Executive coach Ed Batista wrote a short but effective post called The Problem with Fighting Fires. It's not quite of article length that I normally include in the articles section of this newsletter, but I like what he says so it's perfect for this week's intro.
To quote the main points of the article:
"The problem is that you're acting like a firefighter instead of a fire marshal. You're constantly rushing from one fire to the next, never slowing down to install smoke detectors ... The problem is that firefighting is thrilling and addictive and makes you feel needed–and installing smoke detectors is boring."
Great advice for those managing others and who constantly feel the need to solve little problems that probably don't need as much immediate attention as we think. How much better to take a step back, analyze the situation, and prepare a proper plan of attack.
This might involve creating better systems, using better software, ensuring standups and team meetings are more productive, and so forth. Whatever the case,
the advice to 'install smoke detectors' is memorable and effective.
Now on to this week's hand-picked productivity links!
