I have written previously about the important role that urgency plays in organizational life. Most churches and ministries are inherently resistant to change, and without urgency they readily accept the comfort of the status quo. 

So while urgency is important, not everything is urgent. A recent headline reminded of this truth: “Indiana dispatcher helps boy who called 911 about homework.” The 10-year old boy was having trouble adding fractions, and since his parents weren’t home, he called 911 for help. On the other end of the line, a kind 911 operator who liked math was glad to help.

While the story may be unique, the underlying issue is not. How often has someone come to you with an “urgent” problem that they wanted you – the leader – to fix? A person is concerned about the theology being taught in a class. Or an upcoming event isn’t being given enough publicity. Or a family is considering leaving the church because they’re unhappy with the youth ministry. 

Just like the boy who couldn’t add fractions, the issue seems urgent to the person that brings it to you. But is it urgent for your church or ministry? Should you rearrange your priorities doing to deal with it? Probably not. 

And yet, leaders often allow these issues to hijack their days. It’s difficult to keep from being sucked into someone else’s urgency, especially when they’re looking you in the eyes and asking for (or demanding) your attention. 

So what should you do in these cases? First, try to take a deep breath and slow down. Give your brain time to think about what you’ve heard. Does the issue truly require immediate attention and are you the one to give that attention? As you think about this, you may decide to:

• Encourage the person to solve the problem on their own. “You should talk to the teacher about your theology concerns.”
• Redirect the person to someone else. “Have you talked to the youth director about the family in question?”
• Deal with the concern at a later time and/or limit the time you spend on it.
• Tell them you understand their concern, but you don’t see this as an urgent issue. “I’m sorry that you’re unhappy with the publicity, but I believe we have a good process for making these decisions.”

At the end of the day, you get to decide whether you’re dealing with fractions or with a real 911 issue. 

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As you might guess, I travel quite a bit in my work. The hotel brand where I stay most frequently almost always has the same bathroom fixtures. But the interesting thing is that even with the same hardware, getting the water to my ideal temperature requires turning the shower handle different amounts in each room. 

One of the jobs of a leader is to create urgency, or said another way, to turn up the heat. This has been said in a variety of ways by leadership experts. Max DePree’s famous statement is that “the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” John Kotter says, “Conducting business as usual is very difficult if the building seems to be on fire.” People are only willing to make difficult changes when they are confronted with a reality that falls short of their ideal.

So what does this have to do with the showers in hotels? Everything. One of the challenges in creating urgency – turning up the heat – is that the same picture of reality will elicit a variety of responses from people. For some, a small dose of reality is all that’s needed to spur them to action. Others will argue that “things aren’t that bad” or that the picture you’re presenting is inaccurate. They need much more heat before they’re willing to change.

Of course, you can’t individualize the temperature setting for each person in your congregation. So what can you do?

• Work individually with core leaders. In small groups or 1-on-1, you can tailor your approach with skeptical individuals, listening to their concerns and responding appropriately. 
• Encourage those who “get it” early to spread the message. The best advocates are often volunteers who are not paid to create urgency. Their influence can be a powerful voice for change. 
• Be patient. It usually takes a little while for the shower water to warm up, and the same will be true for people in your church. 

Two final thoughts from the shower. First, if you turn up the heat too much or too fast, you (not your congregation) are likely to get burned. But second, don’t leave the water on the cold setting due to the fear of getting burned. That only results in a miserable shower and a frustrated leader.

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