New research challenges the common belief that leadership effectiveness equals speed. Shawn Vanderhoven, a leadership researcher and partner at the Wiseman Group, found that top-performing leaders excel at knowing when to slow down—not to accomplish less, but to focus on what matters most.
The four-year study, involving hundreds of contributors, identified 12 behaviors that help deep work and 12 that cause distraction. All 24 behaviors shared one trait: speed. The difference was how leaders regulated it.
Vanderhoven advocates a 'bias toward impact' over a 'bias toward action.' He says leaders must recognize their 'digital wake'—the emails, messages, and meetings that distract teams—and practice 'tune in before you jump in' when delegating.
He also stresses the discipline of saying no, citing a question from Apple's Tim Cook: 'If we say yes to that, what do we say no to?' Without trade-offs, organizations suffer an 'accretion of activity.'
The research also found that managers can boost discretionary effort by spending just ten minutes a month discussing an employee's future, linking current work to career growth.
Source: forbes.com
