The founder of a highly successful company was asked what it took to succeed. He answered: “The same thing it took to get started: a sense of urgency about getting things done.”

The people who make things happen share the same sense of urgency. Ask any entrepreneur to list the keys to getting a company off the ground, and urgency will be among the traits listed.

No matter how intelligent or able you may be, if you don’t have a sense of urgency, you'd better start developing it now. The world is full of competent people who honestly intend to do things tomorrow; however, tomorrow seldom comes for them. Many individuals with less talent are more successful because they understand the importance of urgency. In other words, get started now.

The downfall for many people and companies is that once they are successful, complacency sets in. They are comfortable and satisfied with the status quo. Complacency is the enemy of urgency. Things don’t happen by sitting back. Things don’t happen by watching and waiting for others.

John Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor and author of “A Sense of Urgency,” says that keeping up urgency is a challenge, because leaders must create it over and over. It must be embedded in your culture. Companies are vulnerable to complacency setting in.

He advises that the key for leaders in maintaining a sense of urgency is “to value the capacity to appreciate unexpected opportunities. This focus results in work that is highly leveraged, meaningful work, a culture that is satisfying to heart and mind, and an organization that continues to succeed in a changing world.”

So, the challenge shifts to keeping employees motivated and determined to succeed.

According to Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace Report,” published in 2013, only 30 percent of employees are actively committed to doing a good job. These are your engaged employees who have passion and a profound connection to their company. Unfortunately, 50 percent of employees only put in their time and are essentially “checked out.” The remaining 20 percent are actively disengaged employees who are counterproductive and negatively influence others.

Another problem is false urgency, where you have a lot of activity without productive results. John Kotter explains: “False urgency is rooted in anger and anxiety ... This anger creates conflict, battles and a lot of meetings. It is often created by pressure from above, with actions that are not aimed at the root cause or real solutions.”

True urgency is focused on accomplishing something important each day. Urgency is not driven by fear, but rather by a deep determination.

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, talked about urgency in his book “The Road Ahead.” He said the secret to Microsoft’s success was that employees always thought of themselves on the losing side, which made them strive to be No. 1. That attitude created a sense of urgency that made them work hard to flourish in the highly competitive tech industry.

In today’s entrepreneurial environment, if you don’t move fast, you get run over. Without a sense of urgency, people and businesses just can’t move fast enough. But this is not a new concept.

Centuries ago, Leonardo da Vinci said: “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

Legendary pro football coach Vince Lombardi demonstrated a tremendous sense of urgency when he took the helm of the Green Bay Packers. They had a miserable 1-10-1 record in 1958, and at training camp in 1959, he had some stern words for them.

Lombardi said: “Gentlemen, we are going to have a great football team. We are going to win games. Get that? You are going to learn to block, run and tackle. You are going to outplay all the teams that come up against you. Get that?”

Virtually the same players as the year before went on to win seven games that year, a division title the next year, and an NFL championship the third year. The renewed passion for the game, fueled by their newfound urgency, produced astounding results.

Mackay’s Moral: If it’s worth doing, do it now!

A woman hired a bricklayer to build a wall outside her upscale home. Talking with him while he worked, she was amazed to discover that he was the brother of a brilliant concert violinist whom she’d recently seen perform.

“Oh, you’re so lucky to have such a talented brother,” she said. Then, fearing the man might misinterpret her remarks as being critical of his manual labor job, she added: “Of course, we can’t all be equally talented.”

“You said it, lady,” the man responded. “Take my brother; when it comes to doing something important like building a house, he’s useless.”

And that is what we mean about how to put things in perspective.

Perspective is the ability to understand what is important and what isn't, and the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.

After frequent requests for an explanation of his theory of relativity that would be comprehensible to lay people, Albert Einstein devised a statement that read: “An hour sitting with a nice girl on a park bench passes like a minute, but a minute sitting on a hot stove seems like an hour.”

A person’s perspective is the way they see something. It might be based on experience or personality. But it doesn’t necessarily mean their perspective is right or wrong. Putting things in perspective gives you a clearer, more accurate picture of the situation.

But YOUR perspective may be wildly different from the next person’s.

The best way I know to keep things in perspective is to take a second look, through another person’s eyes. What is their point of view? Why is it different from mine? What would I feel like if I were in their shoes?

