A few days ago, my 4 year old son, ran up to me with a little hose, told me I was “on fire” and put me out. Then he pointed to another spot in the room and announced that was “on fire.” So, he put it out. Then a piece of furniture was “on fire.” He put that out. He insisted that I pay close attention.

I watched him battle a seemingly infinite amount of new fires.  Finally, I asked if we should find a way to stop the fires from starting.

“No!” he said, “I’m saving the day!”

And that is the problem. Firefighters want to be heroes. They need fire. So, they start fires.

Obviously, I’m not referring to real fire fighters. I come from a big firefighter family. Both grandfathers, my father, uncles and cousins were firefighters. Most of them were pretty safe with fire.

Safer than most leaders.

Probably the most used metaphor I hear from leaders is, “I’m too busy putting out fires to: A) Deal with staff issues B) Think about growth C) Try to understand how to prevent fires D) Take a vacation E) Build my team F) Develop new leaders G) Market effectively…” I think you get it.

They are busy saving the day.

Everyone views real firefighters as heroes. (They are.) No one views city planners, engineers and fire marshals who write and enforce the codes that prevent fires from starting as heroes.

But….who has saved more lives from fire?

There are leaders who are able to build. They accomplish sustainable results. They create safer and more stable environments for growth. There tends to be less drama around them. They make the news less often. They are generally not as exciting.

Then there are leaders who run around, sweaty pits, shouting commands, saving the day. From a fire that never need have been. Again. They do tend to attract a lot of attention. They often are more exciting. Often people are pretty excited that the day has been saved. Who isn’t glad their day was saved?

I prefer days where nothing needs to be saved. Days where I can just build.

Do you want to actually build your organization or your team? Do you want to see deep, meaningful, lasting change or growth or results? Do you want to build a legacy of accomplishments and improved lives?

Then get out of the fire starting/firefighting business.

• Take the time to understand why repeat problems develop in your teams or organization and address them.
• Learn how to identify issues that really are:
  • Behavior, perspective or character issues of an individual
  • Relational or communication issues
  • Organizational structure or systems
  • Organizational culture
• Learn to focus your efforts and prioritize.
• Learn to set longer range goals and create accountability to accomplish them.
• Find a way to resist the new ‘bright, shiny” idea or thing.
• Bring people on to your team who can see what you can’t see and listen to them.
• Learn to develop your ability to be satisfied with the results of your work, instead of needing immediate accolades from the recently rescued.
• Learn quietness. Turn off your adrenaline drip.
• Be ok with “need.” More often than not, we stunt the growth of others who need to learn to deal with issues by refusing to let them figure it out.
• Be ok with being respected as opposed to being liked.

Or, become a real firefighter.

If you are interested in talking to me about how to navigate the questions above, feel free to contact me here to apply for a free 20-30-minute strategy session.