This week’s focus: Pace is far more important than accuracy in securing business success. Three months ago, for example, I ran a workshop for a client to help them develop a new strategy. I recently followed up with my buyer and found out that the team are still developing their plans and still haven’t got round to action. Yet many of the themes we developed could have been acted on almost instantly. The solutions may not have been perfect, but I’m sure they would have been good enough and would have allowed the business to learn faster and more cheaply than is likely to be the case now.
In Aesop’s fable the tortoise beat the hare, but 99 times out of 100 the hare is likely to cross the line first, and if I were a betting man my money would always be on the hare. Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to teach a hare to be disciplined than it is to teach a tortoise to be fast.
Which kind of organisation do you lead – a tortoise or a hare?
Off the record: The Distance by Cake
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down
The fans get up and they get out of town
The arena is empty except for one man
Still driving and striving as fast as he can
One more thing: Thank you for all your replies so far, but I would like to repeat the offer I made last week. Do you have an insight that you’d like to share with others – or songs that you think carry an important or witty message for business leaders? If so, I’d like to hear from you as I’m aiming to introduce periodic ‘guest star’ Friday Focus editions. Just hit reply to this note and tell me your story, insight and song!
© Stuart Cross 2012. All rights reserved.