We are selfish by nature. Sometimes we think that our perspective is the only way to look at a situation. Not true -- stepping away from your thoughts and feelings, and thinking of the other person’s point of view may broaden your perspective and make you more aware of your actions and their consequences.

Dr. Phil McGraw of TV fame uses the analogy of a pancake. He says: “No matter how flat you make a pancake, it’s still got two sides. One of the greatest limitations we face as human beings is that we look at the world from our own subjective perspective -- especially in situations that directly involve us. Anytime there’s something personal at stake, you’ve got a built-in bias ... If you can develop the ability to really see through another person’s eyes, you’ll be tapping into an incredibly powerful tool for managing your life. And it’s a skill you can cultivate -- just like flipping a pancake.”

Another approach I use for keeping things in perspective is to search out a third or fourth or fifth party. I believe three heads are better than two and five heads are better than four. That’s why I have a “kitchen cabinet” to run things by. Sometimes you are too close to a situation or don’t have a good feel. You can often benefit from more advice.

Of course, one possible result is that you may have to admit that you are wrong. You may have misjudged a person or situation. Don’t let pride and ego get in the way. Don’t let yourself get too attached to your perspective. It is better to get things right and learn from the experience.

Keeping things in perspective has a special place at work. A bad day at the office can easily snowball into a bad week or a bad month, if you allow it. One defeat can damage confidence, leading to another letdown or a negative outlook. Be on your guard! Don’t let one disappointment or failure cloud your perspective.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson offers this advice: “When life tells you no, find a way to keep things in perspective. That doesn’t make the painful moments any less painful. But it does mean you don’t have to live forever in the pain. You don’t have to live forever in that 'no.' Because if you know what you’re capable of, if you’re always prepared, and you keep things in perspective, then life has a way of turning a 'no' into a 'yes.'”

Mackay’s Moral: Never underestimate the power of perspective. It can change everything.

A little girl visited a farm one day and wanted to buy a large watermelon.

The farmer said, “That will be $3.”

“But I’ve only got 30 cents,” said the young girl.

The farmer pointed to a very small watermelon in the field and said, “How about that one?”

“OK, I’ll take it,” said the little girl. “But leave it on the vine. I’ll be back for it in a month.”

Now there’s a young girl who is destined to succeed.

Children teach us many lessons. For example, kids are more creative and imaginative. Children don’t know what is and isn’t possible. To them, everything is doable. They don’t have the mental blocks that many adults have, and haven’t been curtailed by rules and regulations.

Similarly, kids also dream more and dream bigger. If they can dream it, children believe they can do it. They are more ambitious and enthusiastic.

When I speak to business audiences, one of my messages is to believe in yourself, even when no one else does. No one does this better than children. They believe they can do anything and everything.

Children are fearless. They don’t fear rejection or what people think of them. They don’t think about the future. They are carefree. Tomorrow is simply another day.

Children start every day anew. They are not afraid to try new things. They don’t worry and, possibly most important, are happy. And they strive to do what makes them happy. Shouldn’t we do the same as adults? You can be as happy as you decide to be. It also helps that kids laugh a lot.

Children forgive and forget. If they get upset, they typically move on to something else soon and forget what was troubling them. They don’t hold grudges. It is far better to forgive and forget than to resent and remember.

Children make friends easily. They understand that the best vitamin for developing friends is "B1."

Someone else is telling kids when to eat, sleep and go to school. They can’t choose their living arrangements, make their own vacation plans or set their own rules. They are essentially powerless. And yet, they manage to survive and thrive. What are we adults doing wrong?

Perhaps we have set aside the childlike qualities that keep us excited about getting up every morning. Remedy that problem pronto. If enthusiasm and creativity are lacking, it might be time to reread some Dr. Seuss.

Children are incredibly perceptive. They can spot a phony with dizzying speed, and while tact isn’t always among their strongest attributes, their blunt honesty is hard to argue with.

Let me tell you the story about the father of a very wealthy family who took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They stayed with a very poor family. When they returned, the father asked the son what he thought of their trip.

“It was great, Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah,” said the son.

“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.”

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Through the eyes of a child, the father learned wisdom beyond the ages.

Mackay’s Moral: Kids will be kids, but they can be terrific teachers too.