So, what is the one element that can bring Velocity to everyone on the project?

Awhile back I was the opening keynote speaker for a luncheon hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The room was filled with mall owners, construction company owners, and big real estate tycoons.

The first line of my speech was simple. I asked why, despite each participant having their designated part of the project, they consistently ran behind schedule. This lateness, in turn, affected everyone else involved. However, come hell or high water, when the advertised opening date for the mall arrived, it opened on time.

As you may have heard me say before, the law of focus plays a role, but the real reason is the element of time. Everyone was focused on the time, and that’s why it became a reality.

Salespeople often lose Velocity in their proposals because they don’t have the conversations with their customers about the crucial time element needed to make a decision to move forward or not. The fear of a potential ‘no’ sometimes hinders salespeople from pushing for this information. However, when proposals drag on for months without a clear timeline, they lose momentum and interest. In such cases, one must question whether the salesperson was truly in a better position by not insisting on the time element.

Whether you are a manager working for a company or a salesperson trying to advance a project, without a mutually agreed-upon time element, the chances of gaining Velocity in that project are drastically reduced.

Think of the 11th-hour settlements in labor negotiations, which are often reached to avoid the issue of a strike. So please, if you are working to advance a project and you want to gain Velocity, add the element of time and ensure everyone is committed to it.

#VelocityMindset #leadership #sales