A recent Harvard Business Review article discusses leadership quality and how some successful leaders focus on doing things fast and well. Of course, as a leader you want to be an example of doing fast and doing well together, but that just doesn’t happen by magic.
We all struggle with the idea of going fast and getting things done, or slowing down and nailing the quality on the first try. What can we learn from leaders who seem to be able to go fast and still get things done right? What do they know that we don’t know? Is there some trick?
There is a long respected adage about quality, price, and speed: GOOD, FAST OR CHEAP – Pick two.
It can be good and cheap, but not fast. It can be fast and good, but not cheap. And it can cheap and fast, but not good.
This article looked at over 5000 company leaders, and asked about priorities. Was it better to focus on quality, or quantity? It has some great insights about how to get speed and quality working together as a leader. A leader can drive speed and quality by having a strong strategic focus, and communicating effectively and strongly to the team. To get your team to move effectively at speed, you can’t be afraid to take on changes, and show innovation.
https://hbr.org/2016/11/the-traits-of-leaders-who-do-things-fast-and-well