The Tyranny Of The Urgent

What prevents organizations from implementing strategy? Often, it’s the “tyranny of the urgent.” When it comes to executive attention, the pressing non-strategic matters of the day get all the attention, while critically important issues of long-term strategy remain undone. If you haven’t heard that expression before, the phrase “tyranny of the urgent” is attributed to Charles Hummel from his 1967 short publication of the same name. In his publication, Mr. Hummel noted the importance of setting priorities, rather than jumping from one pressing thing to the next without thought or purpose. One of his examples was . . .