Combatting Urgency Overload

Brandon Smith is an Adjunct Faculty in the Practice of Management Communication at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and author of “The Hot Sauce Principle: How to Live and Lead in a World Where Everything Is Urgent All of the Time”. He is the founder of the website “The Workplace Therapist” – a resource dedicated to eliminating dysfunction at work, improving workplace health and restoring a sense of optimism and hope. Brandon has consulted numerous Fortune 100 organizations and leading individuals – and has been featured in Market Watch, Nasdaq, and Wall Street Journal.  

 

He joined The Goizueta Effect Podcast to discuss how we can live and lead in a world ruled by urgency – and put ourselves back in charge. As he states in his book,we are in the middle of an urgency epidemic. More and more, people find themselves in an environment that cuts them no slack, provides no respite, and is ever pushing them on. We’ll talk about the history of urgency in our culture and how things have changed over time. We’ll discuss when urgency is necessary and how you can apply it in just the right amount to bring out the best in your work and home life. And when uncontrolled urgency strikes, we’ll give you tips and best practices to protect and bring balance to yourself and your loved ones.  

 

Uncontrolled Urgency  

Urgency is a lot like hot sauce. When applied in the right amounts, both urgency and hot sauce can create focus and add flavor, but too much can easily overwhelm the consumer. When people and organizations face too much urgency, chaos and confusion ensues – and productivity decreases.  

 

What’s the History of Urgency and What Forces Drive It? 

Urgency has always been part of the human condition and is necessary for survival, change, and growth. However, in recent years, we’ve seen a major uptick.  Over the last 10 to 15 years, there have been two leading factors at play.  

 

First, through the advent of technology and the smart phone, many workers are “accessible” all of the time and the natural boundaries between work and life have eroded. Second, many organizations feel pressured to transform and produce more with less. With most organizations lacking strong bench strength paired with the constant availability of workers, teams are at a breaking point.  

 

Trust Before Urgency: A Key Component  

When you're creating urgency, you're intentionally creating a state of discomfort. Essentially, urgency is anxiety. To use this tool effectively, trust is essential.  

 

In “The Hot Sauce Principle: How to Live and Lead in a World Where Everything Is Urgent All of the Time”, Brandon Smith has created the following trust formula: [authenticity + vulnerability] * credibility = trust.  

 

If credibility goes to zero, there is no trust. To earn credibility, consistency and responsiveness are key. Authenticity and vulnerability are also extremely important, so leaders need to get comfortable being more transparent.   

 

Tips and Best Practices for Responding to Uncontrolled Urgency  

Too much urgency creates chaos. Overusing urgency causes a loss in productivity and creates burnout.  

 

In order to reduce urgency, it’s import for leaders and team to make urgent items more visib