Phil Burgess is Chief People Officer at C Space, a customer agency on a mission to make business more human.
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When the global pandemic hit, like many organizations, our company C Space pivoted overnight to remote working. After the initial shock to the system, we kicked into action, reacting to the external threat. Seeking to protect revenue streams, we doubled down on being responsive to clients. We set up agile teams and championed fast decision-making, the need to be adaptive and getting scrappy to get stuff done — survival techniques to keep us moving forward. One year on, we’re still focused on a strategy of being faster and better, a reminder that delivering customer insights at speed to our clients is a key differentiator for us in the marketplace.
Speed matters, but given that the initial adrenaline wore off many months ago and the impact of the pandemic continues more than one year later, I’m increasingly reminding myself and those around me that we can’t just keep pushing ourselves to go faster. It’s exhausting, and relentless, and unsustainable. Sometimes, to speed up (or even just to keep going!), we first need to slow down. In In Praise of Slowness, author Carl Honoré puts it this way: “Speed can be fun, productive and powerful and we would be poorer without it […] The secret is balance: instead of doing everything faster, do everything the right speed. Sometimes fast. Sometimes slow. Sometimes in between.”
I was introduced to the concept of the “power of the pause” by Sophie Devonshire, the author of Superfast: Lead at Speed, when she presented to our team several years ago. We’re a fast-moving agency, serving global clients who need us to move quickly, and I was worried about what I was seeing across our business. People (myself included) were too busy “getting stuff done” to consider whether they were being as effective or efficient as they might be, sometimes too focused on clients to consider their own well-being.
While it has brought many other stressors, the pandemic has in some respects provided an involuntary disruptive pause, forcing us to slow down. Thinking about my own family life, weekends previously filled with children’s sports and parties have been replaced with family walks outside. My hectic commute has been replaced with a calmer routine, breakfast with my children and time to clear my emails before I get stuck into my day.
This forced slowing down hasn’t translated as easily to my working day, with relentless video calls, longer hours and more complex problems to solve. I’ve found I’ve had to be much more intentional about slowing down. It’s been difficult, but when I’ve been disciplined (or brave, or compassionate) enough to do it, the pay-off has been significant. We’ve by no means cracked it, but we’re starting to see some success applying the power of the pause.
1. When The Pressure Is On To React Immediately
We rarely make the best decisions under extreme pressure. Devonshire recommends taking time to “strategically procrastinate” when the stakes are high. After the killing of George Floyd last summer, many organizations were quick to make public statements outlining their stance. Some got it right. Many got it horribly wrong. We debated a public statement ourselves, but ultimately decided to pause, giving ourselves time to consider a more meaningful response. This helped us recognize that we first needed to look inward and ask some difficult questions about whether we were truly the diverse and inclusive business we claimed to be. We decided to pause our entire business, closing our offices for a day of reflection and self-education around the role we need to play in driving change. While one day won’t solve all the issues we’re facing, slowing down before jumping to action can set you on a much more meaningful path to action.
2. When You Find Yourself Saying That You Don’t Have Time To Think
A recent staff survey indicated that only half of our team agreed with the statement “I’m able to think and not just do at work.” It’s counter-intuitive to stop when you’ve got a lot to get done. Tony Schwartz, author and CEO of The Energy Project, reminds us that we “perform best and are most productive when [we] alternate between periods of intense focus and intermittent renewal.” You can experiment here by:
• Being open with people that you’re tired of video calls and sometimes need to switch off while you talk.
• Booking one-to-ones with people at the start of your day so you can get outside and chat with them while walking around the block.
• Starting meetings at five past the hour, and ending them at five to, to provide a moment’s rest before the next call.
To give people time to think, we launched Focus Fridays, an afternoon free of company and client meetings to give people a chance to focus on deep work free of interruptions or take some time off if they needed to. Initially an experiment and coping strategy for the pandemic, we’re continuing it indefinitely.
3. When You Find Yourself So Focused On Everyone Else, You’ve Got Nothing Left For Yourself
As a leader, you’re no use to anyone if you’re running on empty. I know this in theory, but I’ve always struggled to prioritize self-care. One of the best time investments I’ve made recently was to take part in a series of training sessions with an organization focused on improving mental health by teaching therapeutic talking and listening techniques. Pausing my working week for a series of four-hour training sessions felt like a huge ask, but it is one that changed the pace of my week and equipped me with techniques I can use to pause and focus on my own mental health in the future.
Speed matters. It always will. But next time you find yourself being pushed (or pushing yourself) to move faster, invest in the power of the pause. Remember that slowing down might ultimately be your best strategy for success, self-preservation and speed.
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