Fast and Slow Thinkers

The tech world is obsessed with speed – the faster the better. Books are written about it (If You're Not First, You're Last, Fail Fast, Learn Faster), Facebook used to have the motto "Move fast and break things," and people tout ideas like "Act Before You're Ready.” They aren't wrong, but the focus on speed can be misleading. Sometimes going fast first requires going slow.

There are indviduals who seem to work slowly, but actually get things done very quickly. I call them Slow Thinkers. They are easily overlooked, but they do amazing things. We all lose out when we ignore them. 

I’d like to introduce you to them and to their more visible cousins, whom I call Fast Thinkers. I think both groups are rare – few people can compare to them. I have great respect for both and have been blessed to work with multiple Fast and Slow Thinkers; Two such individuals particularly inspire the composite characters Claire and Ed described below. While I may picture those two, Claire and Ed could be anyone possessing their skills.

I do not put myself in either of their leagues, but my habits are more aligned with the Slow Thinker’s than the Fast Thinker’s. I’ve worked with enough Fast Thinkers to know deep in my bones that I cannot and will never be able to compete directly with them. If I have to work to the standard of the Fast Thinker, I cannot give my best work. I will make mistakes. I won’t be happy, my colleagues won’t be happy, and my boss won’t be happy. I suspect that is true for many of you as well.

 

Image created using OpenAI's DALL·E tool.

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A Fast Thinker

Paul looks around the conference table at his assembled team. He calls the group to order, asks them, “How do we solve hard problem?” and provides some background on hard problem. Sally offers her opinion on what they should do, followed by Sam, both to mixed reactions. Then Claire says, “We should do good thing,” and explains what good thing is. She continues, “We should do it because of A, B, and C. It will address the worst of hard problem quickly, and then solve it completely in a couple of months.” Good thing includes some aspects of Sally’s and Sam’s suggestions, but it is all-around better. Claire is right – they should do good thing now. Everyone agrees to her plan, they do it, and they fix the problem.

Claire is a Fast Thinker. She is very smart, comes up with correct solutions frighteningly fast, can clearly explain those solutions, and knows she is right. It is both a pleasure and intimidating to work with a Fast Thinker. Everyone listens to Fast Thinkers and they can make short work of big problems. While they are always valuable, they are extra valuable during a crisis when every minute counts. Everyone can take comfort from their confident leadership in such situations.

A Slow Thinker

A few weeks later Paul calls the same group to order again. Paul presents new hard probem. The members of the team offer their thoughts once again. There are a lot of thoughts, including some from Claire. However, this time Claire isn’t confident of her proposal, recognizing limitations to her solution. There is a lot of discussion, but there are no strong conclusions. There are a couple of promising options, but each has significant trade-offs. Towards the end of the meeting, Paul turns to Ed, “Ed, what do you think?” Many people in the room are surprised because they had forgotten that Ed was in the room. He hasn’t said anything the entire meeting. Instead, he quietly listened as each person spoke.

He starts to speak. He speaks slower than everyone else has, with a contemplative tone. Ed restates new hard problem but in a slightly different and more interesting way. He’s not sure what should be done. He calls out some of the good points made by the others but then ties the problem to a completely new idea. Ed says he would like to take a couple of days to look into this new idea and see if there’s something there. He hedges that there might not be. Paul agrees to give Ed a few days and everyone leaves. When they return a few days later, Ed shares an incredible new idea. This new idea has grown from the seed of his original thoughts. Ed has grown this seed into something beautiful. It is the correct solution and it is amazing.

Ed is a Slow Thinker. Unlike Claire, Ed does not know the correct answer right away. He has thoughts and suspicions, but he needs to think through all those thoughts and suspicions before coming to a conclusion. Those who know Ed well, know he is brilliant – just as smart as Claire, but smart in a different way. Those who don’t, see a quiet, polite man. They overlook him. Thankfully, Paul knows Ed well and makes sure to regularly ask Ed what he is thinking. Importantly, Paul listens closely when Ed answers.

The Value of Speed

Speed is treasured in the tech world. The faster the company, the team, or the individual, the more chances they have to try things, to learn, and to win big. Fortunes are made by having a good idea and being faster than the competition. This is why so many books and phrases exalt speed.

However, we need to be careful how we measure speed. The time we take to do any given task is not important. What is important is the time to get something new (a product, a feature, or a fix) to market. The Fast Thinker appears to be much faster than the Slow Thinker because they do tasks faster. They have answers immediately, not in a few days.

When measured in time to delivered value (e.g., a new product …) and delivered value per time, I think the Slow Thinker is as fast as the Fast Thinker. Yes, they may take a little longer at the start of the process, but larger problems and innovations take weeks or months. A few days of contemplation at the start can make the remaining time much more productive and shorter.

Responsibility and Rewards

Everyone recognizes the brilliance of Fast Thinkers. People listen to Fast Thinkers and do what they say (and they should). The Fast Thinkers get promoted.

It’s easy to miss the brilliance and ultimate speed of Slow Thinkers. If Paul doesn’t specifically ask Ed what he thinks in that meeting, the world could easily miss out on a great idea. That would be a shame.

The success of Fast Thinkers can lead to the marginalization of Slow Thinkers. As Fast Thinkers are promoted, they take on more responsibility, such as deciding who they will promote and whose ideas they will listen to and implement. They know the value of their quick decisions, making it easy for them to value others’ quick decisions. It’s harder for them to see the Slow Thinkers’ value, because it is different than the value they provide as a Fast Thinkers.

Don’t Ignore The Slow Thinkers

It’s easy for Fast Thinkers to ignore Slow Thinkers. It’s easy for us mere mortals to do the same. Please don’t ignore the Slow Thinkers. They are a force waiting to be unleashed. If we ignore the Eds of the world, we lose out on their ideas and all that we could learn from them. So don’t just listen to the people who speak up forcibly. Listen also for the quieter voices. See which of those quieter voices provide wonderful and impactful ideas when given the space. Then bring them your hardest problems, give them some space, and listen to what they say. Then we can really go fast.

And if you identify with the Slow Thinkers, don’t sell yourself short. Don’t get competitive and try to be faster than the Fast Thinkers around you. Do give yourself the space and time to do your best work, make sure to work on important problems, and make sure others know about your great work.

Special thank you to Heather Beasley Doyle for her feedback on this post. Heather is a gifted writer and you should read some of her writing.