Slowing down in order to speed up

Somewhere within us lies the belief that faster is better. The world around us is ever increasing in pace, we encourage each other like there is no tomorrow. However, we often go too fast. The dust of the last reorganisation has barely settled before the next one starts. People have not yet had the change to process the change before they have to carry on.

But often, speeding up simply suits us. We find emotions difficult, for example. We prefer not to deal with them; we like to run past them! Is a pattern too difficult? Run, speed up! Unfortunately this only makes them come back faster.

So, the effect is (of course) counterproductive. When things go too fast, people tense up. There is pushback. How can you get things flowing again?

Slowing down is important to get back to a pace that we can all keep up with. The pushback needs to relax. Otherwise, people will drop out and you will lose potential.

A different approach certainly asks for courage at the start. We are so used to speed up! So it demands courage to move that set-in-stone deadline by six months, because you can see that the system is not able to cope. At the same time you can ask yourself, what does this period mean? You want things to flow, that has meaning.

A different approach certainly requires courage at first. We are so used to accelerating! It therefore takes courage to push back that rock-hard deadline by six months when you see that the system cannot handle it. At the same time, you might ask yourself: what does that time period actually mean? You want to flow, that carries meaning.

Slowing down in order to speed up is also reflected in LEAN management: we do precisely what is necessary, at a steady pace. Or in nature, as the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse so beautifully describes: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything arrives precisely at the right time.”