One of the most important things for entrepreneurs learning to be managers and leaders is to learn not to rush.

It’s always tempting to rush, especially in a startup setting.  There’s always too much to do, not enough time to do it, and taking the time to thrash through management issues can seem like a waste of time.

You might be thinking, “How do I end this meeting as quickly as possible and get people back to work?  The clock is ticking!”  But while this mindset might make sense for individual contributors, it’s disastrous for a manager.

Always make sure that you leave enough time for management.  Don’t overschedule.  Don’t rush.  It may seem like a waste of time in the short term, but in the long run, it’s actually more efficient.

Let’s say that you’re meeting with your team, and you don’t schedule enough time to resolve the issues facing you.  As time runs out, you’ll probably say something like, “Good discussion folks, but we’re out of time.  Here’s what we’re going to do.”

The immediate effect is that your team gets back to work with specific instructions.

But the long-term effect can be fatal.  What you’ve done is to train both you and your people that talking about issues is a waste of time, because in the end, you’ll just make the call, and people will have to do what you say.

Management is not about getting things done.  Management is about helping others get things done.  The only way to do that is to give it the time it deserves.