Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

In this world of instantaneous communications, we need to more than ever slow things down when we quickly are ready to respond to something.

Carmine at Slow Leadership writes about this relating to sending out responses that can be forwarded to almost anyone in the world right away.

But when you consider this in any aspect of management, it's good advice. Just look through any reporting concerning businesses and business leaders on any day, and you'll see legions of stories about the poor decisions made in haste, that cost the company and the executive responsible for the decision a ton of grief.

It seems we need to think in a way that looks to others like we're complacent. I have successfully operated in every area of business and investing by not being concerned about the pressure of the moment. We need to learn to step back and take a hard look at all aspects of anything under our direct responsibility.

Will there be occasional times when we may miss an opportunity? Yes. But successful businesses are run in a strategic way that understands realistic goals and the reason it exists. Anything that cuts across that and is pushing you to make a decision that you don't know all the ramifications to, and is implied an answer is needed now, we should pass on it.

There is always another opportunity that will come. There is no such thing as something being the most important decision a company needs to make for all time - at any one time. It is a series of decisions and steps that guide a company; never an opportunity that comes along only once in a lifetime.

We need to balance our decision-making with stepping back and making sure we look at the whole dynamic of the possibility before we make a decision to plunge forward.