Pace of Business

The “Pace” of business is important. Quickness, speed, and endurance are winning combinations in sports. The same holds true in business. Here are some ways to express it, to challenge ourselves, our teams, and set an example:

Adopt a “decide now” attitude. We don’t often need more time, we just need to decide. “Let’s decide now.” “Why are we waiting on this?”

Reply to relevant emails, texts or calls from clients within hours, not days.

Do “it” now. Get it done. Follow through. Finish.

Set hard deadlines, not goals or suggestions. (We are going to get “XXX” done this week.) Make it visible and be accountable.

Prioritize quickness with revenue-based activities; proposals, sales, executing work, delivering product, following up with clients, fixing problems, removing barriers.

Cut down written and spoken communication to its essentials; direct, clear, candid.

However long we think something might take, seek to cut the time in half (at least.)

Speak it and model it repeatedly: “Come on, let’s go, let’s move, let’s push the communication. Let’s get in front of things. Initiate, move, decide, deliver, focus.”

Some things take time for answers to emerge and need to “percolate.” That’s fine. Keep setting intermediate milestones to analyze, assess signals, etc.

Call time out when needing more clarity or redirection, just like in sports. “Huddle up” for 2, 5, 10 minutes, reset, decide, go.

None of us hit 100% on these, but that’s ok. Keep making the effort. We are better when we do so.

One of the biggest impediments to our personal and professional growth is comfort and slowness. Resist complacency. Growth requires friction, discomfort, struggle.

Life comes at us quickly. The world is dynamic. Train. Stay agile. Be proactive. Set the pace.