Be efficient with things, but effective with people.
I was sitting in on a client’s team meeting the other day, and something interesting happened. It was a very efficient group, laser-focused on getting through the agenda so they could “do” things. The conversation moved fast as they reviewed the key initiatives for the quarter, when, with 5 minutes left in the hour, someone on the team mentioned a thorny issue in passing.
My client’s instinct was to say, “Let’s table that and come back to it later.” It would have been the efficient thing to do. But I saw an opportunity to pause, so I made an invitation: “What would it look like if we just spent a few more minutes on this?”
It was a difficult conversation, and I could tell there was a lot of emotion wrapped up in it. We stayed on the line, exploring it, talking through it, until it felt resolved. It took an extra 15 minutes, which meant some team members were late for their next call, but the conversation was complete. The client and his team walked away with clarity and didn’t have to worry about that issue coming up again.
This experience reminded me of something Stephen Covey said in his groundbreaking book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
He wrote:
“Think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things.”
It’s an idea that has been on my mind for a while now, especially as the economy sputters and the business world leans hard into efficiency. With the constant stream of new AI tools and clients asking us to “do more with less”, it’s easy to get caught up in the chase for getting things done. But I’ve been pondering the cost of this relentless pursuit of efficiency.
I hear from so many of you about “flying through your day, answering emails and making decisions,” but at the end of it all, you’re spent, and those conversations you had are still unresolved, just waiting to be picked up again tomorrow. Instead of seeing progress, the pile you are facing is bigger than when the day started!
As leaders, if we desire to grow our businesses steadily and to see our teams expand their effectiveness and agency, we get to lean into meaningful conversations. Every time we reschedule a discussion or end a conversation prematurely, it loses energy, momentum, and urgency. It makes it more likely that the insight or perspective articulated will get lost or blunted, slowing innovation and delaying growth.
This week, I invite you to notice where you’re chasing efficiency with people.
What if, just once, you chose to prioritize effectiveness with your team over efficiency with your calendar? To lean into the moments that require empathy and vulnerability?
If you give it a try, hit reply and let me know how it went.
