We all get in a hurry from time-to-time. When we do, we frequently mess things up.
It could be getting a little too close to that thundering tom and bumping him off the roost, or drawing your arrow back on that nice buck before he looked the other way or got his head behind a tree. I have frequently learned through failure that if Iwant to succeed, I should try to slow things down.
I first heard “slow is smooth and smooth is fast” in the mid-1990s when my light infantry unit was learning room-clearing techniques.
“Close quarters combat” tactics had been developed by our special operations forces years earlier, but conventional units were just learning how to employ those techniques. Until that time, our tactics had a direct lineage from tactics used in Stalingrad and Hue.
You’ve seen the tactics (close quarters combat) depicted on TV and in movies when a SWAT team is “stacked up” outside of a door, ready to burst in and get the bad guys.
There is a specific job for each member of the stack: how they enter the room, where they aim their rifles, and how they protect each other.
When done the right way, the team is fast, eliminates any threats quickly, and protects non-combatants. The problem we were having when learning the drills is very common: we were getting in a hurry.
Our trainers coached us to slow down. We needed to operate like a well-oiled machine instead of the mess we kept creating. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. We went at a snail’s pace until each trooper perfected his role. Then we switched positions and started all over again. We did the drills hundreds of times and with those repetitions we got smooth. We also got fast. The speed came naturally but was not possible until we were experts.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I keep saying that two years ago on my annual trip to Homer, Alaska. My best buddy over the last 57 years has been Captain Greg Sutter. We met each other in the third grade and have been in contact ever since.
Greg and I grew up in different places, but t made time to fish with him and he made time to hunt with me. Greg has been fishing for halibut and salmon as a charter captain in Alaska for the last 30 years, and he is arguably the best fisherman in Homer.
When I retired from the Army in 2019, Greg asked me to come to Homer for a month and work as a deck hand on his boat. His current hand had to go back to college and Greg wanted help to finish the season. I learned a great deal, loved it, and have gone back every year since.
Nowadays, I am more of a “deck hand mentor” rather than the actual employee since Greg needs commitment for several months and I can usually afford to give him only a couple of weeks. I still work as an extra deck hand, but I do a lot of coaching and always give the youngster my tips. Two years ago, I was coaching a young deck hand who had tremendous enthusiasm and a great work ethic.
I had taught her how to get the boat ready every morning, how to rig the lines and bait the hooks, and how to help get big fish in the boat with either a net or gaff. I taught her how to filet both salmon and halibut, but she was trying to match my speed. The challenge was even greater on a back of a moving boat, and quality was dropping as a result. Instead, I slowed down and concentrated on teaching her to cut with long, smooth strokes.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I’m happy to say that she started producing quality filets. She naturally got faster as she mastered the techniques. Within a week, she was faster than me.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
I try to repeat that to myself before I make a batch of beer or butcher a deer. One of my major weaknesses is that I am impatient: I try to “knock down targets” and move quickly on to the next thing on my list. The mantra helps me to slow down and be present in the moment…and as a result, I do a better job and still have all of my fingers.
This mantra applies to numerous leadership situations. Don’t get in a hurry to solve a problem until you understand what the problem is. Be careful of your assumptions.
Listen to understand instead of listening to respond. Slow down. Speed will come with practice. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. And if you want to catch halibut and salmon in Alaska, look up Captain Greg’s charters in Homer. You won’t be disappointed.
Arizona Game and Fish Commission - Patagonia
