Leadership Tip

Stop, drop and role the next time there's a "fire" at work. Having trouble viewing this email? Click here "Fires" at work put urgency and stress into our days. They put us in a position of solving a problem that in many cases we didn’t even know existed. And because of the urgency, often the problems are averted (or minimized), but the root cause never is addressed – meaning you fight the same fire over and over again! And while no one admits to liking firefighting, I believe that at least unconsciously some people actually do like the firefighting – it provides an adrenaline rush and perhaps even provides more short term job satisfaction as well. Stop, Drop and Role Assuming that you really don’t want to deal with the fires, there are three steps that will help you fight the fires and find more time to coach, develop and better lead your team! Stop – You must stop fighting all the fires. Recognize that as a leader, the fires don’t all belong to you and with some coaching and development the fires can be owned by others. Then you will have time to work with your team members to do fire prevention. Start considering fires as an opportunity for coaching and development. Does this mean you will never roll up your sleeves and help? Not necessarily. What it does mean is that if you are dealing with all of the fires, you can’t do the work you are truly paid to do. Stop! Drop – You must drop the fire and hand it off to someone else. In the moment you might have to help, but your help should be done consultatively, so that as you are helping fight the fire, you are preparing someone else to fight (or prevent it) next time. Drop! Role – You must remember your role. As a leader, your role is to develop others. As you invest this time, you are providing others the opportunity to put out the fires. You are developing their skills to manage their work more effectively. And by investing the time to coach, you are creating more time to do it more frequently and more effectively in the future. Remember your role! If you find yourself putting out fires that are keeping you from doing the less urgent but more important things like coaching and training, remember this – As a leader you must focus on important things like developing your people, not just the urgent things that pop up each day. Kevin Eikenberry Chief Potential Officer The Kevin Eikenberry Group   p.s. Putting out "fires" is something many new supervisors are faced with as they learn to juggle their new responsibilities and manage their time. Equip them with the tools they need to succeed right from the start. Learn more about what Bud to Boss can do for your new supervisors here. Putting out "fires"...overcoming resistance...dealing with conflict... New supervisors are faced with a whole host of new issues.Equip them with the tools they need to succeed right from the start. Learn more about what Bud to Boss can do for your new supervisors here. Here's a look at some of our upcoming events... Orlando: Dec. 9-10 San Diego: Jan. 15-16 Houston: Jan. 23-24 Indianapolis: Feb. 12-13 Atlanta: Feb. 27-28 Boston: Mar. 6-7 Chicago: Mar. 20-21 San Francisco: Apr. 8-9 Orlando: Apr. 24-25 Cincinnati: May 8-9 Dallas: May 22-23 Nashville: June 3-4 Seattle: June 19-20 This email was sent to this address: alanrussell@princetoncap.com Update My Contact Information | Unsubscribe   The Kevin Eikenberry Group | 8021 Westover Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268 United States | (317) 387-1424