Move Slow To Be More Effective

When you watch high-level basketball players, they move purposefully. They go where they want, when they want.

The great ones have all the time in the world. They are never in a hurry. They are the personification of efficiency.

In contrast, younger players jump all around, fidgeting with their movements. Moving constantly, trying desperately to find an edge in the defense.

What ideas can we learn from comparing a more experienced player with an inexperienced player? Let us take a look.

The Veteran

The veteran knows what they are doing.

They have a plan.

The whole point is to get the ball where they want it and when they want it. They understand how to put themselves in the best chance to score.

They don’t move to places where they won’t be effective.

They don’t respond to the defender, they just move to where they want to go to before making a move.

They don’t rush what they are doing.

The Veteran has an overarching strategy on how they are going to win.

They use that strategy to decide when and where they use their energy.

The places where they use their energy are where they are going to generate the most value.

They don’t act reactively, they are in control of their actions and their effort.

The Rookie

They are trying to make something happen.

They run around trying to find some opportunity.

They don’t care what opportunity, they just use energy to keep moving hoping something good will happen.

They respond to what the defense does.

They don’t stick to the places they will be most effective, just places where they might get to touch the ball.

The Rookie has no strategy.

They don’t understand where they can best use their time and resources.

They focus on motion rather than thought.

They are reactive and will change at a moment’s notice.

The Take Away

It isn’t the speed of the player that makes them good. It is choosing when to apply that speed to the situation and in what direction you are running.

With a project, the most important thing to consider is where are you going?

Everything else flows from that. You might have a clear destination or you might start off more exploratory.

Either way, you want to be clear on what you are doing and in what direction you are headed.

You want to make sure that everyone on the project is being asked to do things they are good at, where are the most effectively positioned?

Alternatively, you can have the project be a learning opportunity and you purposefully put people into roles they are less skilled in. This deliberate decision is fine.

Then you have to let the project run until they learn something new and can update your assumptions, knowledge, and plans.

The point isn’t do to the most work, to use the most energy, no one wins being the team that sleeps the least.

The point is to learn the most and continue generating value and insight to use on the next project. It’s the long game you are trying to win.