Urgent

Author: Dermot Crowley

How does urgency impact our work and our results? Why all the urgency and reactivity in our workplaces? Why has the pace of work accelerated so much over the past few years? And how do we learn to harness urgency meaningfully to ensure we are doing valuable work, on time, rather than running around in a panicked frenzy? These are all questions we need to explore if we are to harness urgency to propel us forward, instead of fighting against the constant current of urgency which makes progress harder than necessary. Urgency has become a reality in our modern workplaces. Of course, not all urgency is within our control. And not all urgency is bad; some things cannot be planned for. Most of us are in roles that require cross-functional collaboration and are trying to juggle daily issues with initiatives that are more complex than usual. It’s complicated. Take business projects, for example. In an ideal world, a business project is a proactive endeavor that requires no urgency. If you have a clear vision of the outcome you want to achieve, and you planned the project well, and you efficiently estimated the time each activity would take, and everyone did what they were supposed to do when they were supposed to do it, and no unexpected issues or delays arose, and no other work or problem distracted you, and no one fell ill, and the world decided to work for you and not against you, then the project might sail through without the slightest bit of urgency or reactivity. But this is unrealistic. Life is messy. Business projects are complex. People are busy and stressed. Urgency, when used appropriately, can drive progress, build momentum, and help get things done. Urgency helps us overcome inertia and indifference. But if used inappropriately, it can distract us from other important priorities, waste time and resources, and exhaust people. We must expect a certain degree of urgency in life, of course. I don’t mean that we can eradicate urgency, but we can reduce unproductive urgency. This is the urgency that could have been avoided in the first place. The unnecessary urgency that creates stress and slows down work. The urgency that can become a toxic part of your culture, and then becomes the accepted norm.