Tolerance

I didn't see that coming?

Its not a confession. But it will explain some things to some people. It would be better served as a pre-warning; but here it is as a post-rationalisation..... My tolerance curve is weird.

Most people have a tolerance curve where there is a broadly linear and inverse relationship over time between the cumulative quantum of unhappy outcomes (performance, quality, results, poor behaviours etc) and tolerance for more of the same. In other words, whilst speed of loss of tolerance may vary, people lose their tolerance generally uniformly as bad stuff continues to recur.

Of course, context has an impact. People adjust their tolerance curves to accomodate new learners who need to fail to improve, or to see failure as a learning in trial and error processes. Largely, most folks become less tolerant of continuing poor outcomes over time. Thus we all learn to understand that tolerance might be running out and we learn to see the signs of it. This is true from childhood (as we annoyingly continue to bang that loud drum despite growing and explicit warnings of dire consequences) or professionally, as poor performance comes with formal and informal warnings and signs of foreboding.

In some areas tolerance curves are uniform in gradient but notoriously short. Think sport (Tennis coaches are engaged and let go apparently on a whim. Football managers/coaches tenure might be abnormally short when a run of poor results threaten relegation). the more critical the performance, the less the tolerance.

Some weird folk (me included) are way more tolerant of bad stuff. Way beyond the norm. To the point where it might be seen as a somewhat elastic characteristic. Tolerance does not mean silence, lack of deployment of remedies, or lack of feedback. But it often means continued support and accommodation when tolerance from others might long-since have finally evaporated.

The good side of this is that I am more likely to be tolerant of issues and give people the benefit of the doubt for longer. Providing support, encouragement, coaching and corrective action for longer. Sounds reasonable, even kind. I am more likely to be the last to give up on someone.

But here's the downside. Where. in normal folk, broadly linear tolerance curves can be extrapolated to predict the point of exhaustion of tolerance, these weird folk remain tolerant longer but lose it instantaneously and often, seemingly, unexpectedly and without warning.

No one discusses their tolerance curve. It's never a topic of conversation. However, it is something that is vital to understand, especially when things are going less well.

Beware always that surprise loud noise ...... it might be the sound of someone's patience snapping.