Organizational development is often highly misunderstood. I deal with it all the time. Leaders want to see immediate results once a problem has been identified and a solution implemented. Yet improvement is rarely instantaneous. Development takes time because it is a complex and ongoing process. Hence, leaders need to resist the urge to declare victory or failure too quickly. The reality is that leadership requires not only the ability to diagnose problems but also the discipline to let cause and effect run their course. An admittedly crude but effective metaphor can help frame this truth: piss in the river.

Imagine kneeling beside a river. Upstream, about one hundred yards away, someone is urinating into the water. The problem is obvious. Now, let’s assume you have instructed this individual to stop urinating in the river. Congrats! The problem is solved, right? Okay, then, at this point, you can either dip your hands in immediately and drink from the contaminated water or wait for the stream to carry the problem past you. Can you guess how many drink right away?

The metaphor offers a critical lesson for organizational development. Once a problem is identified, the first task is to stop the source of the issue. But we must understand that stopping the source does not necessarily mean the problem disappears. The system still carries what was already in motion, and those effects must either be corrected or simply run their course. However, this lag is not a failure; it is a strategic move. It is the recognition of the unavoidable flow of cause and effect.

Effective leaders think upstream. They search for the cause of contamination rather than just dealing with symptoms downstream. Problems in organizations are rarely random. They come from somewhere. A poor system, a broken process, or a misguided employee behavior is usually responsible. Development begins with locating the source and implementing measures to stop the flow.

Downstream is where leaders often lose patience. They see the lingering effects of the problem and assume their intervention has failed. The common trap is drinking from the river too soon. Leaders assume their intervention should have cleared the problem immediately, and when it hasn’t, they panic, overcorrect, or abandon the effort, usually making the situation worse. This impatience creates instability and erodes trust in leadership. Employees quickly learn that no plan will last long enough to matter.

Of course, there is a counterargument: what if you’re genuinely thirsty and cannot wait? In such cases, the options are limited, but they are still not binary. You could drink despite the contamination, use resources to build or acquire a filter to mitigate the damage, or slow down and ration your consumption until cleaner water arrives. Organizations sometimes face this same kind of urgency. When a real crisis forces immediate action, leaders may have to operate under imperfect conditions. The key is recognizing the difference between a genuine emergency and mere impatience, and responding accordingly.

Indeed, organizational development demands patience. And frankly, results cannot (or should not) be judged until the old effects have cleared. Never forget that progress requires both consistency of pursuit and time. Similarly, I would argue that strategic patience is not passive. After all, it requires leaders to monitor, measure, and verify that the source has been addressed while allowing the system to flush itself out. It also requires discipline to stay the course long enough to see if the solution is working. Leaders who understand this principle build credibility and are rewarded with opportunities for small adjustments rather than constant overcorrections. Moreover, they avoid the chaos of constant change and demonstrate steadiness in the face of uncertainty.

The point is simple. Organizational or leadership development should not be a sprint to instant results. Instead, it involves identifying contamination, stopping the source, and allowing the downstream effects to dissipate. It is almost literally, piss in the river. Sure, the metaphor may be a little crude, but the lesson is real: do not rush to judgment, because that can have some negative consequences.

My advice?? Relax. Do not panic when results are not immediate. Development requires both decisive action and disciplined patience. Leaders who embrace this truth will guide their organizations with clarity and steadiness, while those who do not… well… they’ll continue to drink a little too early.

Keep Learning! Read “The Secret to a Thriving Organizational Culture.”