Have you ever heard the expression, “When I go slow, I go fast”?

I remember the first time I heard this statement. It was said directly to me regarding my crazy working patterns and juggling too many things at once. When this statement was first said to me, I must be honest, I was offended - especially since it came from someone I did not know very well. However, this statement continued to come back and haunt me over time. I could not get it out of my mind. I began to ask myself, “What would make this person say this to me…? Don’t they know how busy I am…? Don’t they know everything I have to accomplish in a day…? Don’t they know…?” The list was endless.

The reason the statement was nagging me, was because it was and still is true.

Being a “People Champion” is key to great leadership. If you saw the Women's World Cup Final, you may have seen what a “People Champion” can accomplish!

First, nothing happens without a goal (double entendre intended)! You have to know where you’re going and then everyone needed to get there must know too.

As a leader of a team or an organization creating a culture of transparency can be a powerful tool to build trust and organizational cohesion.

But what should we share, and when? How much is too much?

One thing to consider the type of information: is it tactical or strategic? Is it key to executing the next steps on the path, or is it helping to make sure we are on the right path? The level of information and the way it is presented will depend on what its purpose is.

Have you ever noticed when you observe someone else doing something it usually looks easy? Or have you noticed, when you think of something that needs to be done, you think, “it’s not that big of a deal, it should not take them very long”? I am guilty of this on many occasions; although, at least now I am consciously aware of it.

It was the hottest week of the summer so far and the air conditioner in my condo stopped working. Hot and moody, I called in a repair request to my leasing agent. A day passed, and not hearing from them I decided to call again. Not only was the heat rising, so was my impatience. The receptionist for the leasing agent apologized and reassured me that a ticket would be placed for first thing the next morning. ‘First thing’ came and went, the temperature rose, and by now my impatience was growing to anger and frustration. I started to mistrust this company with whom I was doing business. I felt like I couldn’t rely on them to be true to their word, or to contact me if they would be unable to fulfil a request.