The Benefits of Slowing Down

Entrepreneurs are naturally driven people. They are motivated to go out, take action, do it all themselves and do it now! It is all about speed and efficiency. We want to solve problems, speed up, make quick decisions. It’s all to get to the top and achieve more. And it’s amplified in modern society, with technology making multitasking and immediacy easier than ever.

But for all our focus on speed, are we really accomplishing more?

For all our natural instincts to speed up, there are times when it is better to slow down. How many times have you made snap decisions? You go with your gut instinct—and many times it’s wrong. But when you slow down that process, you’ll find you’re making better decisions. When you slow down you get other people’s input and additional insight, rather than making the decision all by yourself.

The key is to talk to other people. They might be friends, family, employees, partners, or any others you trust. Share your problems and your ideas, get their input, no matter whether they’re inside or outside your organization. If you vet your ideas by slowing down and taking in a wide range of opinions, you’ll make more responsible and effective decisions.

Finding somebody to talk to is different in different organizations. When you’re a sole entrepreneur, you have to find people you trust. They might be family members, mentors, or others. But in large companies there are challenges, too. Oftentimes decisions will go into committees and meetings, where the person in charge has already made the decision but hasn’t made it official yet. In the meantime, with the decision already made, they are not really paying attention to the insights of others.

No matter what, you want people to share honest feedback. Allow them to give feedback on what they really think, allowing them to disagree. If you don’t let them disagree, you’re not going to get the benefit of a different opinion to help you figure out the best decision. Do that for all decisions, especially the most important ones.

When you’re vetting ideas, don’t stop you thinking. But slow down your decision making so that you can make the best choices you can.