Urgency is a barrier to speed

Urgency is a barrier to speed. 

Let that sink in.

Does it feel true for you? Even if your answer is yes, it might also be confusing or seemingly paradoxical, right? White supremacy culture has trained us to believe that urgent problems require urgent responses, but too often the energy of urgency actually slows us down. 

In one of my past workplaces there was often tension between those of us in program roles who felt accountability to our community and values, and those in leadership who (even if it wasn’t conscious or explicitly stated, though sometimes it was) felt primarily accountable to funders. In theory the leadership team was “on the same page” in terms of our anti-racism practice, but in reality it sometimes felt like they didn’t trust us or the work. 

At the beginning of each fiscal year we would renew and align on our programmatic charter, outlining specific commitments to our community and network. Oftentimes, however, we would receive a sudden, urgent request for information that was outside the scope of the charter. The leadership team would demand data that didn’t exist and presentations that would distract us from our work for days; they would make us justify (again and again) our ongoing work with Black-owned firms who weren’t as well-known by funders. Always with the anxious, frenetic energy of urgency. Almost always resulting in distraction, confusion and harm. 

I managed our relationship with one of those Black-owned firms, Gumbo Media. One of the things I started noticing through our partnership was the flow and speed with which they worked. I could tell that they were aligned both on what they were trying to do and, more importantly, how they were committed to doing it. This allowed them to move quickly, with deep trust in each other and their process. Meanwhile, our team constantly felt the pressure of urgency while simultaneously feeling like we were running through quicksand, being sucked deeper and deeper into the muck of mistrust.

And while urgency shows up in people of all races, there is a distinct way that white women wield urgency. In my last post I reflected on how white women have been complicit in the violence of white supremacy culture. Diana Sierra Becerra expounds here on the outsized power white women possess in the nonprofit industry. Given this context, the expression of urgency from white women directed toward people of color is inherently harmful. 

It’s also avoidable. The timelines we create in most workplaces are constructed by the people within the organization. If they get pushed back a week or two, usually no one notices. Yes, we desperately need to improve health, education, housing, and other outcomes, but a program launching two weeks late is not going to matter. In fact, slowing our processes down often creates space for more creative ideas to flow and trust to build, increasing our chances of contributing to the transformation that’s needed.

I’ve been working with one of my coaching clients (who is a white woman) to slow down and move with intentionality in her decision-making as Executive Director of a non-profit. In our most recent session she shared a question she now asks herself when she feels urgency: “Is there any way I can communicate this that prevents my team from feeling like I'm dumping urgency onto them?” Before answering that question, she steps outside and takes a deep breath. This moment of pause helps her remain centered and clear when she brings requests to her team. This has made them more receptive to her requests, indicating deeper trust in her leadership. Ultimately, this enables them to move with the speed necessary to do the high-stakes, fast-paced work they do. 

We all face feelings of urgency, especially those of us who are passionate and devoted to the urgent need of transforming a culture that is unhealthy and violent. It’s not a “bad” thing to experience urgency, but it is counterproductive. So I encourage you to take a moment to reflect: where in your life or work are you exhibiting urgency? Is it self-imposed based on the pressures you’re feeling? Are you unfairly passing the energy of urgency onto others? Do you think it’s possible that by slowing down, you just might speed up?

Here’s a small offering to support you in that. 

With care,

Alyssa