| I've worked with well-meaning, highly-principled | | | | Stop - You must stop fighting all the fires. |
| leaders for years. When the topic of coaching and | | | | Recognize that as a leader the fires don't all |
| developing their employees comes up I often | | | | belong to you and with some coaching and |
| hear that they know coaching is important, they | | | | development the fires can be owned by others. |
| want to coach more, but they don't have time | | | | Then you will have time to work with your team |
| because they are too busy "putting out fires". | | | | members to do fire prevention. Start considering |
| As children we learn that if we are ever in a fire, | | | | fires as an opportunity for coaching and |
| and our clothing catches on fire, we should "stop, | | | | development. Does this mean you will never roll |
| drop and roll." By dropping to the floor and rolling | | | | up your sleeves and help? Not necessarily. What it |
| around we snuff out the flames and solve the | | | | does mean is that if you are dealing with all of the |
| immediate problem. | | | | fires, you can't do the work you are truly paid to |
| The more I hear the phrase "putting out fires" | | | | do. Stop! |
| from managers and leaders, the more I think this | | | | Drop - You must drop the fire and hand it off to |
| simple firefighting advice applies to leaders too. | | | | someone else. In the moment you might have to |
| The Fires | | | | help, but your help should be done consultatively, |
| No one I've ever talked to admitted to liking the | | | | so that as you are helping fight the fire, you are |
| fires at work. They put urgency and stress into | | | | preparing someone else to fight (or prevent it) |
| our days. They put us in a position of solving a | | | | next time. If you do find yourself enjoying |
| problem that in many cases we didn't even know | | | | firefighting, think about dropping the energy and |
| existed. And because of the urgency, often the | | | | enjoyment you get from these situations and |
| problems are averted (or minimized), but the root | | | | refocusing your energy to coaching and |
| cause never is addressed - meaning you fight the | | | | development. Drop! |
| same fire over and over again! | | | | Role - You must remember your role. As a |
| And while no one admits to liking firefighting, I | | | | leader, your role is to develop others. As you |
| believe that at least unconsciously some people | | | | invest this time, you are providing others the |
| actually do like the firefighting - it provides an | | | | opportunity to put out the fires. You are |
| adrenalin rush and perhaps even provides more | | | | developing their skills to manage their work more |
| short term job satisfaction as well. | | | | effectively. And by investing the time to coach, |
| Stop, Drop and Role | | | | you are creating more time to do it more |
| Assuming that you really don't want to deal with | | | | frequently and more effectively in the future. |
| the fires (if you secretly like that work, perhaps | | | | Remember your role! |
| you should re-consider carefully your role as a | | | | If you find yourself putting out fires that are |
| leader - read on as a part of that reflection), | | | | keeping you from doing the less urgent but more |
| there are three steps that will help you fight the | | | | important things like coaching and training, consider |
| fires and find more time to coach and develop | | | | the advice of firemen - who know fires best |
| your team - which was the initial concern! Those | | | | after all. |
| steps closely reflect the firefighter's mantra: stop, | | | | Stop, drop, and role! |
| drop and role. | | | | |