I would like to add another practical example in favour of the opinion I expressed before in another forum.
Not to insist on the same theme, but actually this is a pattern that becomes clearer the more we think about it.
Anyone who tried at some point to go through the breaking waves to get to the outside, where the waves start to form, will relate to this.
Be it a surfer (my case), bodyboarder, photographer, or those swimmers I regularly see alone in the lineup swimming the entire beach on the shore.
If the waves are big enough, it is like piercing chunks of rubble trying not to be pushed again to the sand (its a lot of whater hitting you back).
When I watch the surf schools with their ducklings playing in the white wash (the case in the picture above), I remind that what really explains the difference in efficiency in passing through the breaking zone of the waves, between them and a more experienced surfer, is not the physical capacity or mental atitude. Its knowing when to do the right thing.
Because, in reality the movements are simple, and any mismanagement costs time and tires you. If you are not being efficient, each wave takes its toll, you start to delay and you find yourself being pulled back instead of going further.
Again, the pattern here is rhythm. Specifically, knowing

• when to dive under the wave coming in front of you
• how deep to dive (the deeper the more effort is spent and more time surfacing again, but going shallow can mean being pulled back)
• when under the wave, knowing when to point up again to resurface (there is a moment when you can use the rolling motion of the wave to pull you quicker with little effort)

This may seem a lot of detail, but when you are doing something many times (going through waves in this case, or sprinting your project), you multiply those little costs by that number. And in the end, you want to reach the outside and still have energy and attitude to enjoy surfing (or whatever goal you want to achieve).
After more than 11 years at this, I find that the bigger waves allow me more time to relax when resurfacing (the only time when I am motionless) and that, between waves, when the common sense used to tell me to rush in and sprint, I take my time and paddle slowly to breathe calmly and keep energy.
It is rhythm that makes this work efficiently.
I like this situation because it provides a clear and objective assessment of efficiency and the factors that can undermine it. In the end, you either got to the outside and surfed or not. Just that simple.
In project management, less efficiency means more resources spent than those needed. But, as in these examples, we may have clear indicators of performance and giving the adequate time to do the right thing (rhythm or discipline) will result in more efficient use of resources and talent.Once again, it is much more than just speed. 
Just like learning to play a musical instrument, rushing your way won’t get you there so soon.
Try to speed through the breaking waves next time and check that for yourself!

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This article was originaly posted on LinkedIn at September 19, 2018.

A post of Greg McKeown reminded me of something I had learned recently.
When I was trying to play a violin for the first few times, I struggled to make progress and got frustrated after some weeks.
I was only reproducing simple melodies in open strings focusing on using the bow on the right strings.
Despite my efforts, when comparing to the same score recorded by a professional violinist, the difference was staggering.
I was rushing the notes on top of each other, the sound felt more like a scratch while the recording played smooth and pleasant notes and transitions between strings. The recording sounded like water flowing in a small stream. I sounded like an angry wounded cat.
When I started using a metronomer to set the rhythm, the difference was overwhelming. The time for each note allowed me to move the bow in a constant speed, the tempo set the correct speed of the bow, and it turned easier to understand if the bow direction was correct because of its influence on the pitch of the note.

I started making quicker progress while putting in less effort, because I disciplined my effort under the adequate rhythm.

But I had a very hard time putting my need for speed and natural tendency to rush in check. That required discipline and focus.
This reminded me that the same principle can be applied in management. If we only focus on speed, the wrong direction and the lack of rhythm (or discipline) can undermine our progress. If we can find the propper rhythm of work, and manage to put the speed under the discipline of the right rhythm, we should be able to achieve more in a more natural way, therefore with less effort and struggle, in the direction we set ourselves to.

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This article was originaly posted on LinkedIn at September 15, 2018.