Are we so risk-averse that we are
actually inhibiting our own progress?
We analyze, assess, review, meet, discuss,
email, meet again, document… all in the name of due diligence. And then we promptly
fail on implementation. We spend so much time and effort ensuring that our next
step is the right one we actually fail to take the step!
This is due to the lack of Urgency!
Without a sense of urgency, we lack
passion, inspiration, energy and we fail to inspire in others a sense of urgency.
Without inspiration people become complacent, lackluster becomes evident in their
production and deliverables, efforts to implement new initiatives become half-hearted
attempts that are doomed to fail at launch or at best, very poor participation
and adoption.
We start initiatives such as implementing a
new process or introducing new software and by the time we have completed the
“due diligence,” we've lost momentum, enthusiasm and the sense of urgency, all
of which are critical to the success of implementation.
I’m not encouraging anyone to start an
initiative without looking into the details before jumping in with both feet,
you do have to make sure it’s the right fit. However, far too often I see
initiatives or implementations fail because there is no sense of urgency,
meetings get pushed, information is slow to come in and development of a
comprehensive report can take months.
I am advocating for speeding up the process
by setting deadlines, milestones and instilling a sense of urgency.
With today’s evolving technology its
prudent not to agree to a long-term commitment, if you are not planning to review
your position again in 12 to 18 month you are doing yourself, and your company
a dis-service (that’s another topic).
Research, review, ask for recommendations
and make a decision, then initiate. It will succeed only if you have the belief
and the enthusiasm to fully implement the initiative…with your sense of Urgency!
And I kept this post short so I can get
back to some urgent business!
Scott I disagree, in the part of the world where i work (Hong Kong)the sense of urgency is well present and possibly at the opposite extreme. Everything is urgent and it's urgent now. So urgent that it lose it's sense of urgency because of the lack of non-urgency to compare urgency with....
ReplyDeleteYes, your absolutely right. A continuous sense of urgency can create the opposite effect, especially when it is continued over a prolonged period of time. Thanks for the comment. In this case the urgency should shift to managing workload and creating efficiency.
ReplyDelete