Last week our article highlighted four categories of activities that most professionals spend doing on a typical workday: Firefighting; Attention Getters; Capacity Building; and Time Wasters. This week we will highlight the first category: Firefighting---or Crisis Mode.
This mode includes tasks and activities that must be done, but that come up suddenly or unexpectedly. Firefighting means devoting time to important and urgent matters, but not having control of the activities because we are “reacting” to some external force beyond our control.
Javid, an airport manager, is thinking about the three items he must complete by the end of the day as he drives to work. As soon as he gets to his office, he writes down his three priorities and settles in to begin the day’s work. Within ten minutes, his assistant knocks on the door and says “something just came up.” Javid spends the rest of the day trying to resolve the emergency problems that “just came up” and even ends up staying late into the evening to deal with these issues.
Javid did not get any of his priority items accomplished because he was ‘firefighting’ the entire day. Firefighting activities are a part of every job, because it is impossible to anticipate every problem or issue that might surface. However, anyone who spends too much time in firefighting mode is a prime candidate for burnout, stress and agitation. There will be little time to pay attention to the interpersonal relationships that are essential to maintaining internal and external customer service.
Next Week: Time Mode—“Attention Getters”
