Many of you know this familiar adage, and, many of us ignore it at our peril – especially in our hurry hurry world.

Over the past week I have been engaged in a client situation where exactly this problem is at play.  The client has received a request from a department within their organization, and the request has been positioned as very time-sensitive.  In their desire to be responsive to their colleagues, our client has rushed forward, engaging us and two other external vendors in a series of dialogues about how we might meet the request. 

There is only one problem:
the internal client's core goal is not well defined. 

Thus far we have been, at least in part, caught in their tornado.  So, one of the primary focuses of our dialogue with them till now has been to slow them down and help them clarify their own focus.  We have asked big-picture questions about the core objective and the trade-offs involved in time vs. quality.  We have broadened the discussion beyond a few narrow options to a broader range.  And, most of all, by our questions, they have realized that they do not have nearly enough information and therefore have returned to their internal stakeholder to clarify the goal. 

Our next step will be to go one step further.  It will be to put on our observation on the table with our key contacts at the client.  We will "name the game" as it were.  Essentially we will say that we feel the project is running too far too fast, and in the process chewing up many cycles of processing time and energy – a large proportion of which are premature.  We will encourage them to slow down and look at the big picture more robustly with their internal colleagues, and then return to us with the next steps. 

This problem is certainly not unique to this specific client.  It is a universal problem, and one we often describe when working with clients.  In our solution-focused modern business climate, we too often rush to "the answer" without sufficiently understanding "the question".  Said in our language, we rush to the options (solutions) without sufficiently understanding the interests and concerns we are trying to satisfy. 

So, go slow (at the start) in order to go fast (and in the right direction) the rest of the way.

This was an amazing week in the life of American politics, and in the life of democracy as a whole.  Whatever one's political views, it is difficult to describe the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America as anything but a sea change. 

It is transformational – particularly in light of the United States' history, and the continued lightning rod-like emotions driven up by the issue of race in America.  Rather than making political commentary, however, my focus here is on how this election campaign – and Barack Obama's approach to the campaign (and to life, it seems) illustrates the impact of mindset on results and context.  

Let me be more specific.  In my view, Barack Obama has been all about mindset (aka paradigm), since day 1 of his campaign.  And, it is his mindset and the way of being that flows from it that attracts so many people to him.  In essence, Obama has created a new reality for people to live into.  What is that new reality (aka mindset)?  It is one of hope, acceptance, inspiration, calm courage, steadfast determination, leadership by example, and the sense that anything is possible.  

The way I see it, whether one agrees with his political views and policies or not, Barack Obama changed the game in the election (and on the American political scene) by calling people to a new, higher plane.  And this kind of a game has not been seen for a long time in that setting.  More than that, Obama has succeeded in reigniting hope and a sense of empowerment (i.e. "Yes we can") among the American people, and I would argue that he has done so well beyond the USA's borders as well.  

How does this connect to the work we do at Common Outlook?  Very directly.  

A foundational component of ANY work we do with clients is an examination of their mindset, and how it drives – consciously, and especially unconsciously – their actions and results.  We help people uncover their fear-based or greed-based beliefs and assumptions, and we show how this often produces results they don't want.  And, we show them how they can fundamentally change this stance in order to produce something much better in terms of an outcome.  It is not easy to "live" or "embody" this different, more empowered mindset.  It requires us to move beyond our survival-based instincts and behaviours to something higher.  It takes courage, emotional maturity, discipline, open-mindedness, and a view of the big picture, among other things.  But, the results are worth it – as is the experience of the journey. 

If you have doubts about the impact of creating a new paradigm for people, just watch any significant speech Barack Obama has given.  Listen to his words, watch his way of being, and observe the reactions of the people in the audience (or simply notice your own).  I would be surprised if you could not notice the paradigm shift in action.