Many leaders have a never-ending vault of ideas stored in their minds about what they “could” or “should” do, but then struggle to find the time to implement them. Many times they are unsure if they actually should pursue these ideas or if they are simply distractions from focusing and going deep on one key idea.
As I’ve navigated through this challenge, I’ve come to realize that my strength of execution is often hindered by taking action too quickly without strategizing first. Perhaps you’ve fallen into this trap. If this sounds familiar, I believe that the secret to speeding up is actually slowing down. When you slow down to think before acting, you’ll begin to see the key steps that you should intentionally take rather than just starting off recklessly.
This reminds me of learning how to run long distances as a kid. I remember my P.E. teacher warning us not to start off too fast when running a mile-long race. I was more of a sprinter. I played sports that require short bursts of speed like basketball and baseball rather than those that required more endurance like soccer or cross country. You can probably see where this is going…I chose not to listen to my teacher and felt the pain that ensued in my side and lungs as a result. I may have looked really good on the first of four laps, but the last three were killers!
I share this story because this is how leaders can often work if we’re not careful. Leadership and sustained success is a marathon, not a sprint. Sure, there are moments when you experience some quick wins, but they are typically fueled by a process that built up to them. It’s similar to hearing of so-called “overnight successes.” Ask the people who receive that label how many hours, days, months, and years they put in to prepare for their “overnight success” and you’ll think differently about the concept.
If you want to go farther faster in your business or life, take a moment to think about where you need to slow down and strategize before jumping into action. As leaders, we must also be careful not to cause whiplash to our followers with changing course too quickly or frequently. It may feel painful to slow yourself down, but the long-term benefits can be amazing.
I was recently reading Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson and he shared the story of talking to a business consultant who helped companies grow exponentially. She told him that he was falling into the trap that many entrepreneurs do. They work really hard to develop their products and services to launch them out into the world, but then quickly move onto their next idea. They repeat this pattern over and over. Instead, she advised him to slow down and invest in one product or service for a longer time period in order to multiply it’s chances of success. This was an “aha” moment for him. He decided to go all-in for a year on his core offer and did weekly promotional webinars over the course of 52 weeks. This led him to achieve massive success and build a fast-growing company called ClickFunnels that thousands of entrepreneurs are using each day to sell their own products and services.
I share this story because it’s what many leaders need to hear. Slow down, invest deeply in your team, and refine your strategies along the way in order to have greater long-term success. Beware jumping from project to project too quickly.
This can happen in your leadership development of your people as well. Don’t think that a meeting or two with your followers is enough to help them become the quality leaders that you need for long-term growth and success. Developing people takes time. They need both knowledge and experience. Meet with them consistently to transfer your knowledge to them, but give them time to test what they’re learning in real-time ways. After a predetermined amount of time, meet with them again to debrief, teach them something new, then turn them loose again to test that out. Do this repeatedly and your effort will ultimately multiply and you’ll see compounding interest in their growth. But it requires you to slow down long enough to invest in them intentionally.
Take a few moments right now to think about where you need to slow down and strategize in order to speed up in your business or personal life.
Consider where you’re rushing into action too quickly and determine to choose a better way.
Both you and your followers will be glad you did.
Until next time…make today GREAT!
P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Imagine being a part of a community of peers where you can learn from the collective wisdom of the group with various specialized knowledge and skills. Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly live Q&A coaching calls, learn from dynamic leaders in monthly recorded interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose the option to receive a monthly 1:1 coaching call to help you go farther faster. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!
