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There is a natural and necessary intersection point in business, and it occurs at the juncture of speed and structure.
On one side of the equation: “They’re not giving us enough time to build this well!”
On the other: “This is taking way too long! We need to speed up the process.”
But when a company hits that point of intersection, where both sides are in balance, there is both productivity and quality. This equilibrium point creates a profitable business.
In terms of DISC profiling, there are four different personality types.
- D’s – Determined Drivers
- I’s – Fast Movers
- S’s – Efficient Processors
- C’s – Deep Thinkers
D’s and I’s are all about moving fast and getting things done. They focus on speed.
S’s and C’s are about getting things done efficiently and right. They focus on structure.
Between these, there is often a band of stress. D’s and I’s will feel stress when things are not moving forward rapidly. S’s and C’s will feel stress when things move too fast to be done correctly.
While many leaders do not enjoy dealing with this stress, a smart leader will embrace it – and more importantly, teach their team to do so as well. This converse energy mix has the effect of keeping things moving while also ensuring quality results that are cost-effective.
Ignore one side of the equation to your peril.
Consider the Titanic.
The actual cause of its collapse has been debated for decades, but can likely be summed up in two words: time pressure.
- A captain who set the speed too high for traveling through glacial waters in an attempt to stay on schedule.
- A ship-building company that, “Because of time pressures, started using lower-quality material to fill the gaps,” according to Tim Foecke, a scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Whatever the cause, it is rooted in time – in hurrying to get somewhere or complete a project without thorough quality control and testing. And in not listening to those who undoubtedly voiced their concerns along the way.
A business needs speed AND structure.
As a leader, your best move is to constantly monitor the equilibrium of your company. One way to determine if you have a good balance is to notice the pace and levels of stress. A company with good equilibrium will be in motion, but it will be a fluid, calm motion, where these two factors are in balance.
This results in efficient productivity and high quality.
How can you create a team with good equilibrium?
Assess the current issues your company faces.
- Do you have great sales but a high return rate?
- Do you have a high volume of backorders?
- Are your competitors outpacing you in terms of output and sales?
- Do you lack innovation?
- Do you have happy customers and excellent customer service?
Assess the culture of your organization.
- Are your employees stressed?
- Are your vendors stressed?
- Are your customers stressed?
- Are YOU stressed?
Assess the balance of your team.
- Is the “push” factor balanced by the “pull” factor?
- Is your team moving fast but getting nowhere?
- Is your team stuck in perfection or details?
These are all indicators of balance.
As a leader, your role is to keep the mixture of speed and structure at a level that works optimally, creating profitable equilibrium. Train your team to respect each individual’s diverse strengths, and to adjust pace – either faster or slower – as the occasion warrants so the work is done, and done right.
The best team is one where the D’s and I’s slow down a bit to listen to the concerns of S’s and C’s; and the S’s and C’s speed up enough to keep the momentum moving forward.
To learn more about how you can create a balanced equilibrium with your team, click here to learn about the Maxwell Method of Communication Impact Report.
As the CEO of Strength Leader Development, Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after international executive mentor, coach, trainer and speaker. Deb is well versed in global business operations and helps business leaders and their teams to discover and leverage their strengths, so they can create highly collaborative teams that deliver great results. With a refreshingly direct style, Deb helps leaders and their teams to deliver profitable results. Connect with Deb to learn more about her mentorship and coaching programs to equip you with advanced strategies to elevate your results.
When you have a strong team that collaborates well,
you have a competitive advantage.
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