Below are some words of wisdom from my friend Larry Barkan. It was in his email newsletter and I thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy.

I visited a friend the other day. He is a brilliant marketing
strategist who consults with and teaches marketing to companies all
over the world. In just the last month, he has worked in the United
States as well as Egypt, Istanbul and Moscow. I had lunch with him
while he was enjoying a brief respite before going to Paris.

I asked him what he saw as the differences between consulting and
teaching in Europe and Asia versus in the United States.

He said that, in the United States, unlike either Europe or Asia,
he is frequently asked if a four-day seminar can be completed in
two-days. Or, an executive will say to him, “I’ve got an open slot
of half-day at our meeting. What can you do?” Or, he might hear, as
he did from one seminar participant just before the start of a
Monday through Thursday seminar, “I can’t be there on Tuesday and
Wednesday. Will I miss anything?” (To which my friend was tempted
to respond, “Oh no. I always plan for nothing important happening
on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.”)

As someone who has worked in training and development with mostly
United States companies for the last 25 years, I can echo my
friend’s experience. Seemingly, what can’t be done quickly, won’t
be done.

Naturally, we are nostalgic for a simpler, slower time. By
definition, one is nostalgic for what one no longer has.

I believe there is a relationship between our “just do it quickly”
culture and our current problems.

When speed is a high value, it is difficult if not impossible to
consider the long-term consequences of one’s actions (credit
default swaps anyone? How about subprime mortgages?).

When one doesn’t take adequate time to learn what’s important about
a topic (“can you do it in two-days instead of four?”), one can
believe that one knows all one needs to know and will act based on
this faulty assumption.

When one lacks patience to do what’s right, one will do what is
expedient (after all, bonuses depend on it).

In a culture that demands instant “Google” answers, we are
commanded by “ready, fire, aim.”

In the absence of deep, meaningful relationships (“Yes, but I’ve
got 5,000 Facebook friends whom I’ve never met”), we’ll settle for
a consumer rather than a citizen culture.

Just because we can do everything faster doesn’t mean we should do
everything faster. Perhaps it’s time to slow down and really inhale those roses.

Have a great day,
Larry

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