Pressure is a Privilege
When you focus on what’s easy, you delay what’s hard. Anyone who has built a business or runs a team and tried to take their company to the next level in a short amount of time knows the tremendous pressure that comes along with that effort. Sure, you could build something slow and steady over time – and that’s wonderful for your family convenience store or local farm – but when you’re trying to build fast and with fervor or trying to win in an emerging market and produce the best the product/service, applying pressure is the only way to operate and compete. Some pressure is good, and some pressure is bad but too little pressure is horrible and unproductive.
I’ve worked in organizations where lofty goals were stated but no true deadlines were imposed. Guess how much was accomplished? Zilch as my grandmother would say! I’ve worked in organizations where the mountainous goals looked unrealistically steep in short amounts of time. Guess how much was achieved? Everest-sized quantities. Why is that?
When you look at top performing organizations, two things are clear – the goals are defined with drop-dead deadlines and real consequences and pressure was positioned in a way that the mission stood prominently. The pressure can’t be artificial, it has to be real and carry weight. In these environments, the time it takes to achieve the goal is as long as the deadline that’s assigned. High performers want this pressure and thrive in it. Low performers fold, miss deadlines, lose focus, make excuses and let their discipline erode. With pressure comes discipline and with discipline comes results.
When pressure is applied to an elastic application like a balloon, the volume expands. Too much pressure without knowing boundaries, and the balloon pops. Too little pressure, and the balloon doesn’t grow. Apply the right amount of pressure, goldilocks, and you’ll maximize the volume.
Highly efficient growth companies are intentional with pressure in their approach. Leading without urgency doesn’t yield results. Leading with urgency and setting the tone creates good outcomes for everyone involved. Success is found when you own the pressure and you treat it like a privilege. If you’re in building mode right now and you’re not applying pressure then you’re doing your company, and likely your clients, a disservice because in this competitive environment, the only way to win is to do what’s hard now – and later will be easy.
Everything looks impossible before it’s done.