The ability to think and act quickly can be highly valuable when it comes to making decisions for your business to grow faster. A ‘fast paced’ business culture gives us a vision of excitement and progression and we often credit people who can think on the spot and get on with it.
That said, we should be mindful of getting carried away and steaming ahead at high speed. Sometimes it pays to slow down, take stock and breathe.
When we pause for thought, we’re giving ourselves the chance to ponder different scenarios and consider all outcomes. The ability to quickly evaluate lots of ideas and to confidently make the right choice about what to do next doesn’t come naturally to everyone – and it’s really important to give yourself the time you need to get it right when making decisions about your business! After all, you are making decisions that not only guide the next step in your master plan, but you could also be changing the path for your employees, your customers and your family.
So in a world where we’re trying to keep up with the next best thing and stay ahead of our competitors, what makes it ok to sleep on it?
Abraham Lincoln famously said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” This is a great example of how it pays dividends to prepare well. There should be no rush to start hacking away at a task. Who wants to be first to market with a new product, only to find themselves spending the next 12 months defending their position against competitors because they failed to complete critical end user research, just to be first?
Deadlines are important but if they’re realistic they shouldn’t compromise your standards.
You’ll find that most customers will favour a well thought out solution which takes another few days to reveal itself, over and above a quick fix which may (or may not) fail. Few things are more frustrating in business than needing to repeat yourself or having to go back to the drawing board to start again.
So whatever you’re working on, be it a project for a customer or a high stakes decision for the future of your business, give yourself the time it deserves to get it right.
Totally agree with you on this Kevin. Every time I’ve thought I’m ready to launch forwards, something has slowed me down or stopped me from doing so. In hindsight, there was a good reason for not forcing things and that extra time spent working on things has paid off immensely 😊
Delighted to hear that Julie, and great to hear from you again too!