Move fast doesn't mean be sloppy.

Be willing to improve as you go.

We all fear turning in work that’s not perfect, but the solution isn’t to spend hours moving in the wrong direction. Instead of spending days polishing a project alone, overcome the fear by aiming to get a rough version to about 60% completion and then ask for a quick gut-check from a peer or your manager.

Seek early feedback and communicate through the messy middle of a project to build your professional confidence. As you move up, projects become more complex, and you won’t always have the answers upfront.

Moving fast doesn’t mean being sloppy; it means to be willing to improve as you go. When you share an early version, frame it clearly by saying, “Before I finish the final details, let me know...do the main ideas I mapped out align with your vision?” This approach lowers the pressure on you and gives your manager a chance to offer course-correction while changes are still easy to make. You’ll quickly find that being a fast learner who iterates adds more valuable than being a slow work who tries to get it right the first time.

Put these approaches into practice.

Let’s look at practical ways to share work when it’s roughly 60% complete to get a gut-check from stakeholders.