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Speed Doesn’t Kill

Daily Nuggets | | Tom Suddes

This week, we’re re-publishing some lessons from Tom’s For Impact Campaign Manifesto: Take a Quantum Leap and asking our Coaches to apply to real world scenarios.

Lesson: SPEED DOESN‘T KILL.

As Mario Andretti said, “If you feel like you’re still in control, you’re not going FAST enough.”

A Quantum Leap is about SPEED. MOMENTUM. MASSIVE ACTION. A SENSE OF URGENCY.

IF there is NO INTERNAL ‘SENSE OF URGENCY’ (SPEED)… there will be no EXTERNAL ‘SENSE OF URGENCY.’

Why would an investor make a decision NOW to make a really big IMPACT on your organization, when there is no sense of urgency on the organization’s part?

I know. You’re thinking that you actually need to ‘slow down,’ ‘do better planning,’ ‘get all your ducks in a row,’ etc., etc. You’re wrong.

From our For Impact Coach, Robb Pike:

One of the biggest shifts I have seen in our clients comes when they OWN a SENSE OF URGENCY. Some examples of SPEED from the field:

“Not long ago I would wait months for a prospect to respond to me. When I realized the longer I waited the less people would get help I started following up quickly and regularly. Emails, phone call, and even a text or two. Sometimes I would ask ‘Am I being too persistent?’ What I found was almost everyone would actually thank me for my persistence and commitment. A couple actually gave more because they felt our organization was more committed to our work than others just because I never stopped.”

“We work in 90 day sprints now. We move fast and focused. Two years ago we would barely make our numbers (if we did) by the end of the fiscal year. Now we are in a 90 day sprint to close NEXT fiscal year and we are still in this fiscal year.”

“I love the ‘Just Visit’ strategy. We used to spend months with research, inviting people to events, and sharing marketing materials in hopes they would want to know more. Now, if we want to talk to them we move quickly to ‘Just Visit.’ Our work is too important to wait for the perfect moment.”

If you don’t own an SENSE OF URGENCY around your IMPACT, then who will? If you know the impact of your work, you know that saving/changing/impacting lives can’t wait. If you don’t have a sense of urgency no one will.