I find that a heightened sense of urgency is a key quality of successful people. When it comes to hiring at Open English, we certainly seek out “smart” people but we’ve realized that what determines someone’s success long-term is their ability to just get the job done (quickly!).
So what does it mean to have a sense of urgency? Here’s my practical definition:
- It never takes you more than a day to reply to an email . A day in a start-up is an eternity!
- If someone on your team asks you for something on Friday afternoon, you don’t wait until Monday to begin looking at it. In a startup, shutting down completely for the weekend is rarely an option…
Not every exec is suited for a startup environment and that’s okay. But to be successful you have to build your team with people who share your sense of urgency.
So how do you figure out who has a sense of urgency and who doesn’t? You can’t always tell early on, but there are a few tips that have worked for me:
- Ask focused questions about what their past deadlines and project timetables were like.
- Even if you work through a recruiter, find a reason to contact your potential hire directly at least once to ask additional questions or request information, just to test responsiveness.
- What if you discover a lack of urgency after hiring? I’d say cut your losses fast. Chances are, it usually won’t get much better.
I’m not saying everyone has to work 24/7 or never enjoy weekends. But you can’t totally check out either. You can still have plenty of fun…but carry your phone and reply back to important issues, even if it’s just a quick text or email to let others know you’re thinking about it and specifying when you’ll be able to work on it.
Stay accessible and foster a sense of urgency company-wide!