Why These 5 “Inefficient” Strategies Are Secretly Your Fastest Path to Explosive Long-Term Wealth—And Nobody’s Talking About It

When I began structuring our first venture fund in Las Vegas, the advice I kept hearing was familiar: move fast, get it launched and don’t overthink it. The local market wanted momentum, and I was told that delay equals risk. But something about the structure we were being handed didn’t sit right with me.

So I did the opposite of what urgency was demanding. I slowed down. I went back to the University of Arizona, where colleagues had already built multiple funds, and asked them to walk me through how they structured Fund I. We reviewed their documents in detail. I studied what worked and why. Then I came back and said, “We’re not doing it that way. There’s a better approach, and it’s already been proven.”

That delay created durability.

What looks like slow motion early on often becomes the fastest path to scale later. When you reduce resistance, you increase throughput. When you build alignment, you reduce friction. When people are truly aligned, execution accelerates.

Here are five counterintuitive strategies that help you go slow to go fast and build for the long term.

Deep listening is not polite. It is predictive.

Most leaders think they are listening when they are really just waiting to respond. Deep listening is active listening plus one step: interpreting intent. You notice hesitation. You read tone. You connect what is being said to incentives, fears, constraints and goals. That context helps you understand what is actually being communicated, not just what is being said.

I learned how costly the opposite can be by watching a leader who regularly cut people off mid-thought and responded without engaging their point. It weakened trust and left value on the table. People will tell you what matters if you give them space, but they stop if they feel ignored.

In your next key meeting, ask one follow-up question that starts with “Help me understand what is behind that.” If there is a pause, don’t rush to fill it. Let it sit.

Early alignment feels slow until you need speed

Alignment means shared clarity on what you are doing, why you are doing it, how decisions get made and what success looks like. When we built our fund team, we could have moved quickly with a group of highly capable people. But the mission mattered. We are investing to grow the Las Vegas ecosystem, support companies that stay and scale and help diversify the local economy.

If we had brought in people who didn’t care about regional impact, we would have been fighting every decision. That kind of friction kills momentum. Make it practical: Before greenlighting a major initiative, run two questions with stakeholders:

• If this goes wrong, what would still make it worth doing?
• If this succeeds, what must be true for it to count as a win?

Co-creation beats “savior leadership”

If you want speed, stop trying to be the hero. Strong leadership is less “sage on the stage” and more “guide on the side.” You bring people into the process instead of handing down answers. That may feel slower upfront, but it builds ownership, which compounds over time.

In our fund, we could technically make decisions unilaterally. We don’t. We meet weekly as a team to evaluate deals, and we also bring in an advisory group of LPs and operators to pressure-test decisions. That co-creation leads to better thinking and fewer reversals later.

For any strategy you are about to finalize, turn it into a draft and ask, “What would make this easier or stronger to execute?” Implement at least one suggestion.

Reflection prevents expensive mistakes

Busy leaders skip reflection. That is where mistakes compound. Reflection is how you catch misalignment early, before it becomes a structural problem. It is also where intuition gets validated — that quiet sense that something is off before you can fully explain why.

In earlier roles, reflection often only happened on flights because it was the only quiet time available. Today, it is intentional time on walks, workouts or journaling. The format matters less than the discipline. Make it practical: Once a week, ask yourself, “What am I rushing right now that could create problems later?”

Shared vision turns execution into momentum

Ideas become missions only when people see themselves inside them. Shared vision is built through inclusion, repetition and attention to signals in the room. On calls, I pay attention to expressions. If someone looks unsure, I pause and ask. I also make a point of hearing from everyone, not just the loudest voices. Culture is shaped in these small moments. People speak up when they feel safe and seen.

At the end of your next meeting, ask, “What is one risk we are not saying out loud?” Then pause and let someone answer.

Go slow to go fast

When you listen deeply, align early, co-create, reflect and reinforce shared vision, you reduce friction at every step. Execution becomes cleaner. Teams move with less resistance. Growth becomes more durable. It looks slower at first. Then you realize you are the one still moving when everyone else has already stalled or turned around.

When I began structuring our first venture fund in Las Vegas, the advice I kept hearing was familiar: move fast, get it launched and don’t overthink it. The local market wanted momentum, and I was told that delay equals risk. But something about the structure we were being handed didn’t sit right with me.

So I did the opposite of what urgency was demanding. I slowed down. I went back to the University of Arizona, where colleagues had already built multiple funds, and asked them to walk me through how they structured Fund I. We reviewed their documents in detail. I studied what worked and why. Then I came back and said, “We’re not doing it that way. There’s a better approach, and it’s already been proven.”

That delay created durability.