Slow down to speed up
Why slowing down sharpens your strategy
When was the last time you deliberately slowed down?
‘Slow down to speed up’ is one of my favourite phrases. It’s a counterintuitive truth that I’ve come to truly believe, though it took me a while to trust it.
When I first heard this phrase a number of years ago, I thought: That sounds great, but how does it actually work? How can I trust it? Is it just wishful thinking?
But deep down, I felt it was true. I’d seen it again and again in my own life and career: pushing harder and working faster didn’t get the results I wanted. When I slowed down, pausing, restoring my energy and hearing the quiet voice inside me, I could then accelerate into focused, courageous action. That’s what delivered the goals that had previously felt out of reach.
The idea behind Strategic Flow
Over the last few years I’ve been exploring how slowing down and accelerating impact connect. One connection sits at the heart of my concept of Strategic Flow: slowing down helps us to sharpen our strategic focus.
I’ve captured this in my Strategic Flow Loop™:
The cost of trying to do it all
When we’re moving fast and pushing hard, it’s difficult to see what we can stop doing. Everything feels critically important and urgent, which makes it hard to prioritise. So we end up trying to do it all.
Best case outcome? We do it all OK, but not well, and reach our goals slowly.
Worst case outcome? We drop balls, firefight the mess that follows, or stay busy with low-impact work, putting off the things that really matter and staying in our comfort zone. Either way, we might reach our goals, but slowly.
Slow down, then accelerate
The alternative is to make time to slow down and give your team the space to think and reflect (Step 1 in the Loop). That lets you clarify your goals and decide what to prioritise (Step 2). Then, and only then, you accelerate back into action (Step 3).
Return to the ‘slow down’ step regularly, and you keep your actions strategically focused, so you can deliver your goals and accelerate your impact.
Every leader I know wrestles with this balance between slowing down and taking action, and I'm no exception. I’d love to hear how it plays out for you. Have you tried it? What worked? What felt hard?
What’s one thing you could do this week to help you slow down?
You can hear more about the idea of Strategic Flow on the Quiet Leadership Revolution podcast: 'The hidden reason your strategy isn’t working (Ep 42)'
I work one-to-one with senior leaders, helping them build strategies to tackle complex challenges. If you'd like to explore what that could look like for you, you can find out more here.
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