The Art of Urgency: How Leaders Can Spark Action Without Sparking Panic

Sarah Beth Herman, Founder & CEO, Dentistry Support®

Let’s be real. Leadership isn’t about barking orders or hiding behind deadlines. It’s about finding a rhythm that motivates your team without making them panic every time your name pops up in a Slack notification.

If you're leading a virtual or in-person team, you’ve probably noticed the tension that comes with trying to move fast without overwhelming people. It's tricky. But the good news is, there's a way to build urgency that actually strengthens your team instead of stressing them out.

That’s what we’re talking about here today: how to inspire urgency without causing anxiety.

Urgency Isn’t the Problem. It’s How We Present It.

Too many leaders confuse chaos with urgency. But urgency, in its healthiest form, is just focused energy. It’s not about pressure for pressure’s sake. It’s about direction with purpose. What creates stress isn’t urgency itself. It’s the lack of clarity, the cold tone, the rushed messages that land like warning sirens instead of guidance. When you know how to communicate urgency in a way that feels like support, not criticism, everything changes.

Remote Teams Feel Everything You Don’t Say

If your team is virtual, you already know this. Your tone becomes your body language. People don’t see your smile or hear the nuance in your voice unless you’re intentional about it. And honestly, it doesn’t take much for a simple request to feel like a demand.

Your team reads between the lines, even when there’s nothing there. That’s why it’s important to give people context, not just commands. Before you ask for something to be done "ASAP," take a second to explain why it matters, how it helps the company, or what the client really needs. It builds trust, and more importantly, it builds confidence.

People Don’t Panic Because They’re Weak. They Panic Because They’re Unclear.

I’ve seen incredible people crumble under poor communication. It’s not that they can’t handle pressure. It’s that they weren’t given the clarity they needed to feel equipped.

Imagine being told to fix a client issue immediately, with no background, no deadline, no example of what “done” looks like. That’s not leadership. That’s tossing someone into the deep end without telling them where the ladder is.

When people know what success looks like, they move toward it. When they don’t, they hesitate or worse, they freeze. That’s the kind of distress that kills momentum and makes people question if they’re cut out for the job.

Urgency With Direction Equals Motivation. Urgency Without Direction Equals Anxiety.

Leadership is not about removing stress. It’s about shaping it. There’s a kind of stress that actually builds people up. It’s called eustress. It feels like adrenaline before a big moment. It’s motivating, energizing, and it pushes people to step up. But the flip side, distress, drains people. It creates doubt, fear, and avoidance.

One builds teams. The other breaks them.

The more we can recognize which kind of stress we’re fueling, the better we lead.

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Here’s What I’ve Learned That Works

If you’re ready to start creating urgency that helps your team grow instead of shrink, here are five practical steps:

1. Use tone intentionally: Your tone in remote work is your presence. If your messages are sharp or frantic, that’s what your team absorbs. Try using warm, confident language that helps your team feel supported, not startled.

2. Give context, not just direction: Start with why. “Here’s what’s going on, here’s why this matters, and here’s what I need from you.” It sounds simple, but most leaders skip this and go straight to the task. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

3. Acknowledge the pressure: Let your team know when something’s a big lift. Saying, “I know this is a lot” or “I appreciate how fast you’ve moved on this” goes a long way in creating partnership instead of command.

4. Make time for listening: Have regular, scheduled check-ins that are just for feedback, clarification, or support. Don’t make every meeting a presentation. Create space for people to ask, process, and even vent when needed.

5. Teach active communication: Encourage your team to confirm next steps, repeat expectations, and clarify timelines. This helps eliminate silent confusion and creates a culture of precision.

Your Team Isn’t Reading Your Mind, They’re Reading Your Messages

Leadership is more visible than we think. Every text, every voice note, every emoji carries your tone and your values. If you're leading a remote or hybrid team, your team is constantly picking up clues about what matters most to you. Do they feel safe bringing up issues? Do they feel prepared when priorities shift?

This isn’t just about making people feel good. It’s about building efficiency. Teams that feel psychologically safe respond faster, fix problems quicker, and create better long-term results.

Urgency Is Not a Personality. It’s a Practice.

Some leaders wear urgency like a personality badge. Everything’s a fire. Everything’s a now. But that approach eventually burns people out.

Instead, treat urgency like a tool. Pull it out when it's needed. Sharpen it with intention. Put it away when it’s not helping. The more thoughtful you are with how you use urgency, the more respect your team will have for your leadership. And the more likely they’ll be to rise up when it really counts.

Real Leadership is Emotional Architecture

The way you build your culture, the way you talk to your team, the way you show up on hard days. These are your building blocks. You’re either building something steady, or you’re building something shaky.

And while it’s tempting to lead from urgency all the time, the truth is, people need safety to perform well. They need to feel like they can bring problems forward without being blamed. They need to believe that their leader has a steady hand, even in a storm.

So the next time something goes wrong, and let’s be honest, it will, remember that your team is watching how you respond. Not just what you say, but how you say it.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

This is just the beginning. If you want the full story, including a real moment from my company where we turned pressure into progress, you’ve got to listen to the full episode of No Silver Spoons. I walk through how I handled a tough season, how my team responded, and what we did to rebuild clarity and confidence.

You’ll also hear scripts you can use with your team, stats that prove urgency can actually be healthy, and what I believe is the future of leadership for virtual teams.

👉 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or visit @nosilverspoons_podcast on Instagram to tune in.

Tag me when you share your favorite part. I would love to know how you’re leading your team through pressure with more purpose.

Reference Page

1. Harvard Business Review. (2023). “Psychological Safety and High-Performing Teams in Remote Work.”

2. Remote Leadership Institute. (2025). “Remote Team Productivity and Communication Report.”

3. American Psychological Association. (2022). “The Science of Eustress vs. Distress.”

4. Gallup Workplace Studies. (2024). “Emotional Safety and Team Performance.”

5. Herman, Sarah Beth. (2025). “No Silver Spoons Podcast: Creating Urgency Without Causing Anxiety.”

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Disclaimer:

To learn more about Sarah Beth Herman, the author of all free training content you can read her bio here. These materials are intended to provide helpful information to dentists and dental team members. They are in no way a substitute for actual professional advice based on your unique facts and circumstances. This content is not intended or offered, nor should it be taken, as legal or other professional advice. You should always consult with your own professional advisors (e.g. attorney, accountant, or insurance carrier). To the extent, Dentistry Support ®has included links to any third-party website (s), Dentistry Support ® intends no endorsement of their content and implies no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Further, Dentistry Support ® makes no representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites. You can view our privacy policy and terms and conditions by clicking those pages in the footer of our website.