Lead With Speed

Things are moving fast…and only getting faster. The need for speed is in high demand in our fast-paced culture. Though I do believe that we need to get back to a more rhythmic pace in most areas of life, there are some areas we need to increasingly lead with speed. We must be prepared to move fast when appropriate. Many leaders wait too long to take action. They ponder…delineate…analyze…procrastinate…etc…

The need for speed is at an all time high when it comes to leadership. Here are some, but not all, areas you need to lead with speed…

1) Encouragement

Don’t hesitate to build others up. William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” The longer you wait to encourage others, the less it means. You need to be quick to give praise to your team and those around you. You need to be your team’s greatest cheerleader. There is a “moment” that praise resinates the most, and it comes immediately after the act that deserves it. Be quick in giving credit and slow to cast blame. The more you build others up the more they will build.

2) Direction

The more your team is in the know the more they can be on the go. Leaders are vision casters at ALL times. You always have to be connecting the dots from projects to purpose. When your team knows what they are working toward, they will be better equipped to make it happen. But if your team is unclear about the vision, they will not know how to properly use their time and energy. Government official Paul Nitze said, “One of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve.” You have to keep your team’s eyes on the targets.

3) Accountability

Give quick feedback to how people are performing. I have found that the longer you wait to deal with situations, the more awkward it becomes to confront them. The time frame in which you confront issues determines, to a great extent, the outcome. Don’t withhold high expectations from your team. They need to know how they are doing and what the standard is. Most people issues stem from a lack of expectations from both parties. One’s expectation is here…an the other’s expectation is somewhere else. There is no alignment without accountability. The faster you deal with accounatibclty the easier it is for everyone.

*Check out my leadership book LEADOLOGY to get more in-depth insight on leading your team effectively…