“He is listed as day-to-day.” This is a term used in sports when there is uncertainty about whether a player will play in an upcoming game. Vin Scully, the late, great play-by-play announcer of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, immortalized this term when he said, “He’s day-to-day, but then again, aren’t we all?”
This quote became top of my mind when I spent time with Harold Dawson, a friend of mine. Both of us know the dash after our birth date to the end date is shrinking. We discussed the topic of urgency. We have a much greater sense of urgency now. We want to make things better for others and know the timeline for doing so is not a long one.
How does a person create the right amount of urgency to get things done? Peter Senge used the term creative tension. This is the space between current reality and needed results. If the goal is set too high, people will shut down. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. If the goal is set too low, the pace needed to achieve the goal will not be fast enough.
Here are a few tips on creating the needed urgency to achieve what matters (at work and in life):
- Connect what is needed to the reason it is needed. In healthcare, the staff take the mission to heal and provide care in a loving manner very seriously. The explanation that motivates them is not around hitting a certain score. It is around living the mission. Connect the action to the values and heart of the work family.
- Make sure good skill-building is in place. People want to achieve their goals. The key is to make sure each person is invested in so they have the skills to achieve the goal.
- Remove barriers. This means spending time with all staff and customers. Ask them, “What are barriers that can be removed so the outcome is achieved?”
- Take time to explain the reason behind your own urgency. When I sold Studer Group, the financial consultants shared with my wife and me how much money we would have at different ages by putting it in investment funds. We both said we prefer to use the dollars to make a difference in people’s lives. We continue to try to do so, and we are driven by a sense of urgency.
What are you doing to make your limited time on Earth meaningful? How do you motivate yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts—and soon—as we are all day-to-day.
