Recently I was thumb-scrolling through Instagram and came across one of those success-oriented accounts full of photos of lavish homes, beautiful people, luxurious automobiles, and epic yachts that included some kind of overlain motivational quote. The implication, of course, is that if we follow the maxim, we can realize the success depicted in the image. If only it were that easy. Some of the quotes were well known, others were new, but most were hoaky.

And then there was one that hit me:

The pace of the leader is the pace of the team.

We often hear that “patience is a virtue.” In today’s hyper-competitive world, patience can be more of a liability than we care to admit. It seems that we hear this “patience is a virtue” phrase when we are pressing someone to go faster, make a decision, or move more quickly than they’d like.

And doesn’t it sound just a bit condescending?

Here’s a question: why isn’t “hurry the hell up” equally virtuous? There’s something in my lizard brain that makes me think a high sense of urgency (perhaps impatience) is what drives success. Doesn’t it seem like those we label as impatient often forge ahead, pulling others uncomfortably along even when the rest of the pack is content just to “be patient?”

We don’t like be pushed to go faster, but often that’s exactly what we need.

As leaders, others are looking to us, taking cues, and following our example. Leaders set the pace and have an innate bias for action.

Why can’t “hurry the hell” up be a virtue?

Sometimes, patience is important. But more often than not, moving with impatient purpose is the right play.

What do you think?