Slowness Kills
By: Randy Wolken, President & CEO
We have probably all heard the phrase that “speed kills.” In business, it is slowness that kills. When the world is accelerating, we cannot slow down. Creating a healthy pace for our work and the growth of our business has become a necessity. But, how do we do it?
Trust increases speed. When you create trusting relationships with team members, suppliers, and customers you are increasing your speed. When you can proceed on a handshake – and do not need a 25-page, double-sided contract you have just increased your speed. Building trust is about honest relationships where everyone knows that you are being trustworthy and truthful with them. Trust is a critical ingredient to speed. Without it, people are looking over their shoulders and questioning every move that is made. Start with trust if you want to increase speed in your interactions.
Trust first starts with clear expectations. What precisely is expected of us? It starts with realistic timelines. Even if they are short, we must get a good understanding on how we will meet the timeline so we can commit to it. Trust involves knowing and committing to meeting expectations and timelines.
Trust also involves human emotions. We trust people we like. We trust genuine people who demonstrate that they believe in win-win. We want them on our side and we want to be on their side too. They know that win-lose always results in lose-lose in the long run. Therefore, we only want to agree to win-win or no deal. It’s much harder to get to win-win sometimes. That’s ok. It increases trust that then speeds the process up during the execution.
I can remember projects that I have been involved in that were rushed into without understanding the win-win arrangement. They usually ended badly – when they didn’t need to. Just as important, they have reduced trust that is so necessary for future speed to delivery. Lost relationships are what can happen when either party fails to execute as agreed to. It is these relationships lost that rob us of future success.
How do think about “speed”? Do you seek to build deeper, trusting relationships? What steps could you take to be clear about expectations and timelines? What could you do with a “handshake” relationship? How much faster would your work and outcomes proceed with greater trust in the relationship? All good questions to ask ourselves as we seek to thrive in today’s hyper-fast, global economy.
Looking for more? Download my Amazon Bestseller, Present-Future Leader: How to Thrive in Today’s Economy.
