Showing urgency while having patience

One of my personal favorite sayings is “you have to slow down to speed up.” There is a lot of truth to that statement. A common mistake that many professionals make is to try and accomplish as many things as possible in a given day, often in a hurried frenzy.

The problem that this approach presents is that when you are in a constant hurry, you miss the details. The minute things that make a difference between quality work and rushed work. Which brings up another saying: “quality not quantity.” But who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

But your employer expects you to show a sense of urgency, so where is the middle ground? The first step to accomplishing the ability to slow down is training. Trained associates will know what is acceptable work and what is unacceptable. This will prevent many problems from occurring in the first place.

Trained employees will be easier to delegate to. When you use the power of delegation you can accomplish things without actually having to do them yourself, freeing you up to do more important things, and giving your employees a sense of importance at the same time.

These steps will help you prevent having to put out “fires” and spend more time being proactive and anticipating problems before them happen. After all, who is more likely to escape a burning building, someone who is rushing around panicking or someone who is calm and level headed?

The best image you can portray to your superiors is that of a calm, rock-like persona. You are never thrown off course by anything that happens. No bump in the road can steer you off course. You have a backup plan for your backup plan.
Another benefit of this approach is that you will generate a virtual idea factory amongst your employees. Then the solution to a problem or a key planning idea is only a conversation away.

Taking this approach will instill a sense of urgency in your employees, so that you can go back to doing what you do best – managing your business and furthering your career.