"Let's wait on that" Really??

Book review Wait: The art and science of delay by Frank Partnoy

It seems that social science continues to have a lot to say to leaders. The book Wait by Frank Partnoy is one of the social science books leaders need to consider reading. This book informs us about what makes waiting important and when it hinders us from being effective. Both of these notions are critical to supporting our organizations.

Partnoy provides us with many research studies to support his ideas. The book introduces us to the science of waiting through studies of athletes. He discusses the research on athletes who have the least amount of time to interpret the situation and react: baseball and tennis. In both of these sports the play is very fast and the time to engage with the ball is measured in milliseconds. What Partnoy reports from the studies on the elite athletes is that eye to ball recognition time does not vary much among good athletes, what does vary is the time to engage and activate muscle response. Elite athletes can engage and activate muscles more quickly and accurately than lower performing competitors, allowing them more time to judge the ball. If an athlete can wait a little longer, even in milliseconds, it is easier to determine a slight change in the ball trajectory. Waiting matters, it shows up in the game when it counts the most.

On the other side of the discussion of waiting sits procrastination. We worry about procrastination in our society. Partnoy points out the number of books, programs, and management consultants that focus on helping leaders overcome procrastination. The ideas coming from these sources are ways to accelerate decision making so you can move to the next decision or project. Speed is king. While procrastination can be a problem for an individual, Partnoy suggests that quick is not usually better. What makes a better decision is identifying when the decision really needs to be made and holding out until that time arrives. Using all the available time allows a leader to know everything there is to know on the subject. A slight twist in the trajectory can make all the difference when an organization is flying through the marketplace.

While reading this book I was reminded frequently of the decision making in a medical practice. The physician owners were fully engaged in the business; studied market changes, reviewed financial reports, and passionate about the topics at hand. Decisions were difficult, taking a long time to work through the details and consensus process. As an administrative leader I would sometimes get impatient and want to move things along quicker. Partnoy’s book has made me rethink this dynamic. As long as information is changing, and a decision point in time has not been missed, it is better to wait. With that being said, once the decision is made the organization needs speed for moving forward with the plan. Like the elite athlete with lightening speed muscle reactions, the organization needs to engage and execute. Wait and then strike with precision. Sounds like an action film.