We get a lot of mixed messaging when it comes to managing the tension between speed and efficiency. How do we find the middle ground?
We get a lot of mixed messaging when it comes to managing the tension between speed and efficiency. We need to be sure—to have the data, to have done the research and the analysis before deciding or implementing. But also, we need to be agile, move quickly, test and learn, and not fall into analysis-paralysis. How do we find the middle ground?
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.
Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletter
https://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentor
https://twitter.com/QDTModernMentor
https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/
https://www.leadabovenoise.com/
Hey, it's Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. And today, we are gonna talk about that balance we are always looking to strike between getting something done right and getting it done fast. Because we get a lot of mixed messaging around this. Right? Our boss tells us it needs to be well researched and thorough. It needs to have data and information behind it, but also we need to be agile and efficient and we need to not get stuck in analysis-paralysis.
And sometimes it can be incredibly confusing to figure out, what is the right moment? When have I done enough research? When do I have enough information? And when is it just time to hit go?
Finding this balance is something I think so many of us struggle with and absolutely myself included. When a client hires me to build a leadership program or design a meeting, ideally they would like it both perfect and yesterday. And we negotiate to polished and soon, but whether you are designing a leadership program or launching a campaign or pitching an idea, how do you decide when it's good enough? And when is it the right moment to put it out into the world?
I am definitely a work in progress, but I have picked up some guiding principles along the way that I think are good enough to share for now (you see what I did there?).
Start by just understanding the urgency and the impact. So right now I have this one client, we'll call them Company A, and they're recognizing that their leaders have worked hard over these past two years. They have left it all on the field and now the company wants to make an investment in them. They wanna build and deliver a leadership development program that will make these leaders really feel valued and engaged and excited. And we're covering everything from helping people manage burnout and find balance to showing up with empathy and using decision-making skills and being innovative and beyond.
I also have a client, we'll call them Company B, who has seen three people from a team of 16 submit resignations in the past month. And they've asked me to come in and run a pulse check with the rest of the team, just to understand what's going on there.
You may see where this is going. Company A is investing in impact first. For Company B, it's really about urgency right now.
With Company A, the risk for me is that I keep polishing and perfecting until the end of time. So we've established some generous, but visible timelines.
For Company B, the risk is that I go in so hot and so fast, I end up scaring people, triggering fear and anxiety in the rest of the team. So we've set a tighter deadline, but we are absolutely taking a few days to map out some key questions and maybe a thoughtful approach for how best to engage the team.
So now it's your turn. Is there an idea that you have been dying to pitch? Take a look at where you are and ask yourself what feels more important right now? Is there an urgency to this moment? Maybe customer demand is really hot or there's a business problem at hand, and you've got the potential solution. And you may need to lean into urgency, lean into this moment. Or has your company been trying to crack this nut for a long time? And what you really need is more depth and quality and data before you pitch your idea.
It's an art, not a science, but sit with it for a minute and see what your instinct is telling you.
Next, parallel path whatever is possible. I like to do a really thorough Discovery process before I start building a new program. It helps me understand the whole landscape before I lean into design.
But in cases where the urgency is high, I have to challenge myself. What do I absolutely need to know in order to start? And what can I continue to learn in tandem with the design process? This is what I mean by parallel pathing, doing two things at once, rather than sequentially.
With my client Company B, the one where the urgency is really high, I absolutely need to know who's still on the team and what suspicions or hypotheses the executive leaders have about what could be going on. This helps me choose which questions I'm gonna go in and ask. But everything else, it can all unfold as we go. As I move through the pulse check process, I can parallel path starting the pulse check while continuing to discover.
So now back to your idea. What can you parallel path?
Maybe you mock up a prototype to represent your idea, but rather than waiting until all the research is done, you list out the questions you still plan to research, and you present those to your boss, which by the way, shows that you are thinking broadly; it gives your boss a line of sight into where your mind is heading, but it also helps you move a little bit more quickly.
Or another option. Instead of pitching your idea to your boss, you invite her into your discovery process. You ask her questions rather than sharing a formal pitch. This way she's brought into the conversation early, but her expectations are not of a final polished product. She's simply getting, again, a line of sight into how you're thinking and what direction you're heading in. And she can even help you shape your pitch as you move forward.
So really be thoughtful about how you can start to do a couple of different things at once. Be really creative here.
And finally, dial check-ins all the way up. Frequent brief check-ins with key stakeholders are my best friend. Especially when you're getting creative with parallel pathing, there's always the risk of something being misunderstood or misinterpreted, so having regular check-ins with your boss or your client is a really great way to ensure that everyone is on the same page. And if everyone isn't on the same page, you can course-correct it in the moment, rather than going all the way down a path and realizing you've gotten to the end and you miss something important.
I have a standing 30-minute check-in each week with Company A and during this meeting, I share insights on the direction I'm heading in and I get their feedback early and often by checking in frequently, I'm able to consistently confirm my assumptions. I can review work in progress and I can take their feedback well before any idea is too fully baked.
And these strategies have really helped me to stay agile, getting things done fast, if not quite yesterday, and pretty well, if not totally perfect.
Which do you tend to lean towards? Are you someone who always wants to keep reading and researching because that one more article is really gonna push you over the top? If so, challenge yourself to answer. What do you really still not know? And how important is it that you have that information before you move forward?
Or are you the person who wants to pitch the idea while it's still forming? In which case, maybe you find a friend who will talk you down and challenge you just to consume a smidge of information before you hit go.
I hope you found this conversation helpful. I know so many of us are struggling with finding this balance and I hope you've picked up a technique that you can try join me next week for another great episode, until then you can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Check out my website leadabovenoise.com or follow me on the Modern Mentor podcast page on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for listening and have a successful week. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. It's audio engineered by Dan Feierabend with script editing by Adam Cecil. Our podcast and advertising operations specialist is Morgan Christensen. Our marketing and publicity assistant is Davina Tomlin. And our intern is Brendan Picha. The Quick and Dirty Tips network is a division of Macmillan Publishers.