Fire-Fighter or Fire-Preventer?

June 19, 2014
Which of these best describes you at work?  When you think about your typical day, your activities might fit those of a:

  • Fire-Fighter, if you…
    • wait for the “alarm” to sound before you spring into action;
    • never seem to know where a problem is going to pop up next;
    • feel like you run from problem to problem;
    • worry about whether you can keep a fire from burning out of control;
    • don’t feel in control of the situation;
    • can regularly “feel the heat” from the situations you face;
    •  are routinely at odds with your work environment or, worse yet, with your coworkers and clients;
    • just want to make it to the next break in the action.
    • or…
  • Fire-Preventer, if you…
    • start work on what matters most without being asked;
    • scout out the sources of potential problems and remove the fuel, before a fire starts;
    • always have a plan for the activities that should occur next;
    • have a contingency plan to enact when things don’t go quite as planned (do they ever?);
    • know your capabilities and trust others to help fill the gaps;
    • prefer to stay calm, cool and collected;
    • enjoy teamwork;
    • find enjoyment in the work itself.

Life as a Fire-Fighter may have its exciting moments, but working as a Fire-Preventer offers less stress and a longer-term future. It requires you to take the initiative, however, to move from reactive to proactive. What’s your choice?

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