I enjoy reading history. In particular, Colonial American history and my favorite author is David McCullough.

His writing has a way of bringing the human element into the narrative, capturing the tension between hope and the peril better than most I’ve read.

I happened on an interview of him on C-Span earlier this year. Asked by one of the audience members how he is able to capture the essence of the story so effectively, I was surprised by his response. Expecting to hear that he spends countless hours holed up in an attic somewhere researching and writing, he shared two things that surprised me:

  1. He writes with a typewriter – a circa ’30s manual typewriter
  2. He sets time aside to think

The first one didn’t surprise me given his age (he was born in 1933). Most writers of his era trained on manual typewriters. Having typed on a manual typewriter before, the thought of having to write extensively on one just sounded like an exercise in frustration. Especially when compared to the quiet and exceedingly convenient MacBook I use.

His second comment caught my attention, however. It had been my assumption that all great writers spend every waking minute writing and re-writing. Yet, McCullough was contending that it was his thinking time that is as, or more important than the time he spends writing. “When I spend time to think,” McCullough explained, “my writing flows.”

As I began to think about what he was saying, the truth of his words became evident. In both points, he was slowing himself down. With the typewriter, it forced him to go slow. It gave him time to read what he was writing while scribbling edits, and with his black ink fountain pen (another relic of that time and the disdain of every left-handed writer, yours truly included).

In creating time to think, he was stopping “the doing” and focusing on “the being.” Suffice to say, I must tip my hat to my partner (and kid sister…) who continues to patiently remind me of this.

Naturally, I turned this reflection onto our work and the work of our clients. How often do we slow ourselves down to think about the business? How often do we ask ourselves the critical questions such as: Where is the business going? What am I aiming for? Does my team truly know what I expect? How will we get there?

The truth is for most businesses, leaders are too caught up in the transaction of the day, the “busy-ness” of business, to slow down and give quality time for these questions. It is just more of the same…put your head down and work harder, not realizing one or several parts of the business are out of alignment with the other. It is akin to driving down the freeway with the parking brake on. Honey, do you smell something burning?

The reality is, slowing down in non-intuitive. It requires substantial intention to time-out and focus inwardly. At Activate Leadership, we call this OTB—On-The-Business time and we harass our clients mercilessly to intentionally schedule time for it.

Anecdotally, I have also noticed it has become increasingly difficult to do this amidst the proliferation of tools and gizmos such as iPad’s, Blackberries and the like, all designed to make our work more effective. As with all things, however, where there is chaos, there is also opportunity.

Taking time out with your team to think about your business and ask the tough questions will undoubtedly go rewarded because of the simple fact that the majority of your competitors are not doing it. In a landscape of dog-eat-dog competition for the same scrap of business, this is a no-brainer that you cannot let get by you.

So, slow down. Think about your business—where it is going and how you and your team would like it to get there. Do this and you will find just how much faster you can drive your business…without the parking brake on!

Rick P. Thomas is President of Activate Leadership, a leadership development consultancy in Washington State. He consults and speaks to organizations across the country, focusing on individual and organizational achievement.