Counter-Intuitive

Last weekend, while coaching my son's baseball team, one of our pitchers asked me about some of my coaching advice to him.  I had been advising him that he needed to slow his body down to maintain more control and pitch better.

He listened and went on to pitch his best game of the year.  After the game, he asked me if the speed of his pitches stayed up when he slowed down.  I told him that not only did he maintain his speed, he actually increased it.  His response, "Huh.  Weird."

It's counter-intuitive to think that if I slow myself down, the result will speed up.  It's one of the things that makes pitching so hard.

I've learned that, most often, counter-intuitive is the key to success.

• Want to speed up the sales cycle?  Don't go to the close it too fast.

• Want to increase your sales?  Focus less on "selling."

• Want people to think you are the best?  Don't talk about yourself.

• Want more control?  Delegate more.

What are some of the counter-intuitive lessons that you've learned?