Have you noticed that  when the going gets tough most car dealers focus on speed and reducing expenses. Let me be clear, I am not against speed nor reducing expenses–both have their rightful place in achieving results. My concern is when dealers get so caught up in speed and reducing expenses that they forget about the ultimate results they are trying to achieve.

When results are not occurring quickly it seems many managers turn their focus on efficiency instead of effectiveness. This is when it becomes obvious who the real leaders are. Leaders keep the ultimate destination clear in their minds as they consider and implement the most effective path to get THERE.

The moral of the story of the tortoise and hare is not that slow is better. Rather, it is that doing the right things at the best pace possible with consistency delivers better results over time. If that means desired results seem slow in coming that is better than wrong results achieved quickly. Once right results can be achieved consistently effort can be invested in speed (i.e. efficiency), but not at the expense of effectiveness. Without effectiveness efficiency is irrelevant.

This principle applies as much to parachute manufacturers as it does to automobile manufacturers and dealers.