I recently had an unexpected encounter with a hard truth—and a hospital gown.
Awhile, I spent a long, uncomfortable night wrestling with what I thought was a stomach bug. By morning, hunched over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, I turned to my wife and said, “I think something’s wrong.” Fast forward to the ER, where after tests, scans, and a lot of waiting, I was told, “You’ve got appendicitis. It’s coming out today.”
Now, from the moment I checked in to the moment I went under the knife, about eight hours passed. Eight hours felt like an eternity when you’re in pain, but here’s the thing: every minute had a purpose. The doctors weren’t just treating my discomfort—they were solving the actual problem. They moved methodically, not to check boxes, but to ensure they didn’t miss something critical. Because in healthcare, shortcuts can cost lives.
And that brings me to today’s message: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
It’s a principle rooted in the U.S. Special Forces. Before executing a mission, they move through every detail slowly and deliberately—ensuring alignment, eliminating gaps, and practicing until their actions are fluid. So when it’s go time, they operate with precision that looks like speed to the outside world. But it’s not speed. It’s mastery.
The same applies in business. In problem-solving. In leadership.
We live in a culture obsessed with speed. Quick wins. Instant responses. The faster, the better—right?
Wrong.
Speed isn’t the goal. Efficiency is.
And efficiency comes from clarity, not chaos.
Think about it:
We confuse urgency with haste. But urgency isn’t about moving faster—it’s about focusing deeper.
Urgency demands attention, not adrenaline.
When someone’s facing a problem—whether it’s a client issue, a project deadline, or yes, even an appendicitis—they feel like their issue is the most urgent thing in the world. And for them, it is. But that doesn’t mean rushing is the right response.
Rushing leads to mistakes.
Mistakes lead to rework.
Rework leads to delays.
Delays lead to frustration.
And ironically, all that rushing ends up taking more time.
At UnleashU, we don’t just solve problems—we solve them well. That means slowing down to diagnose before we prescribe. It means respecting the process, even when the pressure is high. It’s okay to tell a customer, “We’re giving this the attention it deserves, and here’s what you can expect next.” That’s not an excuse—it’s professionalism. It’s ownership. It’s the difference between putting on a Band-Aid and actually fixing the wound.
Whether you’re dealing with a “splinter” problem or a “gunshot wound” crisis, the approach is the same:
Because here’s the hard truth: The fastest way to get it right… is to slow down.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
And that’s how real problems get solved.
