It is ironic to me that the places with the most firefighters are the ones with the most fires. “Why ironic?”, doesn’t it make sense that more firefighters would be needed where there are more fires? It does, but only to a certain extent.
Hopefully, by now you have realized that my “firefighting” remark is used to illustrate a very common phenomenon in many companies. “Putting out fires” is a metaphor commonly used to describe the actions of people within an environment where problems arise frequently and unpredictably. And within that environment, it is easy to identify those people who are experts are dealing with them. They are very well-known, they are the go-to people that dive first into emergencies, they are the heroic individuals that save the day. They are vastly rewarded and celebrated.
And therein lies the biggest problem in many companies.
There is hardly a profession most admired and celebrated than firefighters (the real ones). I am lucky to be acquainted with several of them. They are indeed people with an admirable sense of duty and service to the community. But none of them would tell you that they enjoy walking into a building on fire. Most would tell you that they would rather have no fires to extinguish.
And all would tell you that their heroes are the inspectors that enforce regulations that prevent fires.
But life without fires doesn’t inspire TV shows or movies. People like to see heroic feats. Indeed, it is that fascination with a heroism that supports “putting out fires” as one of the main roles of supervisors and managers. But if you want to take your company to the next level, you must stop the “firefighter syndrome” and seek to…
Shift your cultural emphasis and reward preventing problems rather than tending to emergencies.
For years, Company A had massive issues in their receiving area. At times, forklifts would run out of charge, there wouldn’t be space to stage deliveries, there wouldn’t be enough staff to handle various bays, receiving documents would be filed incorrectly, etc. When questioned, Artie, the manager in charge would reply “that’s the way it is in this business, there is never a dull moment”. But what was clear was that Artie knew how to get out of these problems. He was often celebrated as a hero at the end of those days.
However, my deep dive into the receiving process revealed some key things: all deliveries had a scheduled time, the amount of material to be delivered was known two weeks in advance, the cell phone numbers of all truckers were on file, and staffing levels were the responsibility of the manager. So why so many problems?
If these many problems occurred in the IT area, that manager would be in deep trouble. When was the last time you celebrated IT staff for solving a problem? Be honest, when IT solves a problem with your PC your thought is “it should have never happened in the first place!”.
We expect our IT stuff to never break down. Is the double standard justified?
After talking with Artie about my root cause analysis, he acknowledged that having predetermined events should help him prevent most issues. But his last statement was very telling: “when nothing is happening in my area, my boss doesn’t even know I’m here”.
Is Artie’s concern without a base? What about in your work environment?
Do you get acknowledged for anticipating issues before they become emergencies?
Are the most celebrated and promoted people the ones putting out fires all the time or the ones preventing them?
After a while, I convinced Artie to change his approach and motivation. We reframed his view of his role as a fire inspector rather than a firefighter. The receiving area began to see fewer problems and eventually it was running smoothly. Artie championed several changes not only in his area but up the supply chain. He worked with buyers and trucking companies to avoid delays. His area never looked better, employee morale went through the roof, and his bosses noticed the change. Eventually, Artie got promoted as well as his two seconds in command. The new receiving area supervisor followed Artie’s new philosophy.
The main takeaway here is that Artie’s risk-taking paid off. He redefined his role trusting that avoiding problems was much better for all than the way it used to be. He trusted that his bosses would acknowledge and appreciate a smooth-running operation. Had his bosses not done that, he would have reverted to a firefighter mode. Why? Because it is difficult to fight entropy. Preventing chaos requires energy, determination, and grit. That type of effort ought to be acknowledged and rewarded.
To all leaders out there, create a culture where problem prevention is appreciated and celebrated. It will make a difference.
Create a culture where problem prevention is appreciated and celebrated. It will make a difference.
F. A. Barillas
