I went running on Sunday and I discovered something new that I had never noticed before. Along the path I run every week, there is a box on a post painted with the words “read every day.” I had assumed before this box held newspapers, although I had never seen a newspaper box so far away from a main road. Today I stopped and took a closer look and realized this little box was a little library.

I had actually been talking to my family about these little libraries over Thanksgiving. It was a new concept to me. I had been running by one every week for over a year. I usually see more when I’m running compared to riding a bike or driving a car. Even in this case, I needed to slow down, pay attention and be curious.

In our everyday work lives, we feel the pressure to do more. Sometimes we respond by trying to do more things concurrently. We go fast and skim over the details. We half-listen to conference calls while checking e-mail and shopping online. It takes deliberate effort to slow down and pay attention when there are so many things vying for our time.

An effective leader realizes that those things we decide to participate in deserve our full attention, not just a sliver. She modulates her pace depending on the situation. Sure, there are urgent tasks for which moving fast is the right answer. However, not everything benefits from rushing. I can be one to rush through things that benefit from more time and attention.

I recall a large-scale rewrite project where I was the executive sponsor, and I didn’t follow this advice. I trusted the people who were running this project so my oversight was fast and shallow. I knew our rewrite was going to be tricky, and it was important to the business that we succeed. I didn’t modulate my pace at all during the first four months of the project. I didn’t slow down and start asking hard questions until it was too late. We had invested too much time in the wrong direction and had to pull the plug on the project. ["Rewriting an existing system" is a big topic, and probably worth one or more additional posts.]

I practice this mantra when I’m on conference calls and I’m being briefed on something. It’s easy to be quiet and not ask questions. One tactic I used just last week is active listening, to recap what was said for clarity. For example, “So what I heard you just say is…” In order to do this, I have to slow down and pay attention. And very often I find that when I recap I’m saying something that isn’t quite right and it sparks my curiosity. You can get through almost any call by being quiet. So slow down, pay attention and ask questions. You contribute more, and get more back, when you do.