Urgency
“Urgency” is a word that I heard twice last week in separate conversations. And it’s no wonder, right? So many reasons why things feel urgent right now:
- Economy – we are collectively still stumbling out of a global economic coma.
- Physical health – we don’t have a vaccine for Covid-19, cases are up in 40 states in the US.
- Work from home – the lines between work and home have blurred for many of us; it’s 24/7 ZOOM.
There is a sense of urgency for companies too:
- Customers are learning new ways of shopping, working, and limiting their social distance.
- The consensus is that the future will be different. It’s time to “move” and “adapt”.
- Companies too arrogant or slow to react will lose market share or worse.
Hot Sauce
Brandon Smith, a good friend and mentor, wrote The Hot Sauce Principle: How to Live and Lead in a World Where Everything is Urgent All of the Time (affiliate link) to help us think through urgency. He likens it to hot sauce which can liven and accentuate a dish. Or if used unsparingly, completed nuke our taste buds and ruin our appetite.
Smith has spent the last 20 years coaching 1,000+ executives, and he describes urgency as “creating an intentional state of discomfort“. See my marked up pages below.
This caught my attention and rang in my ear for a few reasons:
- Intentional: Not by accident, not because you procrastinated, not because someone pressured you.
- State of discomfort: That already sounds inconvenient, unpleasant, and painful.
- Paradox: How much urgency is enough? How much is too much?
My urgency journey
This book hits home. There are several big projects I have planned over the next 6 months. There is no way that they will get done well unless I “create an intentional state of discomfort”. In many ways, I told me students that remote work/learning is a HUGE fight with yourself. That also holds true for me.
Three questions for me. . .
Across the 9 chapters, there are 35+ key questions to consider and work through. Some of the ones that I found most thought-provoking, and homework for myself – as a teacher, consultant, and leader:
- When has urgency been a motivator for you to grow and change in your life?
- Are you guilty of putting hot sauce on everything, or do you regularly prioritize?
- What are the areas that deserve greater urgency?
How well do you harness “urgency” if your work and life?
Big fan of the book. It follows 3 different narratives. Easy-to-read, easy-to-get. For those managing teams, this would be a good tool to set culture, boundaries, and operating principles. The Hot Sauce Principle: How to Live and Lead in a World Where Everything is Urgent All of the Time (affiliate link)