Lately I’ve been thinking about the speed at which I get things done. Ever since I can remember I’ve always finished my tests, dinner, homework, projects faster than most of my peers. My two sons were commenting to me that they also finish earlier than their peers in class. Which got me thinking, why do some people have a sense of urgency or speed vs others?
I did a Google search on “Sense of Urgency” and found John Kotter’s video Sense of Urgency Interview
Kotter talks about getting something done everyday. I’ve worked for some very big organizations over my career, and I think this latter statement maybe the most important. There are many people within an organization that are happy with the status quo and are complacent. Complacency is thriving in our society today, everyone feels like their employer or government owes them something just for living. Well, ”everyone get s a trophy” youth organizations, no one fails, and child psychologists promoting “competition is bad” propaganda has killed the winning spirit within American organizations. Kotter talks about winning and organizations must be alert and recognize the current rate of change and be ready to win. If one just plays to play, where’s the urgency?
I’ve taken on my one man mission on complacency. When ever I receive poor service or exceptional service, I speak with a manager or email the company. When I receive poor service I ask for a coupon or discount on my order and 99% of the time receive a rebate of some sort.
What are you going to get DONE today?
