Newsletter from September 2, 2026

Urgency is Your Advantage

Stop being a *****

Benjamin Diedering

sent: September 2, 2026

Subject: Urgency is Your Advantage

A few weeks ago I flew to Montana and photographed a friend’s wedding. I hadn’t shot an event like that in close to ten years… not since the early days when I picked up a camera for the first time. I remember being young and saying yes to literally any opportunity, whether its parties or weddings, I said yes on a whim, grabbed my camera, and showed up.

Something about that weekend reminded me of the two things that separate the people who actually build something from the ones who stay stuck at the starting line: urgency.

Today I want to talk about how you can use urgency to accomplish all goals your goals. Let’s go!

THE HUMBLING PART

At the wedding, I just started shooting just picked up the camera because it felt like the natural thing to do. And within the first few frames, it all came back. Skills like that don’t disappear, you don’t unlearn them. I hadn’t done this kind of work in a decade, and the industry had changed. The expectations, the tools, the pace… all different. Stepping back in was humbling in the best way. It reminded me that no matter how far you’ve come, revisiting the foundational work gives you perspective that no boardroom meeting can. I think about this a lot with how we build careers. Early on you try everything, you kind of have to. You need to know the rules before you can break them. I shot weddings, commercial work, food, events… all of it, before I ever narrowed focus.

That range is what gave me the instincts I rely on now. Most people want to skip that phase. They want to go straight to the specialization without putting in the time that makes it mean something.

DON’T STOP LEARNING

My challenge to you: if you’re a CMO, a creative director, a project manager who hasn’t sat in the junior seat in years, go back and do it. Just once. Shadow someone doing the work you used to do. Open a project file from five years ago and compare it to what you produce now. You’ll learn something you cannot learn any other way. And it will change how you lead.

THE REAL TEST ISN’T WHEN THINGS ARE EASY

I edited all 250 wedding photos in the car on the way back to the airport. By the time I landed, the job was done and my friends had their photos. The official hired wedding photographer? Still hadn’t delivered. I’ve been listening to David Senra’s Founders podcast, specifically an episode on Roger Federer. One idea from it has been living in my head ever since: The real professionalism doesn’t show up when everyone’s motivated and the conditions are perfect. It shows up at mile 20 of a marathon. At day 10 of a difficult shoot. When the weather is bad, the client is difficult, and you’d rather be anywhere else. The question is: what do you deliver when it’s raining, you’re exhausted, and nothing is going right? That’s where professionals separate from everyone else. That’s the only place it actually counts.

URGENCY IS THE STRATEGY

Most people are too comfortable with ‘later.’ And it shows up everywhere… in missed deals, slow turnarounds, and opportunities that quietly went to someone else.

I got a small taste of it at the wedding, delivering the edited photos before the hired photographer.

But the standard I hold myself to is the same one I hold my team to at BDX. When a client sends feedback, the clock starts. Because slow turnarounds don’t just frustrate clients, they quietly erode trust also. Speed tells people something that quality alone can’t compensate for once it’s gone: that you actually give a damn about their time.

The world is full of talented, capable people who are just too relaxed about the wrong things. They take three days to reply to an email that should take three minutes. They sit on a deliverable for a week or wait for perfect conditions before they start.

Urgency isn’t stress, it’s respect for your craft, your client, and for your own time. The person who moves first usually wins.

WHAT’S HOT

Hope you liked today’s letter, lots of info I hope you learn from. See you next week.
-Benni

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