Learn some of the most effective ways to create urgency in problem-solving for yourself, your team, and your stakeholders, and how to balance and maintain it.

Urgency should be part of any recipe, in my experience if you’re not able to generate some pressure to the teams and move them from their comfort zone it’ll be difficult to get good results, having said that, it should not be the only component of the recipe, like in cooking you need spicy but also patience and consistency, respecting that in some members of the team the adrenaline me become stress; my recipe is start fast, accelerate, make sure you have quick wins, take a pause, make sure the team is aligned and following you, and stay persistent and consistent until the arrival

Setting urgency can support teams in understanding what the priorities are and laser focus on key issues or situations. However, a permanent status of urgency drains the team’s energy, and blurs the line between what’s urgent and what’s important. It can be used as a powerful tool, but needs to be dosed.

What are the most effective ways to create urgency in problem-solving?

Urgency is a powerful motivator for problem-solving. It can help you focus, prioritize, and overcome obstacles. However, not all problems have clear deadlines or consequences, and sometimes you may need to create urgency yourself. In this article, you will learn some of the most effective ways to create urgency in problem-solving, whether you are working alone or with a team.

1 Why create urgency?

Creating urgency can have several benefits for problem-solving. First, it can help you avoid procrastination and distraction, which can reduce your productivity and creativity. Second, it can help you align your goals and actions, which can increase your efficiency and effectiveness. Third, it can help you generate more ideas and solutions, which can improve your quality and innovation. Finally, it can help you communicate and collaborate better, which can enhance your relationships and outcomes.

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Alejandro Torrendell

Head of Legal, Compliance and Data Privacy Officers Europe
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Urgency should be part of any recipe, in my experience if you’re not able to generate some pressure to the teams and move them from their comfort zone it’ll be difficult to get good results, having said that, it should not be the only component of the recipe, like in cooking you need spicy but also patience and consistency, respecting that in some members of the team the adrenaline me become stress; my recipe is start fast, accelerate, make sure you have quick wins, take a pause, make sure the team is aligned and following you, and stay persistent and consistent until the arrival

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Juan Bernardo Rodriguez

Multi Country Regional Supply Chain Management | Planning | Change mgmt | Strategy | Digital Transformation | People Development | Logistics | Foreign Trade | Procurement | Customer Service | Project Mgmnt | Performance
(edited)
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Setting urgency can support teams in understanding what the priorities are and laser focus on key issues or situations. However, a permanent status of urgency drains the team’s energy, and blurs the line between what’s urgent and what’s important. It can be used as a powerful tool, but needs to be dosed.

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2 How to create urgency for yourself?

If you are working on a problem by yourself, you can create urgency by setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. SMART goals can help you clarify what you want to achieve, how you will measure your progress, what resources and skills you need, why your goal is important, and when you will complete it. By setting SMART goals, you can create a sense of urgency that can motivate you to take action and solve your problem.

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3 How to create urgency for your team?

If you are working on a problem with a team, you can create urgency by establishing a shared vision, defining roles and responsibilities, creating a timeline and milestones, and celebrating wins and feedback. A shared vision can help you align your team's purpose and values, and inspire them to work towards a common goal. Defining roles and responsibilities can help you distribute the work and accountability, and avoid confusion and conflict. Creating a timeline and milestones can help you track your progress and adjust your plans, and create a sense of urgency and momentum. Celebrating wins and feedback can help you acknowledge your team's achievements and challenges, and create a positive and supportive culture.

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Raluca Ioana CIBU BUZAC

Founder, Luminspino & Sunchild | Innovation Management & Consciousness Expert | PhD Candidate | IMP3rove Expert | LEAD Fellow
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Strong motivation is conducive to a sense of constant urgency within teams. Considering that members of the team feel compelled by both excitement and fulfilment, the behavior that reflects urgency is somehow a consequence of a sound level of motivation.

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Andreea Rotaru
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A sense of urgency stands on clearly identified common goals and alignment on how reaching those specific goals will impact the overall team's trajectory and purpose.

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4 How to create urgency for your stakeholders?

If you are working on a problem that involves external stakeholders, such as customers, partners, or investors, you can create urgency by demonstrating the value, urgency, and uniqueness (VUU) of your problem and solution. VUU is a framework that can help you persuade your stakeholders to support your problem-solving efforts. To demonstrate value, you need to show how your problem and solution can benefit your stakeholders, and what pain points or opportunities they can address. To demonstrate urgency, you need to show why your problem and solution need to be solved or implemented now, and what risks or costs they can avoid or reduce. To demonstrate uniqueness, you need to show how your problem and solution are different or better than the existing or alternative options, and what competitive advantage or differentiation they can offer.

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Sérgio Tavares

PhD | Design, Society, Technology
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A great way to create urgency among stakeholders is to enlist the strongest customer pains, ranked by a quantitative criterion. For example, cluster thematic consumer complaints or reasons for contracts not being renewed. You may then proceed to estimate with an accountant how much the company would make had those pains been resolved. If you may go an extra mile, inform how much you estimate the pain resolution would cost — so the ROI becomes evident. Make evident which teams are on top of each pain, and which director is accountable for each.

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5 How to balance urgency and quality?

Creating urgency can help you solve problems faster and better, but it can also have some drawbacks, such as causing stress and anxiety, or leading to hasty or poor decisions. To balance urgency and quality, you can prioritize the most important and urgent problems, break down complex or large problems into smaller components, apply the 80/20 rule, use the minimum viable product (MVP) approach, and seek feedback from your team and stakeholders. This will help you produce better results while avoiding false or excessive urgency.

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6 How to maintain urgency?

Creating urgency is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. To maintain it, you should review your goals and progress regularly and celebrate your successes, while also learning from your failures. It's important to remind yourself and your team of the purpose and value of your problem and solution, as well as how they can make a difference. Additionally, challenge yourself and your team to raise standards and expectations, while seeking new opportunities and improvements. You should also seek new perspectives and insights from various sources and experts in order to enrich your problem-solving skills and knowledge. Finally, reward yourself and your team for their efforts and results to motivate and energize yourselves.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the most effective ways to create urgency in problem-solving?

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1 Why create urgency?

2 How to create urgency for yourself?

3 How to create urgency for your team?

4 How to create urgency for your stakeholders?

5 How to balance urgency and quality?

6 How to maintain urgency?

7 Here’s what else to consider

Creative Problem Solving

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What are the most effective ways to create urgency in problem-solving?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Why create urgency?

2 How to create urgency for yourself?

3 How to create urgency for your team?

4 How to create urgency for your stakeholders?

5 How to balance urgency and quality?

6 How to maintain urgency?

7 Here’s what else to consider

Creative Problem Solving

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