I don't know about you, but I don't like waiting, thank you very much. I, like most of the people around me, rush from one thing to another in my busy life, and get impatient and irritable when I'm on hold on a phone call to my bank, or in a long line at the post office.
This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, for Christians around the world a season of waiting. What's the point of a season of waiting?
A season of waiting is countercultural, at least in the West. In the business world, leaders and managers are rewarded for quick decisions. Yet at least half of managerial decisions fail, often because the decision-maker didn't wait, didn't weigh the decision wisely.
Advent is about waiting for God, listening to God, looking for the new thing that God is doing. Advent holds a lesson for all of us in this busy world, especially a lesson for organizational leaders.
Studies of organizational leaders' decisions show that half of all decisions fail because of time pressure, the perceived need to appear decisive, and unrealistic expectations of superiors and subordinates. What would it look like to wait, to incorporate the lesson of Advent in one's daily work life?
Bob Carlson, board member and recently retired co-CEO of Reell Precision Manufacturing, a manufacturer of hinges and clutches in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, finds that walking in nature, listening to music, and attending worship services keep him nurtured and centered for his leadership role. Without the "down" time of waiting and being open, he finds that he's not his best self as a leader and decision-maker.
Genny Nelson, founder of Sisters of the Road Café , a café for the homeless in Portland, Ore., spends time journaling. She also takes time-outs to pray in special places in the neighborhood, such as the downtown chapel. These practices help her stop and wait, and give her perspective on the challenges she faces, cultivating a calm and open inner disposition. She finds that her decisions are better as a result.
The next time I'm tense and irritable while waiting, I will stop and breathe and remember the lesson of Advent. Bob Carlson and Genny Nelson make better organizational decisions because of waiting and being open. May we all learn from them.
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations" (from which part of this column is drawn), works with healthcare leaders, non-profits, and Fortune 500 companies to help them develop spiritual leadership. Contact her by email at
. Copyright 2006 by Margaret Benefiel
