“When you need to go fast, slow down.”
That was a nugget of wisdom one of my mentors shared with me years ago. The advice is not meant to be some temporal paradox. Rather, he was saying when something has to be done quickly and efficiently, taking time to make sure it’s being done right will save you the trouble of re-doing tasks because of mistakes. For example, reading through your proposal, again, before submitting under deadline will save you the time of having to redo everything in a rush when someone spots a mistake.
I was reminded of this while reading a book on intelligence (I like to read about what I don’t have!). In “The Intelligence Trap,” author David Robson cites a study in which researchers tested how children respond to questions based on how fast the teacher chooses who should answer.
Robson writes that “the average American teacher typically waits less than a second before picking a child to provide the answer — sending out a strong signal that speed is valued over complex thinking.” But the study, by Mary Budd Rowe at University of Florida, found that waiting just three seconds has a dramatic impact on the children’s behavior. The answers were longer, with greater detail and support. The delay also created a different environment where more children contributed their thoughts. The atmosphere of discussion and reasoning also improved the children’s writing, which became more complex. Rowe wrote: “Slowing down may be a way of speeding up.”
The data served as a reminder for me to slow down my processes in sales and negotiation. Take time to pause, listen, reflect, and then act. In sales meetings and negotiations, set an atmosphere of contemplation and dialogue, not a rapid-fire back-and-forth where information will be missed or misunderstood. Make sure all stakeholders feel like they can provide input. Some may need more time to pull their thoughts together. Focusing on speed may seem impressive and productive, but it rarely produces the optimal outcome.
Be the tortoise, not the hare. The ecommerce graveyard is filled with the tombstones of online businesses that went fast to be “first to market.” The businesses thriving today focused on being “best to market.” In the end, the tortoise wins.
