A profound truth depicted from Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run defines a sense of urgency powerfully.
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle- when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”
A critical component that distinguishes the growth-oriented segment of the workforce from the rest of them is- a sense of urgency. Success in any endeavour comes through a sense of urgency.
Individuals with a sense of urgency make things happen. They do not wait for orders. They take ownership of the outcome to be created and start going at it even when no one is watching.
For the uninitiated, a sense of urgency looks like an act that happens at a critical moment in life situations. For the self-initiated leader, the very act becomes the essence of the moment to perform their best every moment of their time.
Before we discuss how to create a sense of urgency at the workplace, let’s a peek at some of the world’s best leaders:
Henry Ford decided to make a V8 engine in one block. The technology and mechanism were complex and didn’t exist on the face of the earth. The best of the engineers in Ford Motors didn’t believe it was possible and told Mr. Ford that it was impossible. Henry Ford had a sense of urgency that percolated inside the team and made the impossible possible in just over one year.
Steve Jobs is not an innovator. He had a tremendous sense of urgency that made the seemingly impossible possible.
History has many such examples that exemplify the quality of a sense of urgency. To quote recent times, Elon Musk is a powerful leader with a sense of urgency. He is not an innovator but has to passion to pursue his vision for the world. Have a look around in your life, and you will distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary. The perspective will be priceless for your growth.
“Facts are not what made the impossible possible. A sense of urgency transcends every seeming fact that may counter the desired outcome.”
An individual with this quality positively influences the people around him.
The six ways
- Leadership with a drive to Succeed: A leader can be the promoter of the organization or the management team or the team lead of a group of employees. When the leader has the will to get things done the culture percolates within the team. Enthusiasm is a by-product of a tremendous sense of urgency. Critical thinking, growth mindset, solution-oriented approach, and ownership all stem from one source- a sense of urgency. The team is a reflection of a leader, and it is furthermore important that the leader has a strong drive to succeed.
- Stick to timelines: Valuing one’s word is a powerful value system. Once you have committed to a deadline, stick to it no matter what. Living on the edge of time creates possibilities that didn’t exist earlier in the mind. Pushing the deadline to a further date may be an acceptable culture. But this may not bring the quality of work that may come out of sticking to committed deadlines.
- Reward and Recognise Excellence: Every step is a step towards success. Acknowledge the contribution of the people who reflect excellence. Mentor and enable them to grow professionally and constantly increase the pace of work which brings the best in them. Build the people, and people will build the business.
- Consistency of Growth of the Organization: The workforce will feel pride in the growth of the organization they work in. It is the responsibility of the leadership to ensure consistent growth that keeps their workforce motivated at all times. People tend to contribute more where they perceive the possibility of financial and professional growth is numerous and their contribution is appreciated.
- Lead by Example: A sense of urgency is not a one-man show. The quality may emerge even from your team member. It is of vital importance that a manager can acknowledge the personality trait of the employee and create the same in others through him or her. And thereby he can bring the best out of his team and himself.
- Delegate Ownership and Responsibility: The best way to create leadership quality is to trust and delegate work to their team. Ownership creates urgency from within. The leader need not always push the team to make things happen. A sense of ownership makes people feel responsible for their work. They feel empowered to be more and do more. A sense of urgency creeps into the mindset of the team delegated with work and trust of their leader.
Organizations with a sense of urgency are driven by a strong vision and are committed to excellence. If you are an employee of an organization, you may choose to start with a sense of urgency on your own. It is a personality trait that transforms into a respectable work ethic that takes you places. Nobody is going to push you to be a leader unless you choose to be one. A leader with a sense of urgency is what the world is looking forward to in plenty. Be One!