20-07-2025
Slow Down To Speed Up: Leadership Practice That Accelerates Execution'
Slowing down for planning allows us to speed up our execution
In a results-driven world that prizes speed and early wins, leaders often feel pressure to move quickly. But ironically, the key to accelerating execution is slowing down at the start. Going slow isn't hesitation—it's strategy. It builds clarity, commitment, and momentum that far outpace the delays caused by rushing in prematurely. This principle rests on a foundational truth: if you want your team to move fast later, you must first align hearts, minds, and agendas.
Why Rushing To Execution Undermines Team Performance
Many initiatives fail not because the idea is wrong or resources are lacking, but because alignment is missing. When leaders skip early-stage dialogue, surfacing disagreement, and co-creating a shared vision, they often face confusion, resistance, and costly rework later.
Common warning signs include:
These are symptoms of rushed alignment—and they're Early Buy-In Accelerates Team Execution
True buy-in is more than agreement; it's emotional and intellectual commitment. It often follows conflict, not silence. As Patrick Lencioni writes in 'The Five Dysfunctions of a Team', 'The only way for a team to develop trust and commitment is to engage in unfiltered conflict.'
This is supported by research. A meta-analysis by DeChurch & Marks in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that early-stage team conflict, when managed constructively, improves decision quality and execution speed (DeChurch & Marks, 2001). Similarly, a study by O'Reilly, Caldwell, and Barnett in Group & Organization Management showed that teams with aligned values and early participation in decision-making perform significantly better (O'Reilly et al., 2014).5 Steps Leaders Take to Align Teams and Move Faster
Here's what 'great preparation' looks like in practice:
Why Team Harmony Fuels Agility and Innovation
This process also nurtures better teamwork. Teams that take the time to align tend to experience more harmony—not due to constant agreement, but through shared direction and mutual respect. This harmony increases emotional engagement, which research shows improves innovation, productivity, and retention (HBR, 2023). Remember - alignment isn't a delay; it's the Examples: How Amazon and Agile Teams 'Slow Down to Speed Up'
Amazon famously uses the principle 'disagree and commit' to ensure alignment before action. Agile teams invest heavily in backlog grooming and sprint planning—slower upfront processes that enable faster iteration and course correction. Similarly, successful executive transitions often involve a deliberate 'listen and learn' phase before major decisions are made, building trust and insight.
The Leader's Role in Aligning Strategy and Execution
Leaders set the tempo. If you rush, others will follow. If you normalize alignment and early debate, your team will see it as strength. Model patience with ambiguity, encourage thoughtful questioning, and affirm that this 'slower' phase is not wasted time—it's the accelerator. This key theme of 'leaders who create space for dialogue, build buy-in through co-creation' is emphasized in my previous Forbes article 'Why Great Leaders Learn to sit with Uncertainty'
Key Takeaway
Leadership isn't about fast starts—it's about effective finishes. When you pause to align and engage others early, you lay the groundwork for agile, confident execution. The small upfront investment in time creates outsized returns in speed, teamwork, and impact. 'Slowing down to speed up' isn't a contradiction. It's one of the most powerful leadership disciplines of our time.
