MJ Smith’s Post

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CMO @ CoLab 🔹 | ⚙️ Manufacturing + B2B SaaS | Startup to Scaleup Marketing Leader 📈

My sense of urgency (need to get s*** done) is naturally VERY high Early in my career, I got punished for this more often than I got praised for it This experience taught me a lot about how to manage myself — but also about the trade offs you make when building a culture. Fact: strengths and weaknesses come in pairs. Every strength has a corresponding weakness. High sense of urgency is a good thing, but there’s a dark side: You get anxious when things stall out. So you’re impatient — maybe even a little confrontational. These weaknesses are highly visible. And most organizations punish people for them more harshly than they would other weaknesses — Things like being forgetful, slow to make decisions, or resistant to change. People don’t like getting punished for their weaknesses, so they fixate on turning them off. In the process, they often muffle their strengths. And then the organization is left wondering where everyone’s sense of urgency went. As an individual, you can figure out how to be less confrontational, while still having a sense of urgency Having a sense of humor helps. Having self awareness helps A LOT. But I think it’s even more important for organizations (leadership) to acknowledge this. People need help to harness their strengths and manage their weaknesses. What you punish might be even more important than what you praise. If you punish people harshly when their sense of urgency gets the best of them… Don’t be surprised when sense of urgency disappears from your company completely. #leadership #culture

Joe Ross

Senior Full Stack Developer | Java, JavaScript, Postgres, MySQL, MSSQL, PHP, C++, C# | Formerly held Canadian Secret clearance

2w

Every org wants an employee who is passionate about the work with an extreme ownership mentality. But the price of those traits can be occasional possessiveness and combative interactions, which negatively impact teamwork and collaboration. I wholeheartedly agree that it is up to the individual to manage balancing their strengths and weaknesses, but there are several desirable professional strengths which often pair with highly disruptive weaknesses. Corporate culture can easily fail employees who exhibit the strengths they seek by harshly punishing their corresponding weaknesses rather than providing support. Thanks for sharing your experience. Your take has me examining some of my own past professional interactions through a new lens.

Chloe Thompson

Content-Driven Marketing Executive | I love content, building incredible teams & creating the environment for success!

2w

I have get sh*t done on several notebooks and a sign in my office. I feel this on so many levels, shoutout to my fellow GSDers Rachel Weeks Erin DiVincenzo Leonie Williamson !

Vinita Apte

Experienced Industrial Marketer & Strategist | Spearheading Marketing Department for Manufacturing Software & Services |

2w

Many times people you are working with don't match your need for urgency especially for something time sensitive. It ends up making you feel like a moron. Over a period of time such repeated suppression frustrates you and you feel undervalued.

Amanda Sullivan

VP of Growth at Sierra Interactive 🧡 | Revenue leader | HubSpot enthusiast | Launch Pad Prose Competition 2nd Rounder

2w

Ooh! This is such a good point. The other thing that happens to people with a high sense of urgency/GSD quotient is that they get to do their work and also everyone else’s because leadership knows they will get it done. This isn’t inherently a punishment but winds up being one.

Mia Charette

3x B2B Marketing Leader | Revenue & Brand Builder | B2B SaaS & EdTech

1h

This is SO relatable! I was called a bull in a china shop very early in my career and I couldn’t help but wonder … why is a growing software company a china shop!? We need to get things done! My urgency has tempered a bit with age and becoming a parent — but my delivery and communication skills have allowed me to present less like a “bull”, get things done and earn respect in the process. 🐂 Now I’m just the get shit done girl 😂

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Anthony Salveggi

Creating the marketing content and strategies that attract your ideal customers.

2w

What I've learned is that you can't allow your own sense of urgency and desire to perform at a high level to undermine your ability to build a consensus and understanding among those you're working for and with. Trying to bypass that to "get things done" will often lead to feelings of mistrust and alienation. Building a supportive culture is more important. As you said, you may not be able to get all the stuff done in the way you wanted to, but that's ok. It's a team effort; play your part, do the best you can, but realize that if your colleagues feel like they're watching you run with the ball, they're not going to support you. They'll resent you.

Kellie Mayrides, CMP

Event Marketing Strategist

1w

Oof I identify with this post a lot! I used to get (ok sometimes still get) frustrated when others don’t share my sense of urgency. I’ve learned how to calibrate it over the years, but like you said, it’s also a strength when it comes to productivity. It’s good to recognize the upsides and downsides of our tendencies so we can maximize the upside and mitigate the downsides. Thankfully I work with a lot of GSDers - it’s literally our agency tagline 😂

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Nehemiah White

Detection Perfection - Higher Precision, Higher Margin | Advancing Beyond Acceptable

2w

SUPER helpful reflection, MJ. My internal sense of urgency has gotten me in trouble more times than I’d like to admit. Now the flak I’ve gotten has helped to improve my self-awareness and collaborative spirit but I’ve tended toward a suppression of my strength to avoid the painful results of the counter weakness. I appreciate you highlighting the importance of balance here AND the leadership culture necessary to support a sustainable, healthy sense of urgency throughout a growing org.

M H.

VP Product @ Axya | B2B | Procurement | SaaS | Ecommerce | Marketplace

6d

As an individual contributor, urgency is crucial. However, as a leader striving to empower and scale a team, balancing urgency with giving team members the space to learn and grow is essential. Constantly pushing for urgency can lead to cutting corners, which may compromise both long-term personal development and organizational growth. Finding the right balance is key to sustainable work.

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Ashley Amber Sava

Content, Editorial & Employee Communications Leader | Recovering Journalist | Storyteller | Keeping Austin Weird | Incurably Cheerful

2w

This is one of the hardest leadership/professional lessons I've faced since leaving journalism. In journalism, EVERYONE has a high sense of urgency. Deadlines are taken extremely seriously and that profession just attracts people who are all naturally like this. Honestly, this was a culture shock for me moving into marketing. My high urgency meant I got things done, but it also meant I ruffled feathers or pushed too hard for immediate results. It's a tough balance, managing that intensity without letting it steamroll everything in its path. Learning to channel that energy effectively and find ways to align it with the broader goals without losing its essence is a constant work in progress.

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