No one is a stranger to urgency, we live with it everyday.
However, a leader must be a steward of the urgent for it is high octane fuel that can fuel a destructive firestorm or fuel a great enterprise and dream.
The wise leader is looking at urgency from two perspectives:
- Where we are
- Where we need to go
Truth be known, most people are feeling urgent about something pretty much everyday.
You know the drill, “urgent” sales and drives sales.
That’s why the headlines scream at us creating a sense of urgency that keeps us up at night.
We feel a sense of urgency while waiting in line at the drive-through at our favorite coffee shop, and we feel a sense of urgency as we tentatively open the report from the medical test we had a few days ago.
Soon it all gets a little blurry with almost everything being urgent.
But you…the leader know what really matters. You know where our attention needs to be focused. You know where we ought to be directing our energy and concern. An thus…
You create a sense of urgency that is focused on where we need to go.
It’s the parent lovingly and patiently keeping their child focused on life after the pimples, proms, and preparing term papers.
It’s the pastor pointing out the shortness of life and the longness of eternity and the fact that many of his parishioners family and friends are absent from the community of faith.
It’s the boss explaining that the pace of change is so fast that if she and her team do not continue to grow and adapt they (and the company) will be obsolete before they have time to retire and enjoy the benefits of all their hard work.
It is you saying to yourself, “Self! Get your attention off today’s drama and focus on where I want to go with my life.”
The ONE THING for today: Urgency is a necessary ingredient for a directed life, but it must be directed too.
The ONE THING 