I had a great conversation last week with John Rouda from A Geek Leader Podcast. We talked about how leaders can accelerate impact in a host of important ways, such as diligently prioritizing, delegating assignments (essential as one rises to strategic leadership roles), saying no to low-value or non-urgent requests, and more.
He asked plenty of thoughtful questions. One that stood out: How do people in technology companies know when to slow down when many tech company mottoes are along the lines of Mark Zuckerberg’s “Go fast and break things!”
It is a fair question. The fact is, I’ve had clients over the years, across an array of industries, who are convinced that going fast is the best or only path to innovation and growth. What I’ve found it that the key lies in knowing when to slow down and when to speed up. It’s important that your team be unafraid to quickly try new things. To move ahead without fear of retribution or blind adherence to “this is how it’s always been done.”
My client, Marc, a brilliant CEO who is committed to rapid growth, has often encouraged his people to create “controlled explosions” in which they shake things up just enough to break through a plateau. When these experiments work, real transformation can emerge. When they don’t, the “damage” is minimal and fixable.
This was one of my favorite podcasts, filled with good, usable advice. Give it a listen. You’ll discover a host of tools, techniques and tactics, including:
- creating agreement with those around you
- taking a strategic pause
- prioritizing lists of activities
- delegating to the right people
- me / not me list
- reflection on goals, purpose, and implementation
- pivot points
- now/later/never
- eliminating distractions
- filtering your decisions
- ASAP – Accelerating Success Action Plan
- other easy-to-access resources
Strategic pauses like this help leaders like you get better results with fewer errors and less overwhelm.
Listen to the whole podcast with John at A Geek Leader. Or scroll through to the sections of top relevance to a current opportunity or challenge. John’s a terrific host and you’ll find pragmatic tips you can apply right away!
#slowdowntospeedup #lizonleadership #strategicpause #prioritize
To your continued success!
Each of us takes an average of 3,500 decisions per day and to get as much as possible of them right we have to ease off the gas pedal and “slow down” (before speeding up again…). We talked a lot about the different things we are faced with on a daily basis. Some of them are non-negotiable and they need to get done right away. I found the “Priority assessment tool” of specific value to be more thoughtful and strategic in the way we handle our workload.
– Tobias Roser Director, International Human Resources, KLX Aerospace, a Boeing Company
To learn more read my new book. Slow Down to Speed Up®: Lead, Succeed, and Thrive in a 24/7 World is a powerful resource for leaders from the C-Suite to the front line. Filled with innovative new approaches, pragmatic tools, and real-life success stories, SDTSU tackles the universal challenge of achieving better, faster, more sustainable results in a world of non-stop demands and constant connectivity. Get your copy today!
