Frustrated that her employees were taking forever to complete work, an agency owner asked, “How can I create a sense of urgency and responsibility in my employees? We’ve promised a timeline to the client—but often, employees just don’t seem to get it.”
A seemingly simple question—yet it’s a complicated problem to solve. Why? Because there are lots of potential root causes. The right solution will depend on which root cause(s) are in play.
Fortunately, you can organize the root causes into three categories: Desire, Competence, and Capacity. Knowing those categories helps you find the right answer(s) faster.
After highlighting those three categories, we’ll review 20+ potential root causes if you’re facing a similar “low urgency” problem with your team.
Spoiler alert: If you frequently feel the need to “create urgency” for your team, it might partly be your fault based on earlier choices you made.
Deadlines require Desire, Competence, and Capacity
If something isn’t getting done, you’re likely missing something: Desire, Competence, and/or Capacity. You need all three to complete a task, project, or larger initiative:
As you assess the “Why aren’t they meeting deadlines?” problem at your agency, consider how the 20+ clues fit into at least one of those three factors. Let’s dig deeper!
Why your team keeps missing deadlines: 20+ root causes on lack of urgency
If you feel you need to create urgency because your team isn’t meeting deadlines, the problem might be something else. In fact, it’s likely one or more of the following points. Here, “they” = a Subject Matter Expert (SME) or other team member responsible for completing a deliverable by a certain deadline.
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What would you add to the list of root causes for what looks like an “urgency” problem? I bet you can think of at least a few more possibilities.
Be careful—don’t automatically blame your team. In my experience advising hundreds of agencies, you may be part of the problem as the agency leader. Why? Read on!
Consider your role in the “create urgency” problem
As the agency owner, you set the agenda for where people focus and how they work. For better and for worse, you are the “dictator” of your agency.
Story: The over-promising agency owner
A couple years ago, an agency owner asked me to speak with his managerial team about why things weren’t getting done on time. I dug into root cause(s) and discovered a surprise. The owner was the primary reason the team missed deadlines.
Why? Because he’d overpromise timelines to prospective clients, push the team to work long hours, and never adjust his future promises to reflect reality. (I also learned further ethical concerns… and he’s no longer a client.)
Next steps: Consider solutions at your own agency
As you review the clues (starting from the list above of 20+ root causes), ask yourself: “Are my decisions inadvertently creating problems for me?” You likely aren’t 100% of the problem… but as a leader, you’re probably more than 0% of the problem.
How to actually fix things? That depends on the unique combination of root causes you’re experiencing. It may not be a quick solution—but the effort’s likely worth it.
Fixing the problem will likely improve morale and—by stopping time leakage—improve your profit margins. After all, it’s hard to get employees to take ownership when you keep making it harder. Fortunately, your newly improved self-awareness can help you fix current problems and prevent future ones.
Question: How can you appropriately create urgency to help your agency meet deadlines?