Many people (not only leaders) want instant gratification in life. A lot of people would opt for taking a $1million dollar cheque right now, rather than wait for a promised $10million dollars cheque one month from now. The underlying assumption for many is: what if tomorrow never come or why not settle for the $1million dollars that one could see right now than wait for an imaginary $10million dollars that may never come? And this is why many would rather want the instant gratification than wait for a bigger or better gratification in the future.

 

Leading an organization or a people sometimes does not come with the immediate gratification that one may have anticipated before setting out. For example, the organization may be growing at a much slower pace that had been anticipated or people may not be responding to leadership the way they ought to, thereby creating some bottlenecks on the path of progress and growth. These are some of the struggles that leaders may have to contend with before the needed gratification we had anticipated become a reality. The Bible said concerning Jesus: that for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 11:2, AMP).

 

There are times and moments in leadership when the anticipated gratification that we expect as leaders aren’t forthcoming. And so, as leaders, what do we do when this is the situation? I am going to show us three (3) things that we can do as leaders that would help us pull through anytime, we are experiencing delayed gratification in our leadership.

 

#1. Appreciate your starting point

 

I know we love big things and we love to arrive at our destination in a matter of time. But sometimes the secret in getting the desired gratification is in appreciating our starting point and the level we are right now. This doesn’t sound interesting really, but it is what it is. Many usually fail in acknowledging the little successes and the small wins in their leadership, and it sometimes create a stumbling block in getting closer to the big picture. The Lord said to Zechariah in the book of Zechariah 4:10a (NLT). It says: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Isn’t it interesting that even the almighty God rejoices in our small beginnings? This is why as we journey towards the bigger gratification in our leadership as leaders, we must never despise the small beginnings, the small wins, the small growth, the small progress that we have made even along the way to the top. It is very important.

 

#2. Develop Patience

 

The key to every successful venture in life and leadership is rooted in patience. Leaders can be sometimes impatient and want to get the result as fast and quick as possible. But there are also times when things don’t go this way. So, what should we do in such times as leaders? We simply develop patience. In Luke 21:19, the Bible says: “By your patience possess your souls.” Patient leaders are hard to come by in our world today. Patient leaders are the types who have mastered the art of remaining still in the face of their fears and worries, and also helping those around them, their followers, to overcome their fears and worries as well. So, when it appears there is delayed gratification in leadership, leaders must learn to develop their patience level in these moments.

 

#3. See Setbacks as Success Stepping Stones

 

What are setbacks? Setbacks are temporary delays on the way to the bigger picture and leaders who have developed their capacities over the years use some of these setbacks as their stepping stones to gratification. Leaders must learn to be resilient when confronted with all manner of setbacks because it is through resilience that we can turn setbacks into the desired end that we have envisaged. For example, David had a lot of setbacks in his leadership assignment, but through resilience, he was able to overcome. At some point or the other, leaders would be confronted with setbacks, but with resilience, we can get to that point of gratification, if we don’t give up. I believe you got that.

 

Alright!!! This is where we are going to draw the curtains on today’s episode of Leaderview. I believe that you have learnt a few things already in this podcast. Please don’t forget to share this podcast with your friends, drop your comments in the comments section and let me know your thoughts on what we have shared with ourselves today. Till next time on Leaderview, I remain Obayomi Abiola.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!