While “Slow Your Roll” is a phrase I used during my high school years, and as such is quickly disregarded, it is also a phrase that if properly considered could vastly improve productivity within small to medium sized organizations.
Our society is a fast-paced, rapid turn, move at lightning speed environment. We absorb tons of facts and figures every day and exchange hundreds of stories. In fact, we create as much information in two days now as we did from the dawn of man through 2003, according to Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google.
While moving fast certainly serves us—we deliver client results faster, we are more agile, and we can adjust to the ever changing business landscape with ease—it does have its downsides. Moving fast also results in: employee burn out, clients who are getting LESS than they deserve because of things falling through the cracks, and a lackluster focus and poor discipline around raising our level of standards relative to our service and product offerings. Most of us in small to medium sized businesses are moving so fast that we are also jeopardizing our reputations as people who are unfocused, always last minute, lacking the ability to execute and pushy because we expect others to adapt. All first world problems yes, but problems that are keeping us from Growing Regardless nonetheless.
In working on my new assignment within the Federal Government (yes, it is an entirely different pace which also has its challenges), I’ve learned a few things that absolutely apply to the small to medium sized business market:
1. Use the 75% rule: As a leader, only communicate a new initiative or direction when you are 75% there, relative to launching. This decreases the “spin up” of teams that normally happens when you speak.
2. Schedule it: Collaboration is key, but you must find space for it. Get time for collaboration on client and employee needs on the calendar so that collaboration doesn’t happen when it’s too late.
3. Solve a problem starting at “A” versus “G”: If you skip steps on the front-end, you will absolutely have to go back. We see clients try to make up time and start at G, only to result in redoing work which could have been avoided.
So, stop checking the boxes and moving without intention. Take time to enjoy the moment by actually experiencing it versus letting it all fly by. While you may not get as much done every day from a volume perspective you will have happier employees, better collaboration and improved consistency in your input and output. We all have a finite amount of time in the day, and I encourage you to challenge the norm by doing BETTER work, not more work.
Alec Kisiel is the Director of Client Engagement for entreQuest. He helps to assess organizational dynamics, project manage client deliverables, and engage leaders at every level of an organization.
