We all do it. Something comes up and we drop everything to give all our attention to a fire that needs to be put out. Before we can even get back to the important item we were working on, another fire is raging, and we have to move quickly to keep it from spreading.
It’s exhausting, arduous, demanding, draining, grueling… I can go on and on, but you get the picture, or should I ask, do you feel the heat?
As we work with credit union leaders across the country, we so often hear the frustration of goals not accomplished, projects put on hold and development opportunities missed, all because there is not enough time to accomplish those important items when an inferno is blazing a path through their office.
The other evening, I was watching a show called “Fire Country” and I couldn’t help but compare what was happening during the show to what I see so often in the lives of leaders. The plot has life going along nicely and then out of nowhere the alarm blares and everything stops until the fire is under control. Sound familiar? Something else caught my eye and impressed me…the Fire Captains were not the ones in the middle of the fire – they were standing back taking in the big picture so that they could be strategic and direct the feet of those who were actually fighting the fire.
I know I can hear you now, “If I don’t put out the fire, no one will.” “My people don’t know how to handle this kind of fire.” If you have ever said or felt something like this, let me ask you a couple of questions.
- Do you have to be the one to put out the fire because your people aren’t trained, equipped, or empowered in how to handle the situation?
- Do you have to be the one to put out the fire because it just feels better to be in control and know it’s done right?
- Do you have to be the one to put out the fire because it gives you a feeling of accomplishment and makes you feel good to be the one to handle the situation?
I don’t know your motivation or situation, but it’s important that you do. It’s important to identify what drives your behavior so you can determine your next steps related to the “Time suck” of Fire Fighting.
Here’s what I saw in “Fire Country” that I believe we can learn from:
- Role clarity. Everyone on the team knew their role and what was expected of them. The people called Fire Fighters were the ones actually fighting the fire. Those with the role of Captain were leaders, focused on assessing needs and directing the actions of the fire fighters.
- Training and Equipping. Each Fire Fighter was trained, equipped and tested on how to accomplish their role as a Fire Fighter. Once they could prove they knew their role, they were empowered, expected to do it and held accountable to doing it. Each Captain relinquished the duties of fighting the fire, focusing on leading and directing their Fire Fighters.
- Recognition. Each Captain observed, thanked and recognized the Fire Fighters for their actions above and beyond and for creativity and innovation. Recognition was done one on one and during the Fire Fighters group debrief following the fire fighting activity.
- Coaching & Reinforcement. The captain took time to meet with each Fire Fighter to talk strategy, growth opportunities, reinforce accomplishments and to express their pride. Each Fire Fighter has a clear understanding of what they are good at, and what they need to improve. And let’s not miss that each Fire Fighter felt a sense of pride in their work and accomplishments.
It’s clear that by following these four actions, it allowed the captain to have the confidence to trust their team of Fire Fighters to fight the fire and do their job, freeing the Chief to focus on the Big Picture, Strategy and create the Vision for the team. Oh yeah, and get the things on their own “to do” list “to done!”