Hitting the Gas: 4 Steps to Move Faster as a Business
Most founders and leaders want to grow their businesses because they believe that bigger is better. While having a growth mindset is crucial for leadership teams, it's important to recognize that the speed in which your team makes decisions and takes action can be a real differentiator for your company – because it’s ultimately what will allow you to unlock growth.
One of my favorite books is, It’s Not the Big That Eats the Small, It’s the Fast That Eats the Slow by Jason Jennings, which speaks directly to the idea that companies that can optimize their decision-making and execution for speed will gain a significant advantage over their competitors.
Here, we'll explore key frameworks around this concept that can help your business move faster, including: vision clarity, taking action without full confidence, the OODA Loop, and understanding the stages of change. By the end of this post, I hope you’ll have a few nuggets that will help you move a little faster in your business.
Get Vision Clarity
Having clarity about your Vision for the future is essential for moving faster in business. This clarity should extend at least to your goals three years, one year, and even 90 days out. When you know where you want to go, it becomes easier to make decisions that align with your Vision.
Imagine you're at a fork in the road. Without a clear Vision, you might hesitate, unsure which path to take. However, with a well-defined vision, you can confidently choose the path that leads you closer to your goals. Vision clarity not only guides your decisions but also motivates your team to work towards a shared destination.
Don’t Wait for 100%
One common obstacle that slows down businesses is the tendency to wait for 100% confidence and capability before making significant decisions. This hesitation can paralyze leadership teams and hinder progress. According to Dan Sullivan's 4C's Formula—Commit, Courage, Capability, Confidence—waiting for confidence to emerge before committing is counterproductive.
The correct order for achieving speed in business is to commit first. Once you make a commitment, you'll find the courage to take action. As you act, you'll develop the capability, and ultimately, confidence will follow. Waiting for complete confidence can be a roadblock, so embrace commitment as your starting point for progress.
Make Decisions Using the OODA Loop
The OODA Loop is a powerful four-step decision-making approach, originally used by the military, to help individuals and teams navigate complex decision-making processes efficiently.
It's essential to recognize that deciding is one of the focuses here, there’s real value in the transition between deciding and acting. In many instances, teams make excellent decisions but then take too long to put them into action. Focus on reducing the time between these last two steps. This agility ensures that your decisions translate into tangible progress quickly.
Understand Change
Making significant decisions and taking action implies that change is on the horizon. To harness the power of speed in business, it's crucial to understand the five stages of change. Recognizing these stages not only helps you overcome resistance within yourself but also allows you to identify it in others, aiding faster execution.
The five stages of change are:
Awareness: You and your team become aware that change is imminent.
Understanding: You and your team grasp the benefits and implications of the impending change.
Acceptance: You and your team begin to support the change and believe it's worthwhile.
Commitment: You and your team become proactive in implementing the change.
Advocacy: You and your team are fully invested and take action to sustain and improve performance.
Simply being aware of these stages can accelerate the pace of your business initiatives. By recognizing where you and your team stand in the change process, you can address challenges and move through the stages more swiftly.
Conclusion
Now that you have the tools to accelerate your business, it's time to put them into action. Take the first step by revisiting your vision, committing to important decisions, and actively addressing change. Speed is your ally, and with the right strategies in place, you can gain advantage over your competitors.
