Augusta has reached 'the fierce urgency of now' in its path to progress (2015)

[Airforceguy]

This is an op-ed piece that was written by Mayor Davis ahead of Monday's retreat. I seriously hope something good comes out of this retreat because Augusta has so much potential and is at a critical junction in its history.

IT’S TIME WE harness the much-talked-about potential of Augusta and dream big, shoot for the stars and, if nothing else, be better stewards. The September retreat is an opportunity to begin that. This is a way to bring the team together to focus on important work.
Too often, retreats are seen as separate from regular work, as a stand-alone event. Not surprisingly, this leads to the “Monday morning problem”– when we return to the office, and everyone forgets about the retreat and carries on with business as usual.
The fierce urgency of now says that Augusta can’t afford to wait another 10 years to cash the check called potential. The residents want action, they want a better Augusta. They desire One Augusta. Action and measurable outcome tracking will prevent complaints that “there was no follow-up from the retreat,” or that “nothing happened.”
The best retreats are treated as moments of intense activity in a larger process. The leader, the committee and the facilitator lay the groundwork so that the retreat time is used most effectively.
And there’s a follow-up plan in place before the retreat. After all, the follow-up items from the retreat shouldn’t be a surprise; they come from the objectives and design. Good retreats end with an action plan.
No longer can we avoid the tough stuff. Many retreats steer around the real work. Many work groups have important, “undiscussable” issues. Often it feels too risky to bring up tough topics at the retreat, so we avoid them. Instead, the team focuses on something less important. Most everyone knows there is an “elephant in the room,” and since it’s not being addressed, cynicism grows.

Augusta has reached 'the fierce urgency of now' in its path to progress | The Augusta Chronicle