A Sense of Urgency, Categorising Adopters and More.
A Sense of Urgency · John P.Kotter · 2008
Throughout my career, I've experienced moments where I felt like I was going mad—frustrated by a lack of urgency in organisations that couldn't afford such complacency. This book is more than therapy - it offers practical advice on how to instil a sense of urgency into an organisation.
Highlights
The world is changing at an accelerating pace, and organisations must cultivate a true sense of urgency to thrive. Complacency, marked by satisfaction with the status quo, and false urgency, characterised by frenetic activity without clear purpose, are barriers to seising opportunities and addressing critical challenges.
True urgency is a powerful force that propels focused action. It arises from a deep conviction that the most important goals are attainable with swift, intelligent effort. Leaders foster genuine urgency by confronting external realities, behaving with speed and determination, harnessing crises wisely, and neutralising those who block progress.
To spur true urgency, leaders first bring the outside in. This means exposing people to competitor advances, customer frustrations, or evolving industry trends so they can't dismiss real-world signals. Honest insights from frontline staff, raw customer feedback, or even a simple new data point can highlight the urgency to adapt. Hiding negative information only feeds complacency; surfacing it, handled maturely, prompts engagement and fresh thinking.
Next, leaders must act with urgency themselves. They skip pointless rituals, meet important requests right away, and show passion for results. This isn't about driving people to exhaustion or rushing mindlessly; it's about demonstrating that there's no time to waste on mediocrity. Words alone are hollow if everyday behaviours undermine the message. By modelling focus and responsiveness, leaders create an environment where procrastination, endless meetings, and dithering look out of place.
A third tactic is to seek opportunities within crises. While crises can devastate if mishandled, they can also shake up inertia and rally an organisation around a shared goal. Rather than delegating crises to "damage control" experts, wise leaders use these moments to confront core issues, remove bureaucratic barriers, and build a more responsive structure. Careful planning and honest communication avert blind panic, turning potential chaos into a catalyst for renewal.
NoNos—chronic naysayers who block progress—must be neutralised or removed. They differ from healthy sceptics, who can eventually be convinced by evidence. NoNos resist change at every turn, raising endless objections and sowing doubt. Co-opting or ignoring them seldom works; they'll drain momentum from the sidelines or sabotage discussions. Distraction, reassignment, or, if necessary, a fair and open exit strategy is far more effective. Once free of persistent negativity, organisations can channel resources into constructive initiatives and shared ambitions.
Success itself brings a unique hazard: after a breakthrough, urgency often plummets. People believe they've "arrived," ignoring that long-term victory usually demands multiple phases. Leaders should anticipate this post-win complacency by shining a spotlight on the next wave of risks and opportunities, sending employees out to witness customer feedback, or re-examining the competitive landscape. The message: real success is never static, so vigilance and adaptability must continue unabated.
To maintain momentum, leaders stay visible, keep dialogues brief but pointed, and push fresh signals that there's more to accomplish. This could mean rotating new market data onto bulletin boards, holding candid roundtables about recent stumbles, or establishing short deadlines for follow-up. When one technique wears thin, they find another. The key is not letting teams grow complacent once they see initial good results; a culture of steady improvement requires repeated reminders of how quickly circumstances can shift.
Over the long haul, urgency must become part of an organisation's DNA. The goal is a culture where people constantly ask: "What's changing around us?" "How can we deliver better, faster?" and "What obstacles should we remove next?" Embedded urgency doesn't mean panic; it means staying awake to new realities, being comfortable with adaptation, and refusing to settle for "good enough." Every system—hiring, rewards, promotions—reinforces an ethos that rapid, focused action is the norm.
Looking forward, accelerating global shifts, technological upheavals, and rising customer expectations will magnify the need for urgent adaptation. Whether facing a sudden crisis or a hidden opportunity, those who can galvanise their teams toward bold moves will shape the future. Real urgency is the antidote to drift and dithering. It channels passion into results, forging an agile environment where good ideas flourish before competitors or market forces render them obsolete.
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Categorising the Adopters of Agricultural Practices
Everett M Rogers. 1958. (View Paper → )
"A method is suggested by which the adopters of agricultural practices may be classified into the five adopter categories of innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. The criterion of classification may be either on the basis of (1) the time of adoption of a single new farm practice or (2) an adoption of farm practices scale.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a 1958 agricultural paper has nothing to do with product management, but you’d be wrong. The adopter frequency distribution described in this paper has become foundational across many fields. While this paper marks its origin, terms like "innovators" and "early adopters" are now standard vocabulary in product management. Geoffrey Moore and others have expanded on these concepts, making their practical value clear for product managers and entrepreneurs.
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Book Highlights
If you can’t fit everything in within the time and budget allotted then don’t expand the time and budget. Instead, pull back the scope. There’s always time to add stuff later – later is eternal, now is fleeting. Jason Fried et al · Getting Real
“I’ll take care of it.” But as the proverb goes, give someone a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime. Julie Zhuo · The Making of a Manager
When everything on the page is clamoring for my attention the effect can be overwhelming… Krug Steve · Don’t Make Me Think
Combine where possible. Each step in the sequence should represent the largest possible chunk of the work that is still understandable and feasible. Look for ways to combine multiple steps into one Stephen Wendel · Designing for Behaviour Change
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Quotes & Tweets
Everything in a business is about fighting entropy. Matt MacInnis
Here’s a common logical flaw I encounter: Matt MacInnis