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LawCrossing General Counsel Consulting Career Feature
Don’t Try Your Patience, Test It Patience is said to be one of the greatest virtues. That’s time-tested wisdom. However, few of us take ‘patience’ as a skill or attribute to be cultured separately, tested and improved to make our lives better. What few of us know or realize is that ‘patience’ is one of the best tools in your arsenal for stress-management, and as a corporate counsel your job’s going to make you stressed, whether you admit it or not.
Earlier this year, the Society of Corporate Compliance
is impulse control and curbing the desire to jump to
& Ethics published a study that found that ethics and
conclusions or speak out of turn or do anything that
compliance officers are so stressed that at least 60% of
makes us seem hasty. But, that’s hardly sufficient to
them thought at least once of quitting their jobs, even
really culture patience. For strengthening patience,
in this tough economy! Burnout has become frequent,
meditation helps a lot, but to test patience and find
and it’s time to take things seriously before you get
out where you stand, it is easier to check for signs of
seriously hurt.
impatience.
Major causes of stress for corporate counsel:
Physical symptoms of impatience are easy to find. When in reaction to any situation you find the following
According to the SCCE study, the following were found
reactions in isolation or combination, you are being
to cause the greatest cause of stress for corporate
impatient. Impatience can also be the result or
compliance personnel. Taking them into consideration
precursor of severe physical ailments, so it is also good
and putting them likewise on your priority list would
to see a doctor if you feel impatient consistently and
help to combat stress effectively.
continually:
1.
The prime cause of stress is the struggle to keep
The chief symptoms of impatience are: shallow
pace with new regulations: So make a habit of
breathing, hand clenching, muscle tension, restless
keeping up to date and continuing to use your
feet, palpable anxiety, tendency to rush, too quick
mind and effectively using your note-taking
decision-making.
habits, so that at all times – you know that ‘you 2.
know’ at least what is being talked about
To culture patience or deal with your impatience, it is
The next biggest cause of stress is finding, inves-
possible to identify ‘what triggers impatience’ for you.
tigating, preventing and preempting misconduct.
You can find some reasons right away if only you took the
Clean ups and cover ups are extremely stress-
time to think about them. Friends and family too have a
ful due to the ethical tightrope one often has to
serious role to play if they are frank and willing to share
walk. You never know when the rules are going
their knowledge about what makes you impatient.
to change and one day your company hits the headlines and the s*** hits the fan. Again knowl-
One of the best ways to control your impatience is
edge is your biggest help.
to keep a journal and note down what makes you feel impatient. It is not always about work related
Patience and Stress Management:
stress, but the cause might be physical, like hunger or dehydration, but the results can affect your work and
While culturing patience we know that the biggest thing
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output.
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