Why Slow and Steady Does Not Win the Race

When I was a kid there was one thing I could do better than anyone - math. But in my senior year of high school, I hit a bump in the road and my renowned math prowess was eclipsed by an overly competitive friend on the math team.

Yes, I know I was a nerd. Thanks for the tip.

Anyway, my math teacher wrote in my yearbook, "Lots of talent: Now work!" That, I totally got. But my friend, who was something of a wiseass, wrote, "Slow and steady wins the race."

At the time, that really stung because I knew early on that I just wasn't built that way. I've always been more of a "go big or go home" kind of guy. And I've never forgotten it because, deep down, I always wondered if he was right.

Well, after all these years, I've finally come to the conclusion that, when it comes to business, careers, management, and all that good stuff, "slow and steady" does not win the race. That's because life doesn't work that way and neither does business.

Sure, in a utopian world your company has a healthy annual growth rate of 10 percent and generates a consistent annual net profit of 20 percent of revenue. Not only that but competitors behave themselves, customers never jump ship or have troubles of their own, key employees stick around, and life is good.

Well, for better or worse, the real world isn't like that. It's chaotic, competitive, and full of people. All of which are, by nature, unpredictable. For example, who would have thought I'd fracture both my ankles, six months apart, during my senior year of high school? Nobody, that's for sure.

But it did happen. And because it happened, things didn't work out as planned. I had to do things differently. I had to retool. Well, the business world is very much like that. And the longer you're in it, the more you realize that success is defined by how well you're prepared for bumps in the road and how fast you react to the breakneck rate of change.

Sure, your career is a long distance race and you do have to pace yourself. But that's so you're ready to take a hairpin turn, sprint ahead, or even slam on the brakes when life throws big obstacles in your path or the you-know-what hits the fan. Here are a few interesting examples that come to mind:

• In wasn't until 1987 that Intel even cracked the top 10 of semiconductor companies. At the time, AMD was right behind at number 12. Then Intel dramatically shifted its strategy, deciding to focus on PC processors and get out of most of the other big markets it was in at the time. Five years later, Intel was number one, as it is today. And AMD is still number 12. Interestingly, Intel has for years been desperately trying to reinvent itself to take advantage of the booming smartphone market. So far, it's been relatively unsuccessful. You see, there's nothing slow or steady about how companies become number one ... or fall from grace.
• In 1997 Apple was plodding right along, heading slowly and inexorably into bankruptcy, when it bought NeXT and brought Steve Jobs back to the company he cofounded. Jobs cut a whole slew of failing products and reinvented the Mac as the iMac. Then came the real breakthrough - iPod / iTunes. Although MP3 players had been around for a long time, that was a disruptive product / service. But Apple didn't stop there. It reinvented other markets that had been slowly and steadily plodding along for years - smartphones and tablets - and now it's the most valuable technology company in America.
• Most people have no idea what they want to be when they "grow up," even well into their careers. That was certainly the case for me. Then one day you're in the right place at the right time and an opportunity presents itself. It might be what you were meant to do but just hadn't found it yet. When that happens, you have to grab it and hit the accelerator pedal. If you're "slow and steady," you'll miss it. Likewise, there'll be times to hit the brakes, take a deep breath, and change direction. If not, you could waste years going down the wrong path.

With all due respect, of course, to Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare" and my old friend, Aaron.

Also check out:

• Want to Be Successful? Don't Play by the Rules
• 10 Reasons Why It's Bad to Be Normal
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: How Attitude Leads to Success