Move fast and BRAKE things

In 2019, a Harvard Business Review article announced, "The Era of Move Fast and Break Things is Over" - but I am not so sure.

The Move Fast and Break Things sentiment reflected how entrepreneurs regarded disruption - the more, the merrier. Make stuff, blow it up, and get it to market as soon as possible.

But where that was about products, processes and paradigms, I think we are still moving fast, but now we are breaking our people. And many of us don't seem to be able to stop.

Our high levels of workplace stress, low engagement and satisfaction, high workloads, and intransigent behavioural indicators are telling us that enough is enough. In yesterday's post, I shared a crystalising sentence from the 2024 Edelman Trust Survey that summarised sentiments around innovation but could equally be a cri de coeur from our employees, "You are going too fast. You are not explaining things to me. I don't feel heard".

Rather than moving fast and breaking things, it's time to BRAKE things.

Put the brakes on for a moment and allow your teams to step back, get some perspective and examine their purpose and values at work. Because those are some of the things that don't move fast or want to break. Sure, challenge, test, and reflect on, but they are made for constancy and endurance. And in a hectic and uncertain working world, reconnecting with the heart of what you do can help your people become a little less breakable.

Message me if you want to learn more about my VALUE-ABLE programs for leaders, teams and those all-important values and behaviours conversations.