We are distracted in online meetings, doing emails while we half listen to what is being said. And with that mindset, the risk is that everything becomes urgent.ĭistraction is also everywhere in our workplace now, be that at the office or at home. When they say, ‘This is important’ what they actually mean is ‘This is urgent’. Urgency is pervasive, and for many has become the default way they prioritise work. Easier said than done, but with strong and inspiring leaders who lead by example, and coach their teams to fight for their priorities, it is possible.īusyness is infectious, and once it takes hold, we can end up extremely busy without having the impact we should be having. We need to hold the line and stay with what we believe to be the more important use of our time, rather than getting diverted from our priorities. To me these are like three apocalyptic riders who search out and destroy our productivity (OK, so I am now mixing my movies, as this is veering into Lord of the Rings territory but stay with me).Īs these riders and their armies bear down on us, we need to find the conviction and courage to hold the line, and not buckle and give in to the pressure. Gruesome but effective.Īs I watched this, I was struck by how workers and leaders are often faced with a relentless onslaught of busyness, urgency and distraction. As the English are almost on top of them, led by their towering and intimidating knights on horseback, Braveheart yells ‘Now’, and his front line of soldiers bend down, pick up long spears carved out of tree branches, and hold them up at an angle, impaling the oncoming knights and horses. His men are nervous, but they do hold, inspired by his bravery and leadership. As his rag-tag Scottish army stand in a long line waiting for the enemy, he calls ‘Hold, hold, hold the line’. William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man truly lives.There is a great scene in the movie Braveheart, where William Wallace, aka Mel Gibson, steadies his men on the battlefield, as the better equipped and larger English force bears down on them. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. William Wallace: Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse. Your son will not sit long on the throne. A child who is not of your line grows in my belly. But before it comes to you, know this: your blood dies with you. Queen Isabella: You see? Death comes to us all. Robert the Bruce: My hate will die with you. Robert's Father: At last, you know what it means to hate. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. William Wallace: There's a difference between us. Magistrate: The prisoner wishes to say a word. William Wallace: We all end up dead, it's just a question of how and why. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take. William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images Mel Gibson on the set of his movie Braveheart.
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