I picked up Speed by John H. Zenger and Joseph R. Folkman today, and one particular quote hit me right away:
"In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed."— Ralph Waldo Emerson
I sat back and thought about that line for a minute. It’s such a cool idea, not just in everyday life, but in physics too. Take airplanes, for example: if a plane goes too slow, it loses lift and falls out of the sky. Speed isn't just about going fast, it's actually what keeps you in the air.
It made me think back to when I was riding a motorbike through the winding roads of Mae Hong Son. I was speeding along, enjoying the rush, when a strange thought popped into my head: going super fast feels like a close cousin to teleportation. One second you're here, and almost instantly, you're somewhere completely new.
Reading through the book, I found myself totally agreeing with how the authors apply this to business and daily life.
They point out that being "first to market" usually gives you the biggest piece of the pie, which completely makes sense. But what I love most is their point on how moving fast is just plain fun. It gives you a real buzz, lets you get way more done, and leaves you with plenty of extra time to enjoy all kinds of different activities.
That said, they make a great point that rushing blindly into things will just cause a mess. I really liked their takeaway here: the real trick is pairing speed with a good dose of accuracy. That’s the sweet spot where you actually get things done right, make real progress, and keep moving forward.
I will have more posts on this book.
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