𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐈𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭

This morning, I enjoyed the full sun warming my face as I sipped coffee on the patio. It was the first morning in over a week without clouds—just the sun rising strong and steady to welcome the day.

There’s a Bible verse that struck a chord with me recently. 𝐄𝐜𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬 11:4 says, “𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵; 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵.”

There are many translations of this verse, but the message is consistent: waiting for perfection doesn’t lead to progress. In every task we undertake, there’s always an element of uncertainty.

In the workplace, it’s easy to mislabel some colleagues as lazy when, in reality, they’re simply waiting for everything to line up just right before they start. They want every tool in place, every risk accounted for, and every scenario planned. That kind of caution can be frustrating to those who prefer to charge ahead and adapt as challenges arise.

I’ve seen the same mindset play out on local farms, particularly in spring. Some growers, especially when it comes to corn, hesitate to plant. They wait, anxious, hoping for perfect conditions. Even as others get rolling in the fields, they hold back, watching the clouds and questioning every detail.

So how do we find the right balance between patience and action?

How do we build teams where cautious planners and decisive doers complement each other rather than clash?