Your Sense of Urgency - Redux, And for Good Reason :-)

I thought it would be a good time to again share the podcast I did with legendary Dr. John Kotter last November about his book, A Sense of Urgency. I love a distinction he makes in the book that matches my experience as a management consultant very well - that we are not necessarily on the same page about what a sense of urgency IS and what it is NOT.

I see:

• People who think long hours in the office indicate sense of urgency.
• People who think a frenetic pace demonstrates a sense of urgency.
• People who think "putting it on my calendar for discussion next week," shows urgency.
• People who think putting items on an action plan somehow magically makes these items a priority.

Of course, none of these are good indicators of a focused sense of urgency.

I got thinking about this topic after a short car ride with another OD professional. As we discussed various work-related topics, I got the impression that he and I had vastly different notions about what it meant to make something a priority. Neither of us are right, by the way, we just have different perspectives. And because we don't work directly together, the differences are OK.

This is important to think about this because I bet that you could find a broad range of perspectives about what it means to demonstrate a sense of urgency and which tasks should be top priority inside your organization. These intra-organizational or intra-team variances make a HUGE difference that can wreck focus and results, especially if they come from team members who work closely together.

So what's the solution? You will be well served to take the time to talk about what a sense of urgency is and is not, and the projects and tasks that you feel deserve immediate, focused, and vigorous attention. Be specific, paint the picture, talk about time lines, and then demonstrate the level of urgency you seek.

And to get you in the mood and started, check out this conversation with Dr. John Kotter. I think you will enjoy this podcast and that it will give you a few great ideas for how to enliven a sense of urgency in your organization.

What is compelling enough for you and your team to do right now? And do well? And do with vigor? And what's important enough for you shove other things aside? And in what ways might you need to demonstrate courage to catalyze a renewed sense of urgency for an important project?

Comments

[Debashish Brahma]

There are four types of managers.
High Energy , High Focus they are called
Purposeful Managers
High Energy, Low Focus called Distractors Managers.
Low energy, High focus called Disengaged Managers .
Low Energy and Low Focus called Procrastinators.
The Sense of Urgency can work very will for three categories of Managers.

With Warm Regards,