There’s a certain pride in being fast.

Fast to respond.
Fast to decide.
Fast to fix.
Fast to move.

In school leadership, speed can feel like strength.

You’re the one who keeps things moving.
You’re the one who handles it.
You’re the one who doesn’t drop the ball.

But here’s the uncomfortable question:

Are you proud of your pace — or trapped by it?

Because pace has a way of shifting from strategy to identity.
And once that happens, slowing down can start to feel like weakness.

When Speed Becomes Self-Worth

Hustle culture doesn’t just influence schedules.
It shapes belief.

I’ve fallen into this trap more often than I care to admit.

When my confidence dips, speed can feel like a solution. I start chasing the usefulness high.

Answer the email.
Solve the problem.
Take something off someone’s plate.

And for a moment it works.

By doing things for others, I start to feel capable again. Needed. Valuable.

But that feeling can be misleading.

Because when usefulness becomes the source of your confidence, it’s easy to start measuring your leadership by how quickly you respond rather than how clearly you lead.

The work feels noble.
But sometimes it’s just insecurity moving fast.

The Cost of Constant Motion

When pace becomes the default, three things quietly erode.

First, you lose margin to think.
Strategic leadership requires reflection, but constant motion eliminates space.

Second, your team mirrors your urgency.
Culture forms around what leaders model, not what they say.

And third, speed stops being questioned.
Fast becomes normal.
And normal becomes invisible.

One Strategic Shift

Before responding immediately to something non-critical, pause.

Ask yourself:

Does this actually require urgency?
Am I moving fast out of habit?
What would steady look like here?

Leadership isn’t proven by how fast you move.

It’s proven by what endures.

The strongest leaders aren’t always the fastest.

They’re the most intentional.

Slow Leadership Is a Practice — Not a Post.

If this resonated with you, you don’t need more noise. You need steadiness.

If you’re ready to go deeper:

→ Principal in Balance
Practical strategies for leading well at work and living well beyond it.

→ Bring This Conversation to Your Team
Keynotes and workshops that challenge hustle culture and build sustainable leadership systems.

→ Leadership Coaching
For leaders ready to move from impressive to sustainable.

Have a Leadership Question?

The real work of leadership isn’t tidy. If you’re carrying something — a tension, a doubt, a hard decision — you can ask here.

Big or small. Named or anonymous.

I won’t pretend to have every answer. But I will meet you with clarity, practical thinking, and steady reflection.

Submit your question here: Question for Dr. Cabeen