Stone on SPEED® . . .

Q Why speed ?

S Two reasons . . . 

1) Speed is the most consistent and durable source of competitive advantage.

Most sources of competitive advantage today - -  technology, talent, capital, intellectual property, even product superiority - - have an incredibly short shelf-life.  And when the grease gets hot (yesterday's advantage becomes today's norm), organizations can become extremely vulnerable.  Specifically, we're at the mercy of 3 distinct populations keenly focused on their own survival and prosperity:

   Acutely perceptive employees who ultimately determine the organization's level of

   discretionary effort

   Increasingly sophisticated and unforgiving customers

   Faster, more nimble competitors poised to create and fill the next void

Organizations that consistently meet more needs for more people in less time strengthen their culture, grow their customer base, and dominate their market.

Neglecting speed (failing to incorporate a systematic, deliberate process for increasing the ratio of results to time invested) is like frying bacon in the nude . . .

It might feel good at first - - but without the right disciplines in place, we're dangerously over exposed and very likely to get burned (even permanently scarred) by one or more of these three critically important constituencies.

2) Candidly, it scares the hell out of me that many senior level executives, middle managers, teachers, parents - - people who have a tremendous amount of power and influence - - don't really understand speed . . . even specifically avoid speed when it's needed most. 

As a result, consciously or unconsciously, people at every organizational level, and from every walk of life are being trained to either arbitrarily "hit the brakes", or blindly put the pedal to the floor - - when what they really should be doing is exercising the disciplines necessary to produce better results in less time.

Of course, I would be delighted if we could begin to challenge and stimulate the thinking of existing leaders - - cause them to re-visit the role of speed in their personal and professional lives.  But more importantly, I'm trying to reach the next crop of leaders - - those men and women who will be shaping our future.  And I want to reach this talent pool before they fall victim to the traditional myths surrounding speed.

Q Yeah, but isn't too much speed dangerous?

S  That's myth #1 - - the most prevalent misconception about speed, and it's imposters like haste, motion, and acceleration. 

There's no such thing as extra speed - - a fundamental principle that makes much more sense when you consider the true definition:  Speed is distance divided by time - - period.  The business equivalent of distance is results - - specific pre-determined results.  I have yet to meet anyone who believes they're getting too much results in a specified period of time. Yes - - rapid, undisciplined motion is incredibly dangerous . . . even fatal. But true speed never killed anything - - except the competition.

In fact, the first of 15 SPEED® Traps I share in the book is Confusing Haste with Velocity.  Haste is rapid motion in the absence of discipline (and direction).  At the other end of the continuum is stagnation.  Velocity (speed) lives between the two, requires forward movement toward a specific end, and is measured solely by the ratio of results to time.

All around us are organizations (and the people who lead them) either avoiding speed altogether and becoming stagnant, or creating the illusion of speed - - high levels of acceleration, but no distance.  My mission is to help leaders understand the value of speed, and transfer the key disciplines necessary for producing better results in less time.

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A candid, thought provoking interview with the man who literally wrote the book on speed.