A Sense of Urgency

preface

This is a book about a seemingly narrow issue—creating a high enough sense of urgency among a large enough group of people—but an issue I have come to believe is of overriding importance in a fast-moving, turbulent era. When the urgency challenge is not handled well, even very capable people and resource-rich organizations can suffer greatly. When the challenge is handled well, even those who face formidable obstacles can produce results we all want for our careers, employers, and nations.

My path to these conclusions began eleven years ago with the publication of Leading Change. That book was based on the analysis of about one hundred efforts in organizations to produce large-scale change: implementing new growth strategies, putting ...