The Good Tension of Urgency in Business
- marcushamaker
- Apr 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 18
Are you leading with tension that paralyzes your team—or urgency that propels them forward?
Can you identify the difference between tension and urgency?
The difference could be the key to your business culture, team performance, and overall success.
In this blog, we’ll explore the contrast between good tension and bad tension, how to create and sustain healthy urgency, and why understanding your employees’ personalities is key to making it work.
When managed strategically, urgency creates a productive energy that fuels growth, innovation, and accountability. But when mismanaged, it breeds stress, disengagement, and even failure.
Good Tension vs. Bad Tension in Company Culture
Good Tension:
Productive Energy: Healthy urgency motivates employees to step out of their comfort zones, fostering creativity and focus on shared goals.
Alignment with Vision: It stems from ambitious yet achievable goals that align with the company’s mission and values.
Encourages Innovation: Constructive debates and diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making and innovative solutions.
Accountability: Employees feel responsible for their contributions, driving ownership and commitment to results.
Bad Tension:
Toxic Stress: Poorly managed urgency overwhelms employees, leading to burnout and disengagement.
Lack of Clarity: Unclear goals or unrealistic expectations create confusion and frustration.
Negativity: It fosters resentment, reduces collaboration, and can increase turnover rates.
Pressure Without Purpose: Constant urgency without direction erodes morale and productivity.
How to Create Good Tension
Over the years, I’ve observed that successful, growing companies share one key trait: a healthy sense of urgency, particularly among their leaders. These leaders set the tone for the entire organization. When they effectively inspire others to embrace this sense of urgency in a positive and productive way, they get results.
Urgency arises from the powerful blend of motivation and momentum working together. This synergy drives purposeful, value-focused execution.
Companies that foster a strong sense of urgency consistently achieve more and execute better than their competitors—plain and simple. But the real question is: how do you cultivate positive tension to drive results?
Set Clear Goals with Deadlines: Define specific objectives with realistic timelines so employees know what they’re working toward—and why it matters.
Hold Everyone Accountable: Accountability starts at the top. Model the behaviors you expect by meeting your own deadlines and delivering on commitments.
Develop a System for Sustained Focus: Use project management tools to break down goals into manageable milestones and schedule regular updates to maintain momentum.
Fuel Culture with Positive Tension: Encourage open dialogue and constructive debates while promoting respect among team members. Healthy competition can push employees without overwhelming them.
Celebrate Successes: Recognize achievements—big or small—to reinforce positive behaviors and build morale. Public acknowledgment or tangible rewards go a long way in motivating your team.
Learn from Failures: Foster a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth rather than reasons for blame. Own failures as a leader to set the tone for your team’s learning mindset.
Consistency is Key: Apply these practices consistently across all levels of the organization so good tension becomes part of your company’s DNA rather than a one-off effort.
Pro Tip:
Everyone experiences tension or a sense of urgency, yet few openly discuss how it affects them—whether positively or negatively. Encourage your team to talk about it. Bringing these feelings into the open fosters clarity and growth. When issues are addressed in the light, it’s always a step toward value.
How Different Personality Types Respond to Urgency
Here’s where it gets interesting—urgency doesn’t land the same way for everyone, which is why it needs to be strategic:
Analytical Thinkers: These employees thrive when urgency is paired with clear data and logical steps toward the goal. Ambiguity can frustrate them, so provide detailed plans to keep them engaged.
Creative Minds: They often shine under good tension because it pushes them toward innovation. However, excessive rigidity can stifle their creativity—balance structure with freedom here!
Empathetic Team Players: These individuals value collaboration over competition, so urgency should be framed as a shared challenge rather than a personal pressure point. Foster teamwork to keep them motivated.
Action-Oriented Go-Getters: They thrive under high stakes but can burn out quickly if tension becomes constant or lacks purpose. Provide clear direction while offering opportunities for quick wins along the way.
Understanding these differences allows you to tailor your approach to urgency in ways that motivate each personality type effectively—turning potential stress into productive energy.
Pro Tip:
Personality types aren't the definitive measure of traits, but they play a significant role in shaping behavior. Some individuals are driven by fear, while others thrive on competitive motivation to create urgency. As a leader, recognizing these tendencies is crucial for managing expectations and mitigating potential challenges.
Fear-driven personalities risk burnout or emotional collapse, while highly competitive individuals may achieve success but risk alienating or undermining others along the way. Understanding these dynamics allows leaders to guide their teams more effectively and maintain a healthy balance.
How to Avoid Bad Tension
Check Your Motivation: Ensure urgency is driven by genuine needs—like market demands or strategic priorities—not fear or external comparisons.
Avoid False Urgency: Differentiate between tasks that are truly urgent versus those that can wait; unnecessary deadlines frustrate employees and reduce efficiency.
Foster Transparency: Open communication about challenges and expectations prevents misunderstandings that lead to negativity or disengagement.
Provide Support: Equip employees with resources like training or additional staffing when workloads increase under pressure.
Promote Work-Life Balance: Encourage self-care by setting boundaries for work hours to prevent burnout while maintaining productivity.
Pro Tip:
Motivation is crucial, but it's important to recognize that fear often disguises itself as urgency. Don’t be fooled—it’s a deception. Fear may drive action, but it’s the wrong kind of motivation and will inevitably lead to burnout, leaving chaos in its wake. True progress comes from a place of purpose, not fear.
Good Tension as Fuel for a Value-Driven Culture
When used effectively, good tension aligns employees around shared objectives while challenging them to grow professionally:
It fosters ownership over their work, translating into higher engagement and better outcomes.
Coaching employees toward big goals—and supporting them in achieving those milestones—creates empowered individuals who drive business success.
This isn’t just about hitting targets; it’s about giving your team a life advantage by helping them grow as professionals. As a business leader, you get the opportunity to build great people!
Conclusion
Good tension is the lifeblood of a thriving company culture—it drives execution while fostering personal growth among your team members. By cultivating this dynamic intentionally through clear goals, accountability systems, celebration of successes, learning from failures, and consistent practices tailored to different personality types, small businesses can thrive in competitive environments.
When urgency is strategic rather than chaotic, it becomes not just a tool for business success but also a gift to your people—a win-win for everyone involved!
For more insights, please check out www.thepovpodcast.com.
🎥 Watch on YouTube: The POV Podcast YouTube Channel 📚 Grab your free e-book here: The Mindset Shift: How Successful Business Owners Think Differently
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