rakishness
Senior Don Juan
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2006
- Messages
- 484
- Reaction score
- 4
Actors, comedians and professional speakers all know the difference between success and failure is often a matter of timing. Get that wrong and everything else falls flat.
Timing is something people learn by experience. Of course, there are some obvious things to avoid, but it's mostly about knowing two things: how to be patient and how to choose your moment. Rushed, time-limited leaders and managers usually fail on both. They can't wait, so they're unable to choose any moment but now. Hesiod, in 800 b.c., knew the importance of timing, when he wrote: "Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor."
How do you improve your timing? The keys are patience and careful observation.
You must be ready to wait if you sense the timing isn't right. Never rush ahead anyway. In many cases, there will be only a single opportunity to present your idea or make the correct impression on an important customer. To be able to choose your time, you must be willing to pass over opportunities that don't feel right. Haste breeds anxiety, which is fatal to good timing.
Timing isn't something you're born with. It's a skill. You develop it by watching other people and monitoring your own actions. When did things work well? What were the signs? How will you spot similar situations which are likely to be just right for what you have in mind? And when did things go wrong? What should you have realized before you lost patience and spoiled your chances?
slowleadership.org
Timing is something people learn by experience. Of course, there are some obvious things to avoid, but it's mostly about knowing two things: how to be patient and how to choose your moment. Rushed, time-limited leaders and managers usually fail on both. They can't wait, so they're unable to choose any moment but now. Hesiod, in 800 b.c., knew the importance of timing, when he wrote: "Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor."
How do you improve your timing? The keys are patience and careful observation.
You must be ready to wait if you sense the timing isn't right. Never rush ahead anyway. In many cases, there will be only a single opportunity to present your idea or make the correct impression on an important customer. To be able to choose your time, you must be willing to pass over opportunities that don't feel right. Haste breeds anxiety, which is fatal to good timing.
Timing isn't something you're born with. It's a skill. You develop it by watching other people and monitoring your own actions. When did things work well? What were the signs? How will you spot similar situations which are likely to be just right for what you have in mind? And when did things go wrong? What should you have realized before you lost patience and spoiled your chances?
slowleadership.org