Patience and Timing: Karl Studer’s Advice to His Younger Self

Looking back across decades of entrepreneurial success and executive leadership, Karl Studer identifies one lesson he wishes his younger self had learned earlier: patience. Not the passive waiting that accomplishes nothing, but the strategic patience that recognizes when timing aligns with opportunity.

There is no need to rush into something until the moment is genuinely right. Your instincts will communicate when movement is appropriate. That internal signal matters more than external pressure or artificial deadlines. Waiting for that gut feeling to align with opportunity prevents premature action that wastes resources and creates unnecessary setbacks.

This philosophy might seem contradictory coming from someone known for relentless drive and refusing to waste single minutes when opportunities exist. The distinction lies in recognizing that patience and urgency serve different purposes at different times. Patience during evaluation phases prevents poor decisions. Urgency during execution phases ensures opportunities are not lost through hesitation once commitment is made.

The advice extends beyond business timing to personal development. Studer’s rapid rise from lineman to executive happened through years of accumulated experience, skill development, and relationship building. Attempting to compress that timeline artificially would have resulted in failure because each stage provided essential preparation for subsequent challenges. The progression happened as quickly as it could while maintaining the foundation necessary for sustained success.

Patience also applies to understanding why difficult events occur. Everything happens for a reason, whether you like it or not and whether you want to admit it or not. Being patient enough to wait for that reason to reveal itself often transforms seemingly negative experiences into valuable lessons. Many situations that appear unfair or unreasonable in the moment reveal their purpose with sufficient time and distance.

The caveat is that patience should not become paralysis. Once your instincts signal readiness and timing aligns, hesitation becomes the greater risk. The art lies in distinguishing between patient evaluation that prevents mistakes and excessive caution that creates missed opportunities. Studer acknowledges that being more patient earlier in his career might have helped, but also recognizes that impatience drove valuable learning that patience might have delayed. The balance remains personal and situational rather than following universal rules.