What is aggressive patience? The definition is simple. You must aggressively manage the actions you take daily to achieve your goals, AT THE SAME TIME being patient and knowing that it takes time to achieve those goals.
This philosophy is often used by people who are successful in their respective fields. It is an approach that seems very simple, but in reality is very difficult because you have to be extremely patient. It is even said that you have to be very talented to be successful. It's never a matter of days, weeks or months. It will be a matter of years before you see the results that allow you to excel. And we agree that in professional sports it's hard not to be happy about victories and not be disappointed after a loss. However, for aggressive patience to work, you must avoid giving up at all costs and never deviate from the plan.
During the Canadiens golf tournament, Martin St-Louis used the term “aggressive patience” to talk about the goals he needs to have this season. I conducted an interview with him over the last few days to find out how he implements this professional philosophy in his everyday life.
PATIENCE IS KEY
For Martin St-Louis, nothing has changed in his approach between that September 11 statement and today. I asked him what “aggressive patience” was for? “That’s a perspective I’ve taken to teach,” the Canadiens head coach said in an interview. Patience takes time. But what do you do with time? We have to be realistic about our goals this season and that’s why I say we have to be patient because we have a lot of young players in our team.”
How can we apply this “aggressive patience” to every player? “Every player’s progress is different. You have to understand that the time it takes you to get there is not important. But while you are patient with the player's progress, you must aggressively use the time you have to ensure the player achieves their goals. You have to be intense over time.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF A CORRECT EVALUATION
Whether you like it or not, “aggressive patience” isn't a magic formula either, because it depends on each player's attitude. Which leads Martin St-Louis to talk about balance being important. “If you are unable to realize a player’s full potential, whose fault is it? To the player? To the coach? You can't help a player who doesn't want to help themselves, but the opposite is true. As a coach you can discourage a player. So there are many things that are important when you are in my position. It's not just what you teach, but also what tone you do it with or how much patience you have with the player. All of this is important.”
The approach will continue to evolve
Martin St-Louis' “aggressive patience” has not changed and he himself believes that he will have to stick to the same philosophy in the coming seasons. “That will certainly be the case in the coming years, because I will certainly be working with young people coming to the NHL every season. It’s not a veteran’s league anymore, but as it progresses, there’s less and less I have to deal with.”
One thing is certain: we can see that “aggressive patience” allows the organization to continue player development while ensuring young people are held accountable. And that's also the reason why some of them started the season in Montreal and were then transferred to Laval.