Urgency as a Construct

Urgency often drives actions in the workplace, but without careful reflection, it can become a construct that misguides priorities and creates unnecessary stress. By focusing on clarity, alignment, and intentionality, we can redefine urgency as a tool that serves us, rather than a constant state that controls us.

Published on October 27, 2024•By Joey Davis

Deadlines, quick turnarounds, and immediate responses. We often celebrate these as markers of efficiency and effectiveness (even in the absence of meaningful or impactful work). After taking a recent Caliper assessment, I had a thoughtful exploration on the topic of urgency as a trait. Low urgency might be perceived as an indication of a lack of drive, ambition, or ability to deliver—none of which I lack. If we look at it more deeply, we see something different—an opportunity to question what urgency really means and whether it's a construct serving us or controlling us.

Urgency vs. Purpose

When we talk about urgency, we're often referring to the drive to act quickly, to address what's in front of us immediately. But if everything becomes urgent, then nothing is. What we really need, I believe, is a greater emphasis on purpose. Instead of rushing to meet every demand, we should be focused on understanding the why behind our actions.

Urgency can become a habit—a reflexive reaction to arbitrary deadlines or societal pressure to stay busy. But in reality, some tasks deemed urgent may not truly merit that label. Urgency is a label that should follow from analysis and be both rational and explainable. Without these necessary drivers, we end up running in circles, driven by an irrationality that we can't explain. We've excluded a critical step where we reflect on what really matters to us or to the organization. This is where being intentional about what is in front us comes into play.

For me, purpose serves as a better guiding principle. It allows us to zoom out, to see the broader context and evaluate the long-term implications of our actions. For example, zooming out might involve considering how a specific task contributes to a quarterly objective or the organization's mission as a whole. This perspective helps us ask, "Is this worth the sprint?" and "Does this align with the larger vision we're trying to achieve?" By anchoring actions in purpose, we can take deliberate steps forward rather than running simply because the clock says we should.

Urgency Is Relative

Another realization I've come to is that urgency is inherently relative. What's urgent for one person or group might be trivial for another. This relativity suggests that urgency isn't an absolute measure of importance, but rather a construct shaped by context and perspective.

It often seems like most people simply infer urgency based on pressures from others. A quick deadline or an immediate ask can create an emotional pressure to react in real-time, even if it's not justified. Instead of driving urgency arbitrarily, I try to approach tasks with clarity and intentionality in my work, assessing the value and impact before rushing into action. I have a bias for action and experimentation, which allows me to learn and adapt quickly without compromising on thoughtful or data-driven decision-making. Experimenting with incomplete information in a controlled environment gives us critical data for evaluating the unknowns.

We must resist the knee-jerk reaction to label everything as urgent. Instead, we should aim to ask: Does postponing this task affect our strategic objectives? If it doesn't, then it may actually detract from items that do need immediate attention and affect our strategic objectives. Are there dependencies that could create a significant bottleneck if delayed? These might have a higher urgency since the consequences of inaction would be significant. These questions help differentiate urgency from noise and prevent unnecessary distractions.

Rethinking Efficiency and Effectiveness

Low urgency doesn't have to mean low productivity. In fact, there's a case to be made that it leads to better, more thoughtful outcomes. When we're not constantly in a state of reacting to urgency, we have the space to be intentional with our choices, giving attention to what genuinely moves the needle. In my experience, a record of high impact and value delivery has demonstrated this.

There's a concept I find interesting: the idea of sustained productivity. It suggests that by not treating every task as an emergency, we can devote our best energy and focus to the most meaningful work that leads to consistent delivery across sustained effort. This is the goal that we should return to again and again. It's about understanding that effectiveness isn't always tied to unsustainable speed at high costs, and that efficiency should be driven by impact rather than a false sense of immediacy.

The Construct of Urgency in Leadership

As a leader, I've come to see the implications of urgency on a broader scale. If leaders drive urgency without intention, it can create an unsustainable culture of stress and reactivity that benefits no one. People end up prioritizing speed over quality, or worse, burnout becomes a norm. A leader might view urgency as a way of getting work done effectively and spare no expense in the process. For the people on the ground and in middle management, the disconnect between this leader and the actual work being done becomes increasingly apparent.

This is where leaders need to recognize that urgency is a tool, not a constant state. By using urgency selectively and aligning it with meaningful goals, leaders can foster an environment where people feel empowered to act decisively without compromising their well-being or foregoing other necessary actions or requirements. The key is to understand when urgency is truly warranted and to communicate the why clearly, ensuring alignment across all levels of the organization. If something is unable be explained clearly with supporting data that reflects reality, then we may not actually understand the matter enough to determine if the urgency is valid.

Leadership approaches to urgency significantly affect organizational culture. Leaders who drive urgency without clear purpose often create a reactive work environment, leading to inefficiency and burnout. Studies suggest that aligning urgency with clear goals and communicating its rationale is crucial for sustaining productivity and well-being in the workplace^{1 2 3}.

In my work, I strive to cultivate a culture where urgency is paired with purpose. Where quick action is taken not just because it's expected, but because it's genuinely the right step forward. A culture that understands that it's okay—sometimes even necessary—to pause, recalibrate, and reconsider.

Moving with Intention

Studies have showed that urgency influences decision-making through psychological mechanisms, which can lead to problematic behaviors when individuals act rashly under perceived urgency ². Furthermore, there is evidence that workplace stress, often exacerbated by perceived urgency, has a detrimental impact on productivity³. Tasks perceived as urgent may not actually contribute to productivity. Properly categorizing tasks using decision matrices like the Eisenhower Matrix can allow individuals to better distinguish genuinely urgent matters from distractions, thus improving productivity and mental well-being ⁴.

Reflecting on urgency as a construct allows us to shift our focus from automatically responding to external pressures to responding with intention. When we revisit urgency, it's not about eliminating it altogether, but reframing it within the context of what's truly important.

For me, urgency should be reserved for moments that genuinely require quick, decisive action—when stakes are clear, risks are real, and impact is significant. Outside of those moments, what's more important is maintaining clarity, alignment, and a sense of purpose. In my journey, I'm learning to recognize when urgency is warranted and when it's a construct imposed by external forces or even my own habits. By doing so, I'm able to prioritize what matters most and stay grounded in what I believe in—moving with intention that drives impact.

Final Thoughts

If urgency is a construct, then it's something we have the power to deconstruct and rebuild with intention. It's about choosing where to direct our energy and focus, aligning actions with purpose rather than pressure. This shift doesn't diminish ambition; instead, it makes it more thoughtful, deliberate, and ultimately more impactful.

After all, progress isn't just about speed; it's about direction. And moving in the right direction—at the right pace—is what truly drives meaningful growth.

@article{joeydavisme2024urgency-as-a-construct,
  author = {Joey Davis},
  title = {Urgency as a Construct},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {joeydavis.me},
  url = {https://joeydavis.me/urgency-as-a-construct},
}