Are You Working on Somebody Else’s Problem?
You are if your modus operandi is fire fighter.
Because, let’s be real, you’re mostly putting out fires set by other people.
It may make you feel like a hero, but it’s not the best way to approach your job on a daily basis. Let me explain by asking you to answer these questions:
- Do you find yourself spending most of your time responding to other people’s crises?
- Is your day consumed with disruptive activities?
- Do you answer email all day long?
- Do you immediately respond to texts and voicemail?
- Are you constantly reacting, with little time left for acting?
If so, you (and most likely your co-workers too) are probably not doing the important preventive work that must be done so these urgent fires don’t break out.
Prevent vs. Fight
Anyone can fight a fire; “Only YOU can prevent [forest] fires.”
So, get out of the trees for a minute, take a perch at the top of a hill, and get a panoramic birds-eye view of your organization’s forest. Look for the places where danger lurks and fires might break out. For example (this is a non-exclusive list), it could be the way:
Details
The single most important lesson I ever learned.