Slowing Down to Speed Up: Insights from the Fairway to the Office

The first time I picked up a golf club, I was all about power. I wanted to see that little white ball soar into the distance, and I believed that speed was the key. The harder and faster I swung, the better, right? Well, if you’ve ever played golf, you know exactly where that kind of thinking lands you: in the rough, in the sand, or sometimes just right back at your feet.

I soon realized that the secret to progress wasn’t in speed or strength but in patience and precision. It took slowing down, listening to my coach, and making each swing deliberate. Slowing down improved my game in ways that trying to swing harder never could. Funny enough, this concept extends far beyond golf—it’s just as true in corporate technology.

Now, I know this might sound a bit like a modern retelling of the tortoise versus the hare, but hear me out. Slowing down is often the key to achieving greater efficiency and accuracy. Here are five key advantages that taking your time can bring to the world of delivering technology.

1. Fewer Mistakes, Better Outcomes

Much like my golf swing, technology projects suffer when rushed. Hastily-written code, quickly planned projects, and rushed implementations almost always lead to a higher likelihood of errors. When you slow down, you give yourself and your team the opportunity to think through all scenarios—to anticipate pitfalls before they occur.

We’ve all seen what happens when mistakes pile up: costly bug fixes, angry stakeholders, and missed deadlines. By slowing down, teams can ensure they get it right the first time, reducing rework and ultimately speeding up the time it takes to get to a solid outcome. The tortoise was on to something: when you’re deliberate, you’re efficient in the long run.

2. Improved Team Collaboration

When delivering innovative technology, collaboration is critical. It’s hard to collaborate effectively if everyone is rushing to hit tight deadlines. When teams slow down, they have time to communicate, share insights, and support one another. Taking time allows for a proper exchange of ideas and creates room for everyone’s input—not just the loudest or fastest voices.

Think of how my golf coach worked with me, guiding my movements with intention. In a project team setting, good collaboration requires that same deliberation—paying attention to each team member and allowing space for others to help refine the shot.

3. Increased Accuracy with Planning and Execution

Speed and accuracy rarely go hand in hand. When you rush a project, you tend to miss small but crucial details that can determine the difference between success and failure. In corporate technology, the stakes are high—a missed detail in a deployment can lead to security issues, a poor user experience or missed sales opportunities.

Slowing down helps teams catch these details. It gives everyone time to align on requirements, understand user needs, and account for potential risks. It’s like taking a practice swing before stepping up to the tee: giving yourself that extra moment helps you execute with accuracy.

4. Better Adaptability and Problem Solving

Slowing down also makes space for adaptability. When you’re moving too fast, it’s difficult to adjust your approach or react to new information. You’re focused on speed—just getting things done—instead of refining and improving your process along the way.

With technical projects, we often face unexpected changes: new user needs, changing market conditions, or unforeseen challenges in implementation. By taking time to assess, evaluate, and adapt, we can navigate these changes more effectively. Slowing down ensures we stay nimble enough to change course—without crashing.

5. Building Long-Term Sustainability

Finally, slowing down helps build long-term sustainability—both for individual teams and for the organization. Burnout is real, and the constant pressure to speed up can take a toll on teams. Taking time to breathe, assess workloads, and manage pace leads to happier and more productive teams in the long run.

Sustainable growth in an organizations technical department is built on processes that have been well-considered, tested, and refined. Like the careful, deliberate swings that build a consistent golf game, slowing down allows you to lay a foundation that can be built upon over time—not just sprinting until everyone is exhausted.

Finding the Balance

Now, this doesn’t mean we should turn into the tortoise in every scenario. Sometimes technology especially when responsible for innovative solutions does require urgency—like quickly patching a critical security vulnerability or addressing a customer-facing issue. The goal is to strike a balance: knowing when to push ahead and when to slow down for the sake of accuracy and efficiency.

The next time you find yourself or your team rushing through a project, think of my golf journey. Slowing down is not about taking longer; it's about doing things better. It’s about focusing on the fundamentals, learning from your coach, and taking deliberate, intentional swings. In the end, slowing down is often the fastest way to get to where you want to be—on the fairway, with a clear shot to the green.