I’m a runner. Not an overly accomplished one, but a runner just the same. It’s part of my identity, to the point where if I were asked to introduce myself, my affinity for running would likely show up in the first minute or so, after my love of family and dogs, and before my love of Sunday baking.

However, I don’t need to have ever run a race, let alone a lap around the block to know that if you jump off the starting block at breakneck speed, you’re not going to feel good at the finish.

Ah, the race to the finish. How often it shows up in our daily routines: the race to finish the campaign concept; the race to develop the event materials, the race to see results. For a long time, I assumed this was just how PR professionals operated; at a pace that is entirely unrealistic at best, and terribly unhealthy at worst.

Why then, is urgency so steeped in our every day work? One might say, “you need to have an urgency for the work if you’re going to effectuate change” or “the issues are so important, how can we stand a chance at addressing them without urgency.”

In some cases, they’re right. But here’s the thing. There’s a time and place for breakneck speed. Maybe you’re closing in on new voting rights or climate change legislation and need supporting materials to help drive the case home. Maybe you’re creating an experience that supports community-led innovation.  Those sound like good reasons for urgency. But beware the teams and leaders who see urgency as a daily standard, and essential to your individual success.

It took me years before I was ready to say to a client, “hold on for a moment and let’s talk about that timeline.” Because, honestly, there’s very little strategy when operating in urgency, despite what the experts will say.

A well-documented and defined white dominant norm, urgency can perpetuate power imbalances; it can limit your ability to engage multiple perspectives; and it can restrict any meaningful rest or reflection.  Employing urgency effectively requires the ability to also practice stillness: the ability to scan the landscape, to see the big picture, and to strategically plan your steps, before racing to the finish.

Reflect on the pace you’ve been keeping in the first few weeks of this new year. Does it feel comfortable? Sustainable? Enjoyable?  Do you let your breakneck speed dictate the speed of those around you? Think about how a sense of urgency might be contributing to your work. And then ask, if this is how we operate from a place of urgency, what remarkable impact could we have if we slowed it down for a bit?

This is week 5 of the Finding The Words column, a new series published every Wednesday that delivers doses of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe  to ensure you receive this each week.