The Go Slow Leader
Every generation feels life is more frantic than the one before.
In 49 A.D. Seneca wrote, “Everyone hustles his life along, and is troubled by a longing for the future and weariness of the present.” On the Shortness of Life
Go slow to achieve what matters most.
Running around with your hair on fire is desired and admired in some cultures. But strategic slowness is the path to enduring success.
Four Places to Go Slow
#1. Solve other people’s problems slowly.
The best way to be helpful is to help people help themselves.
Successful leaders create space for the people who created the problem to find solutions. Every problem you solve for someone trains them to look to you for solutions next time. It feels powerful, but it’s limiting.
Leaders who solve other people’s problems lose sight of their own priorities.
#2. Reject advice slowly.
Wisdom sounds foolish to those who need it most.
Ask follow-up questions when advice seems dumb.
- Tell me more.
- What brings this to mind?
- What’s important about this to you? (Voiced with curiosity, not contempt.)
#3. Listen slowly.
Lean into silence.
A few seconds of silence, after asking a question, feels like an eternity.
Power-pauses create space for thought. Never interrupt thought.
#4. Start your day slowly.
Begin hectic. End frantic.
Set the tone of your day in the morning.
Get out of bed fifteen minutes earlier so you can reflect and focus.
Going slow is essential to meaningful leadership.
Bonus:
- Walk slow twice a day.
- Eat slow every meal.
- Complain slow all the time.
How can you go slow today?
Two Surprising Secrets of Boredom – Leadership Freak
