With all the research and evidence on benefits of being
methodical, why are so many top executives hares rather than tortoises?
Here are five benefits of slowing down that will give you pause.
Many business leaders and
entrepreneurs believe that the key to getting ahead is to go-go-go, work
at a frenetic pace, and rush, in order to keep productivity high. They
push themselves and their teams, to the limit or beyond, out of worry
that doing otherwise will cost their competitive edge.
Yet for at least a decade,
researchers and consultants have been telling us the opposite is true.
You’ve heard the sayings: Faster is slower. Slow down to speed up. Slow
and steady wins the race. That last one dates back more than 500 years
to Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
We’ve been told that multitasking and task switching
crushes productivity, and that stress, including the kind that comes from overworking, harms our mental, emotional, and physical health. You’d think by now the tortoises would be in charge and go-go-going would be a thing of the past, but that’s clearly not the case. Year after year, studies point to
rising levels of burnout and attendant
increases in anxiety and depression.
Clearly, hearing about all the negatives associated with racing around isn’t inspiring widespread change. When told to work smarter, not harder, many of us do both. What will it take to break the habit of hammering ourselves and our employees?
Perhaps the key is to focus not on what we lose by rushing and multi-tasking, but on what we gain when we slow down and take the time necessary to do each task well. In that spirit, here are
Rushing headlong into battle without a
proper game plan can be disastrous. By going slow and taking time to
plan, you’ll be able to foresee problems before they arise instead of
encountering them along the way. How many companies have rushed products
to market that, with the benefit of hindsight, wished they had gone
more methodically and planned a little better?
When we feel like we have to hurry, our
bodies release stress hormones like cortisol. This can lead to feelings
of anxiety and overwhelm. But when we take our time, we give our bodies a
chance to relax and rejuvenate. No one who rushes, suffers multiple
burnouts, and finally crashes looks back at their hectic schedule and is
glad they did it. Instead, adding self-care and stress-relieving
activities such as exercise, meditation, and frequent breaks is a much
healthier game plan for productivity.
By taking things slowly at first and
building strong relationships, you are more likely to achieve your goals
and create a productive working environment. Those who are constantly
on the go have less time to create real relationships, and are more
likely to see others as a means to their own hurried end. Slowing down
allows us to get to know those we interact with, build lasting
relationships, and find win-win scenarios.
Part of the benefit of getting to know
the people you work with is having the opportunity to notice, identify,
and tap into their innate abilities, strengths, and preferences. I call
this tapping into their “Inner Genius Archetype,” and in order to do so,
slowing down is essential. In meetings, deliberately listening to what
sparks others’ attention, as well as the words they use, and the focus
they have while communicating, allows you to identify their Archetype,
whether they are the type who works best on their own or collaboratively
with others. This gives you the ability to create better rapport,
inspire higher levels of creativity and get the best out of both them
and yourself and get them working in their Genius Zone.
Slowing down is crucial in our world
of constant connection. It means setting aside time without
interruptions so we can focus on one task at a time and do our best
work, and giving our teams the time and space they need to collaborate
and reach their creative potential.
In today’s constantly connected
world, it’s up to us to make the time to be able to unplug and focus on a
single task. Consciously committing to working at a slower pace and a
deeper level is a key to getting into our Genius Zone.
