I may not be the best cook, but even I know that adding spices, herbs, flavouring of any kind to a dish is key to it’s flavour. Too little and the dish is bland, too much and you’ve overpowered it. It’s a balancing act.
So too is knowing when to treat something as urgent.
Without any sense of urgency in the workplace, you convey a dispassionate attitude to your peers and clients that can often be mistaken as one of not caring.
Too much urgency and you’ll burn out, you’ll be a horror to work with and your focus will suffer without direction.
So how do we get the balancing act right?
Well, first you’ve got to figure out what in your job requires urgency. For someone in my field (a property manager) something that requires a “sense of urgency” might be an application on a property that’s vacant, maintenance relating to lack of heating or a water leak, a new business enquiry or a customer complaint.
Secondly, you’ve got to be able to act with a sense of urgency without losing your professionalism. There’s no point understanding your “sense of urgency” if you can’t work at your optimum level as soon as a situation goes from “normal busy” to “urgent”.
Thirdly, you’ve got be able to prioritise/delegate and communicate around whatever is just under “urgent” (or has been pushed to the side by “urgent”) so that when the urgent matter is dealt with, nothing important has been missed.
I’ve often reflected on that old adage that I’d rather work a day with someone who has the right attitude than the right capability – but recently i’ve found a new type of individual i’d prefer to work with.
I would rather work with someone who understands when to light a fire, when to get into gear and when to snap on their “sense of urgency” mentality than someone who is cool, calm and collected at all times.
When do you require a sense of urgency?