Balancing Urgency and Humanity: A Leadership Perspective
- 50 minutes ago
- 5 min read
A burning question many business, nonprofit, and agency leaders face is how to balance all the demands of a productive workflow with everyday reality. How do we serve the client well, produce results, and meet deadlines while also knowing that life happens, things take more time than we usually plan, and we want to give our best to the cause and the people whom we serve?
A burning question many business, nonprofit, and agency leaders face is how to balance all the demands of a productive workflow with everyday reality. How do we serve the client well, produce results, and meet deadlines while also knowing that life happens, things take more time than we usually plan, and we want to give our best to the cause and the people whom we serve?
At a recent Circles USA team meeting, we engaged in an open discussion of this salient issue. How can we continue to offer high quality care (for one another, our families, and our community of practice) in a timely and cost-effective way, while also living by our Circles values?
First and foremost is permission to be human: understanding that “life is lifeing," that sometimes we can only do so much. And yet, we also want to make progress with our upgrades, stay responsive to communications, and accomplish our multi-year strategic goals. I definitely feel torn at times, as an Executive Director, on when to push and when to allow What Is. Where is the sweet spot in balancing the time it takes to make something high quality vs getting the product out the door? How do we support our staff and contractors at national, regional, and chapter levels to give their best and work sustainably?
What came forth from our discussion was 8 powerful tips on how to fight perfectionism and false urgency while still, at the end of the day, offering quality service to our community members.
Incorporate preventative means in planning a project. Tasks and projects almost always take more time than we, precious humans, think they will take. Double the time you allot; if it ends up happening sooner, then you have the bonus of found time.
Create checkpoints inside larger projects. As each checkpoint in the larger project approaches, consider if the time frame is realistic or not. Recalibrate estimated completion dates and/or the amount of assistance you may need.
Support open communication with your team. Speak up! We have to be courageous in sparking uncomfortable conversations as life happens. Perhaps we need more help or more time, or we just don’t know the answers. A safe environment to openly discuss what’s on our plates helps alleviate the pressure of looming deadlines and self-guided tasks. At Circles, we encourage you to ask for what you need, express how you’re feeling, and communicate the details with your team. We can’t fix it if we don’t know it’s broken. Don’t just hide it or stuff it. That’s bound to create extra pressure that will blow up later. It may take some practice to rewire how we were raised not to speak up, but it’s essential to having a healthy team and a sustainable work environment.
Lean into your team. Within that healthy team who can communicate openly, we know it’s all right to ask for help. This is the power of community, and that applies at work as well. We are happy in the national office to step up when one of our teammates needs support. “Wearing many hats” is an opportunity for us to release rigid ideas about roles on our team. Many workers (including those of us at Circles USA!) are "multi-hyphenates," bringing untapped skills and experience to seemingly unrelated roles. Rather than reduce workers to narrow job titles, we invite team members to bring their whole selves to the table—maximizing our collective skill sets and encouraging creative problem-solving, especially when a teammate needs support.
Shift your priorities. If there really are more tasks on your plate than are humanly possible, it is important to prioritize and focus. Recognize that goals can change over time, so hold those priorities gently and communicate with your team as things shift.
Take personal responsibility for how you’re using your time. A bit of self-reflection here goes a long way: What helps you to produce high quality work? When are you most productive? How are you showing up as a professional? How are you leveraging your time in relation to who you are? Are you creating unnecessary pressure for yourself, stuffing too much into your work time?
Understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Be realistic about your skills and where you need support. Don’t agonize over a PowerPoint that your teammate could overhaul in no time at all. What is your zone of genius? What isn’t your strong suit?
Schedule unscheduled time. This is a BIG one. We need open space—not only to respond to emails or items that just come up, but also to have time to THINK, read, learn, contemplate, and percolate. Blocking off time and (for real!) leaving it unscheduled is not as easy as it sounds. But it is a game-changer in alleviating the relentless pressure we can feel at work.
Some exceptions, of course…
What happens when you have a hard deadline—especially due to funding? Well, that’s where priorities come into play. A fast-approaching deadline will push other tasks into the back seat for a while. That’s a good time to lean into the team. Ask them to pick up tasks that may have been pushed aside. If that’s not an option because your employees, volunteers, or champions are also at capacity, then asking the funder for a deadline extension may be possible if you have a relationship with them. It pays to be proactive rather than waiting till you’re down to the wire: You can outline a more realistic time frame well in advance of the original deadline, maintaining a positive funding relationship and keeping your word to yourself, your team, and your stakeholders.
If you don’t have a team to lean into when the going gets tough, then you may need to scale back your commitments or offerings. What is realistic for one leader to do? What is too much? Is it possible to dump it, delegate it, or do it differently*? What would balance look like for you? What would it feel like? What are the physical, emotional, and financial benefits of finding that balance? What would make you SHINE?
As a former school teacher working 60 hours a week, raising two kids, and engaging actively in our church and community, I learned the hard way that I cannot do it all. I’ve been paring down my commitments and my expectations these last eight years of working at Circles. It’s taken me a while to find my balance, but I’m so grateful to have unplugged from the toxic levels of work that society promotes as my self-worth. And, by committing to less, I not only experience more work-life balance; I actually work better and enjoy my life more.
One awareness that defines Circles USA is that the balance I describe above is a privilege many workers don't have. They can't simply unplug or reprioritize “work-life.” Only living-wage jobs, health insurance, and social capital afford that freedom. All the more reason, then, to expand access to dignified, equitable work for all. This means that Circles USA weaves a balanced work-life orientation into our policy and training at every level. As part of our chapter coaching, we sometimes find ourselves shifting from Circles model and implementation strategies into more general coaching about healthy nonprofits and work-life balance for chapter staff. We do this because, from our national office to our local chapters, Circles USA is committed to modeling a philosophy of employment that leads to a more sustainable life—one that balances urgency and our humanity.
*from The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Time Management by Nelson Searcy
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