Fast-paced vs steady-paced. How is Steve going to get on with Rachel?

The tortoise and the hare lead us to the conclusion that a steady pace would get us to the finish line first.  

We were told that more haste and less speed would win the day.  We were told that a stitch in time saves nine. Why are there so few examples of fast pace being the way forward?  

These contrasts in pace come at us thick and fast: pace used in design to catch the eye and keep us interested; when writing, in our carefully crafted presentations, in styles of education and in our infrastructure and environment.  

Blended is best?
In the workplace we are surely seeking a blend.  A measured, calm and steady approach to get work completed.  Likely to be more accurate and with fewer mistakes.  

Fast pace to agitate and create energy to start the momentum of a project.  The va-va-voom to help a project along and the last push where we all speed up becoming highly productive to meet a deadline. 

This difference in pace often has one of the greatest impacts on human relationships in the workplace. (And in our personal relationships.)

We have different perceptions of pace based on our own pace, our experience, environment, values, beliefs and feelings.  

If I am measured, am I boring, and do I hold things up?
If I am fast, am I bullish with no attention to detail?

If we focus on the qualities of pace and accept and rejoice in the differences and how they add value to a relationship and situation, we can quickly overcome our personal frustrations and our own insecurities. Let’s strive to remove pace-ism in the workplace!  Fast or steady – equally good at the right moment. 

Variations in pace are needed in the workplace and both are needed from the individual and the team.  

The good news is that pace is one of the easiest areas to adapt as an individual, as we all have the ability to speed up and slow down; it isn’t a highly intellectual concept.  It may be a stretch to speed up or slow down when needed, but we can all achieve this. 

Good leadership helps
In team dynamics it is a relatively simple idea to grasp and implement with good direction from a leader and self-awareness and collaboration of the team members.  

Often it is the blend of pace on a team which creates impactful success, and it is the coordination of recognising the right time for speed and the right time for steadiness which creates the optimum outcome.  

Best demonstrated by a brilliant piece of music, pace can evoke a range of emotions.  Heightening our awareness of pace within relationships and we begin to see how true harmony can be created in each relationship and each team to create an interesting and high-value workplace.  

This is one of the simplest places to start in getting a team to work in synchronicity and improve communication, teamwork and productivity.

Steve and Rachel
So what if the whole team had the necessary insight to understand, at the beginning of a process, who brought what behaviour to the project, or indeed, just to the day-to-day working in the business?

How helpful would it be if ‘Steve’ knew more about ‘Rachel’, and how a steady-paced approach would be more likely to get Steve on board?

This insight is what DISC is all about. Knowledge really is power!

If you’d like to know more about how DISC can skillfully unravel complex team dynamics to ensure people work together more effectively, please do get in touch with me. I’d love to show you how it works.