Speeding Up By Slowing Down: A Leadership Paradox

As a pastor, I like to run fast and run some more. 

You can ask my staff team. I love driving up the urgency. I regularly challenge our leaders to press the gas pedal to be more aggressive.

Though I’m inclined this way, I can’t deny the drawbacks of constant speed without ever letting up. 

Over time, it wears on a team. No matter how much I preach the sabbath, no matter how much I emphasize Jesus as the motivation, I can see it on the faces of teammates and their impacted effectiveness. 

Research seems to back up my experience.

Harvard Business Review studied 343 companies and found those who chose to “go, go, go” without slowing down for strategic reasons “ended up with lower sales and operating profits than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track. What’s more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up” improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating profits over a three-year period.”

So what’s the moral of the story?

You can’t speed up unless you slow down.

It’s a leadership paradox. Press down the gas pedal continuously and the car will break down. But slow down occasionally? You will paradoxically reach your destination faster than the path of constant speed.

So last week, our team went on a two-night staff retreat. 

We spent time planning for the new ministry year. We worked through how we can tackle the fall season. But more so, we killed time together. We cooked and cleaned together. We went on a boat ride. We had a water balloon fight. We ate s’mores, sang around a campfire, played games, and laughed together.

We slowed down for relationship. 

Here’s what’s already happened since then: 

1. Increased willingness to have hard conversations

I had one of the best conversations with a teammate the other day. The individual and I talked through areas of misunderstanding. It was marked by honesty and humility. I came away so encouraged and felt excited to see this individual succeed. I can’t help but believe the time spent together created the necessary foundation for this conversation. 

2. Increased vulnerability and honesty 

On a different day, I had another teammate confide in me for a personal issue. It was raw, vulnerable, and frankly, beautiful. It was a Holy Spirit-led, following Jesus moment. I had the privilege to listen, share, and pray over this person. I believe the time spent together helped forge this moment. 

3. Greater joy and trust

We have a weekly team meeting and our meeting this week was firing on all cylinders. There were a few beautiful moments when everyone was pitching in excitedly thinking of the whole as opposed to their own silos. We were already speeding up from the slow down. 

Conclusion

If you’re a leader of any sized team, let’s remember the goal is to steward the influence God has given to us. But while stewardship requires our fully engaged selves, it also demands the fully engaged selves of others. Not everyone is like you. Not everyone thinks and assumes the same things you do. So let’s lead by looking to the interest of others, and not just ourselves and our time. (And paradoxically, I believe it will pay off in the long run.)

If you’re a team member, let’s remember the ultimate goal isn’t for things to slow down so life becomes more convenient for us. The goal is stewardship and faithfulness to what God has given to us, including our roles. So when it’s time to run? Let’s run hard. At the same time, you can be honest about the ways in which you’re struggling to keep up. Just be sure to articulate it in a way where you’re not pointing the finger, but pointing to the areas in which you’re needing help. And if you feel like the environment isn’t ultimately for you, there’s no shame in reaching that conclusion. (It’s about stewardship remember? Stewarding what we’ve been given, which includes ourselves.)

God leads us with grace and truth, doesn’t He?

He shepherds us through all seasons of life. Sometimes, He speeds things up. Other times, He slows things down.

All of it, to lead us to greener pastures. Thank God.