Speed Matters
Alex Brogan
Speed is your most underutilized competitive advantage. Time, once lost, never returns. Yet most professionals squander this finite resource on perfectionism, over-analysis, and the illusion that more information equals better decisions.
The evidence is everywhere. Startups topple industry titans through velocity alone. Responsive leaders deliver results while competitors deliberate. The friend who accepts a job offer immediately beats equally qualified candidates who "need time to think." Speed doesn't just improve outcomes — it creates entirely different games.
The Speed Paradox
We've been taught that speed sacrifices quality. This belief stems from perfectionism, which masquerades as professionalism but functions as procrastination. The uncomfortable truth: no one notices your in-text citations, but everyone notices when you're late.
Studies consistently show that people who complete work quickly are perceived as more successful and productive than those who deliver flawless results behind schedule. This perception becomes reality — rapid execution creates momentum, while perfectionism creates stagnation.
Consider activation energy, the psychological barrier to starting any task. Speed reduces this barrier dramatically. When something takes less time, your mind perceives it as easier, making you more likely to begin without procrastination. This creates a virtuous cycle: the faster you complete tasks, the more likely you are to tackle additional ones.
Speed also minimizes regret. Wayne Gretzky understood this: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Research confirms we regret inaction more intensely than failed action. The gap between thought and execution — not the quality of execution itself — drives most professional disappointment.
Closing the Gap
CEO coach Julie Gurner's "Closing the Gap" framework identifies the core problem: the time between idea and action. Our brains fail to properly weigh the cost of delay, causing us to think extensively while acting minimally.
Three speed dimensions matter:
Response Speed: How quickly you react to stimuli. This is habitual — practice increases efficiency exponentially.
Decision Speed: How fast you choose between options. Timing matters more than which option you select.
Execution Speed: How rapidly you complete tasks once begun. Momentum compounds here.
Response Speed: The 5-Minute Rule
If a task requires under five minutes — email responses, brief calls, quick confirmations — complete it immediately. Never add these to your to-do list. Save that mental overhead for meaningful, long-term actions.
This rule transforms your professional presence. Rapid responses signal competence, reliability, and engagement. More importantly, they prevent small tasks from accumulating into overwhelming backlogs.
Decision Speed: Adequate Information Beats Perfect Information
Most decision paralysis stems from perceived inadequacy — the belief that we lack sufficient information. This is usually false. Decision-making requires enough information, not all information.
Three factors drive decision quality:
Expertise: Deep understanding of the domain
Experience: Previous exposure to similar situations
Confidence: Trust in your judgment
Confidence: Trust in your judgment
Jeff Bezos's framework simplifies this: categorize decisions as reversible or irreversible, high-stakes or low-stakes.
High-stakes, irreversible decisions (product launches, strategic pivots) deserve careful consideration but still benefit from speed. Research quickly, then act.
Everything else — which includes most daily choices — should be decided rapidly. Don't agonize over toothbrush brands or email word choice. Trust your instincts.
Dave Girouard, CEO of Upstart, offers the right calibration: "You know you're going fast enough if there's a low-level discomfort, people feeling stretched. But if you're going too fast, you'll see it on their faces."
Execution Speed: Momentum Compounds
Repetition creates mastery, and mastery creates speed. The more frequently you perform a task, the faster and better you become. This isn't just skill development — it's psychological conditioning. Your mind begins perceiving the task as simple, reducing the activation energy for future iterations.
The primary obstacles to execution speed are:
- Waiting for perfect conditions ("I need more data first")
- Seeking consensus ("Let me check with the team")
- Over-engineering solutions ("This needs to be bulletproof")
These are sophisticated forms of procrastination. Instead, present plans to colleagues for confirmation, not input. Work in parallel with team members rather than in sequence. Identify and eliminate bottlenecks ruthlessly.
The Competitive Advantage
Speed creates asymmetric advantages. While competitors debate, you execute. While they seek consensus, you iterate. While they perfect, you ship and learn.
This isn't recklessness — it's strategic velocity. The highest-performing individuals and organizations understand that the cost of delay almost always exceeds the cost of imperfection. They optimize for learning speed over initial accuracy, knowing that rapid iteration converges on optimal solutions faster than prolonged analysis.
Your next promotion, deal, or breakthrough depends more on when you act than on how perfectly you act. The best decision executed quickly beats the perfect decision executed slowly.
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." — General George Patton
Speed isn't just about productivity. It's about seizing opportunities that vanish while others deliberate, building momentum that compounds over time, and developing the bias toward action that separates high performers from chronic planners.
The gap between your thoughts and your actions determines your professional trajectory. Close it faster than your competition can think.