PERFORMANCE
SUPERFAST HOW PACE-SETTING DRIVES PERFORMANCE
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he world is changing fast. We all know this. to keep our pace competitive to meet the How do great leaders in Everyone talks about constant disruption in demands of the short-term and protect against business today deal with this business and everyone expects technology the challenges of the long-term is essential. superfast world and prepare to continue to drive rapid change for your clients/ Setting the right pace in business is a their companies to be fit customers/consumers and for your people. labyrinthine leadership challenge, mainly because for the future, asks Sophie Companies are growing at phenomenal rates it involves humans (fallible, emotional, complex Devonshire, CEO of the and they are disappearing fast as well. Looking at beasts) – humans who buy or buy into your Caffeine Partnership the FTSE 100 from the 1980s, we can see that only business offer; humans who work for you; and 28 of the original remain. Bigger companies can you, yourself, a wonderfully complex human. Pace-setting requires technological and human understanding. still fail. Newer companies are taking power faster than ever; ‘unicorns’ The pace of acceleration that people are focusing on is being driven can win their billion-dollar valuations within a year or two of coming into being and can decimate industries that took many decades to build. by technology (and will continue to feature artificial intelligence as With other start-ups, it’s a tougher tale – 50 per cent of SMEs in the a key component) but the ability to steer through with anthropoid UK fail to celebrate their fifth birthday. intelligence remains fundamental. And that starts with an The fast pace of technological change has driven customer awareness of your role as a leader, as a pace-setter. expectations, the responsiveness of businesses and their ability to scale. The increased rapidity of change in our world has led to But what do you do about this knowledge that change and challenges vulnerabilities both political and economic, but I am encouraged by abound? How do great leaders in business today deal with this the equally rapid growth in business leaders who are interested in superfast world in a way which makes it enjoyable and not exhausting? being not just responsive but also responsible – those looking to How do they handle the pace with grace? How do they prepare their create purpose and a positive world. organisations (and themselves) to be fast and fit for the future world? In fact, rather than just thinking about speed, it’s more effective These are some of the questions I’ve explored in my recent bestselling to question your ‘velocity’. Velocity is speed in a given direction; the right direction. Leadership is about setting that direction – working book Superfast: Lead at Speed in which I outline a variety of tips, out where purpose and vision channel the right speed, and managing tools and techniques to help leaders work out how to set the right a varied pace for your business which must work out when to slow down pace in a fast-moving world, based on research amongst over 100 to think, and how to be set up to move fast to seize the opportunities global leaders. before your competitors do. It’s an exciting world, full of opportunities Great leaders are pace-setters. How do you, as a leader, set the right but we need to get the pace right. Think slowly, act fast. ● pace? Leaders are sometimes nervous of, or prone to, moving so fast that they can alienate their teams. But if they move too slowly, they can Sophie Devonshire is CEO of the Caffeine Partnership and will be lose their relevance in a constantly shifting world and they can frustrate hosting an energising breakfast with practical tips and thought-provoking the ambitious in their teams and among their investors and customers. discussion on how to lead at speed in a superfast world at The Clubhouse, In today’s highly competitive global environment, caution is safer in the Holborn Circus on the 27 June at 8am. Superfast: Lead at Speed is short term but can be highly dangerous in the long term. Finding ways available from Amazon.
Finding ways to keep our pace competitive to meet the demands of the short-term and protect against the challenges of the long-term is essential
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