Kitchen Side: How to Move Fast

Listen to the Podcast

In this Kitchen Side episode of The Long Game Podcast, the Omniscient Digital team explores the tension between moving fast and making smart decisions. Speed is often praised in startups and growth environments, but it can lead to thrashing, burnout, and wasted effort when misapplied. Through reflections on agency work, in-house roles, and working with clients, they examine how to balance urgency with focus, and how strategic patience—paired with tactical speed—can create real momentum. They also share real-world SEO and AI examples of teams pivoting too fast, chasing trends, and missing out on compounding gains due to lack of prioritization, alignment, or decisiveness.

Key Takeaways

• Speed ≠ Thrashing: Speed is powerful—but not when it means jumping between tactics without a long-term direction.
• Experimentation Requires Discipline: The best teams move quickly within a defined portfolio of experiments, not across constant strategic shifts.
• AI and SEO Demand New Timelines: Understanding how long it takes to see results from AI Overviews or SEO changes is critical for smart investment.
• Strategic Decisions Need Time: Channel or strategy-level shifts should have space to breathe—tactical pivots can happen faster.
• Avoid Becoming the Bottleneck: Leadership speed often comes down to fast approvals, trust, and timely delegation.
• Portfolio Thinking Beats All-In Bets: High-performing orgs allocate some resources to R&D and experimentation while maintaining core execution.
• Alignment Enables Flow: Teams that communicate clearly and early across departments unlock faster execution and reduce friction.

Show Links

• Connect with David Khim on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Time Stamps

• [00:00] Introduction to the topic of speed and urgency in marketing
• [05:30] Speed as a startup advantage—and its limits
• [12:15] When speed becomes thrashing and slows teams down
• [18:40] Examples of reactive marketing decisions (e.g. Reddit SEO)
• [25:55] Why teams should adopt portfolio thinking for experiments
• [34:10] Timing strategy: when to “wait and see” vs. act immediately
• [41:25] Feedback loops in SEO vs. AI Overviews and how to plan
• [49:00] Tactical vs. strategic decision timelines
• [56:20] How leadership style affects speed and morale
• [01:02:15] “Don’t be the bottleneck”—fast approvals and trust
• [01:08:30] Organizational flow: buy-in, communication, and alignment