John Kotter, a well-known change expert, defines urgency as a combination of thinking, attitudes, and behaviours. Urgency is a hyper-alertness and represents a commitment to addressing an important issue that suddenly arises, whether inside or outside of the organization. When organizational leaders are disconnected from the external world, their followers are insulated from external threats to organizational success and thus disconnected from the internal operational elements of the organization, resulting in organizational inertia.
Any organization that lacks a sense of urgency loses to organizational inertia, the status quo, and complacency. Once this condition takes hold, the organization enters a decline and ultimately faces a state of demise. An example of a leader expressing a sense of urgency was Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, in 1863 just prior to the Battle of Gettysburg. Not a professional soldier but a college professor prior to the Civil War, he eloquently stated, “Men, I think if we lose this battle, we lose the war.”
While most people may not know the history, Chamberlain’s courageous stand on the hilltop named Little Round Top on the second day of the battle is credited with saving the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg. His courage and ability to influence the behaviour of his men are lessons for us all and frame the core of the US Army’s leadership development credo “Be-Know-Do.”
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.