inProcess
Fire-Fighter or Fire-Preventer?
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?