, in fact--but strengthening your resilience and resolve will help you focus on the long-term future. I remind myself all the time of my age, my life priorities right now, and my optimism that I will be able to work on something or toward something in the future. I guess that is where the "patience" element comes in, right, Joe?

How about "make a difference." It could require tenacity, persistence, patience or impatience, or any of the other qualities listed above, and it might take days or years or a lifetime to accomplish. Making a difference could mean sweeping global reforms or simply making one person's life a little better, but the idea and the challenge would be to leave a lasting positive imprint, no matter how big or small.

Renato,

In your post, the following caught my attention: "I'm neither famous nor important."

Perhaps maybe not "famous" as usually defined, I would challenge you on the part about "nor important".

How do you define "important"?, who is important? And from whose perspective?

For a moment, close your eyes and ask yourself what would be the impact if you were no longer around? Who are all the people you would you directly and indirectly impact? Who would miss you? What would they miss?

Now how do you feel about the statement "nor important"? My dear friend, we're all important and this includes YOU.