The Problem with Speed
This week I talk about speed!
VIDEO SUMMARY
A lot of business gurus talk a lot about speed. This is a concept in business that is everywhere these days. Markets are moving fast. Technology is advancing fast. Decisions are made fast. People are working faster and harder than ever before. So you get these business people who are out there shouting “Go, go, go, do all this stuff, do it now.” I just want to grab them by the shoulders and say, “Stop. Take a breath. It’s okay.”
The reason why I say all this, is in business, there is something that beats speed every time. That thing is focus. Now I know I have been talking a lot about focus lately, but that’s because it is so important. But what is really interesting is the relationship between speed and focus, because they are not always compatible.
Let me use a really basic example to explain. Take any daily task. If you take any task and you rush through it. You are going to make mistakes. Speed does not equal productivity.
But I want to go a step further. What I am saying today goes even beyond productivity. It is not about doing tasks well, it’s about doing the right tasks in the first place. You will notice a theme that runs through all my videos. That theme is thoughtfulness. I think it is really important in business to be thoughtful. Business is about making choices, and you want to be thoughtful about the choices you are making. The investor, Warren Buffet encouraged an audience recently in an interview to imagine you were only allowed to make eight stock purchases in your life. If you only had eight choices, you would think long and hard before you made those purchases. Your business is the same thing. You want to be thoughtful to make sure you are spending your time wisely.
If thoughtfulness is important, sometimes that requires you to slow down. Getting all your people on the same page requires you to slow down. Getting your business focused on the same goal requires you to slow down. It is ultimately focus that allows you to win in business, and focus will beat speed.
I realize that what I am saying is controversial. This is different than what most people in business are saying. And I’m probably going to get some hate comments down below. I just want everyone to slow down. It is my opinion, that if everyone slowed down, we would actually all make more money, because we would be making better choices.
There is a famous story. This is one of the oldest stories in humanity that has been passed down through the generations. I feel people have forgotten this story, especially young people who may have never heard this before. It is the story of the “Tortoise and the Hare.” In the story, the tortoise and the hare race each other, which is a little silly because everyone knows that a hare is so much faster than a tortoise. What happens is the hare takes off running, gets distracted, takes a nap midway through the race, and wakes up to see the tortoise crossing the finish line. The tortoise who was slow and steady won the race. This is one of the oldest stories in human history, and what it is saying is focus beats speed.
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Neither Zach De Gregorio or Wolves and Finance Inc. shall be liable for any damages related to information in this video. It is recommended you contact a CPA in your area for business advice.