Brad Farris: Slow Down to Speed Up: Why Presence is the Key to Your Team's Productivity

About Brad Farris:

Brad Farris is a trusted leadership advisor for businesses looking to break the $1M barrier and scale to $3M–$5M. He brings 20+ years of experience helping business owners sharpen focus, increase profitability, and build stronger teams. Brad brings decades of experience coaching founders through the common challenges that stall growth, especially when the bottleneck is the leader themselves. His bold but empathetic approach helps founders shift from over-functioning doers to strategic leaders. 

Brad has offered listeners to explore their awareness around being present through this free and easy assessment: https://anchoradvisors.com/self-leadership-assessment/

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Brad Farris discuss:

• The importance of presence in leadership and productivity
• The concept of urgency addiction and its impact on decision-making
• Email and meeting management as reflections of leadership habits
• True listening as a foundation for trust and collaboration
• Self-leadership, reflection, and cultivating flow for creativity

Key Takeaways:

• By slowing down and providing thoughtful, complete responses, email exchanges become shorter and more effective, reducing inbox overwhelm and freeing up time for higher-value work.
• The constant pursuit of speed and urgency can create an addictive cycle that feels rewarding in the moment but ultimately drains creativity, damages collaboration, and weakens relationships.
• Leaders who intentionally restructure their calendars to include fewer or more spacious meetings create the mental space necessary for presence, deeper reflection, and sustained problem-solving.
• Practicing intentional, focused listening helps people feel valued and understood, which not only reduces conflict but also builds trust and empowers teams to act independently and effectively.

"The present moment is the place where we can act… It’s actually kind of a productivity superpower.” — Brad Farris

Connect with Brad Farris:  

Website: https://www.anchoradvisors.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfarris/

Business Growth Phase Assessment: https://anchoradvisors.com/accelerate-your-business-growth/

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Dean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw

Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/

The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/

Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com

Phone: 1-800-926-7370

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