When everything is working in your business, there’s a pace that feels good, a groove or a kind of synchronicity that just seems to naturally flow. But we live in a world of exponentially increasing technology advancements, and keeping up with the pace of change can feel like crossing a red line into confusion and chaos.

The red line is a figurative point of no return, a point in which certainty, and even safety, cannot be assured. It is also a method of removing certain text from a document.

In history, the red line represents a boundary drawn on a map to divide the territory at the end of a war.

Intuitively, going faster will produce better results. But mostly it leads to problems because of a missed detail overlooked in the rush, hidden within the data or, perhaps, right there in plain sight.

This is why, to go faster, we must slow down. To quote the Navy Seals motto: Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

The gauge that measures how many revolutions per minute (RPM) an engine is turning is the tachometer, and a red line on the gauge indicates a point where sustained RPMs are harmful.

It is always good to test the limits and stretch things beyond what is comfortable. It’s how we grow.

Red lines can help us see when we are moving too fast, edit out what is unnecessary and set boundaries.

Most of all, a red line can help us see the problem before it arises. And a problem identified is a problem half solved.