To grow yourself AND your team, develop your patience and persistence.

Although the industry would like you to believe that great delivery and performance are days away, the really good stuff takes time.

In the beginning, we all have to find our feet.   At the bottom of the hill, everything is a climb.   If you can't push consistently upward, gravity will pull you right back down.

A new team might even resist the ascent; scurrying back to their cubicles so they can stay out of sight and privately fall back to the way we've always done things.

In the beginning, there is a lot of frustration and impatience when results don't come.  Things won't seem to be working, and that will create a feeling of panic and a loss of safety.  Despite the marketing materials, this doesn't feel better.   This doesn't feel good.   The tension, doubt, and dissent are palpable.

In the beginning, you will deliver less than you are capable of.  You will question if you are worthy, you willl question if this is the right path for you.  You will question if you are capable.

There are two things you need to do at the same time.

1.  Be patient

2.  Be persistent

Your character as a leader, and in fact as a human being are determined by how you handle confusion, disarray and failure to perform - not just in the beginning - but throughout your development and career.

PATIENCE:

-You need to watch teams go through the motions

-You need to let them fail.  (Sometimes badly)

-You need to protect them from the cost of failure

-You need to resist shifting course too early and too often.  Don't panic - be comfortable with uncomfortable

-You need to be able to get "out of your head" and see progress, however small.

PERSISTENCE:

-You can never take your foot off the gas

-You can never stop learning

-You can never turn your back on (give up on) yourself or your team

-You need to meet people where they're at and accept what is

-You need multiple ways to get the job done

-You need to see success as small but consistent effort over time, not a big bang result