The Myth of Speed

Business leaders misunderstand what drives speed.

In sports there is a term, 'speed kills.' It's the ultimate weapon. In business, I often hear the same idea. Leaders want things done quickly! We look at macro outcomes and see a company was “faster” than others. But that misses the details that make a company fast.

When I was a seventh grader, I was slow. One coach told me I ran like a clodhopper. ????♂?

It still sticks in my brain. I started working with a speed coach who taught me how to run by maximizing the power out of every step I took. The problem wasn't that I was slow. I wasn't efficient with my running form. For years, we drilled to increase the power of my first 5 steps in a sprint and how to get in and out of cuts using fewer steps. Over time, these tiny tweaks helped me to become a smooth runner. Now as a 30 year old adult, I outmaneuver people my age and younger. I am not faster. I move efficiently in high-leverage moments. If I need to get a step in a short space, I am confident that I'll have more knee drive. If I need to pull away in the open field, I know to elongate my stride and cycle my legs.

In business, leaders are often focused on outcomes. But they misunderstand what drives speed. It isn't hard work. Plenty of people try as hard as they can to run fast but don't go anywhere. Effort isn't the issue. If you want your teams to move faster, focus on efficiency. In business, efficiency is our process. Detailed specifications, expected outcomes, and acceptance criteria make a technical contributor more efficient.

Are your meetings efficient? Having an agenda helps team members come in prepared. Conversations are focused on the most essential problems and less follow-up is needed. These details are easy to overlook because they feel like administrative burdens. Yet, when we ignore them, our team spins their wheels. In the same way, you see a little kid pumping their arms and legs as hard as they can and not covering much ground. Effective communications is the most important part of speed in business.

There are parts of speed that are in our genetics. But the idea it is god-given is a myth. By focusing on our form and transitions, any person can be fast. In business, it is the same way. We control how fast our team moves by improving our transitions and handoffs. If a team member has to schedule a follow-up meeting, they are not receiving clear information. They can use efficient effort to move the ball forward then hand it back for approval. If your team isn't as fast as you'd like, it probably isn't their effort. Look at how you communicate your standards and execute your meetings. Clean form and team member handoffs make a fast business.