Go Put Out That Fire Now! A Lesson in Providing Direction

Have you ever had a manager or colleague ask you to take care of a problem, only to give you virtually no background or guidance?  And when you ask more than one question, you’re told you’ll need to figure it out yourself.  The good old delegate and dash.  Talk about being set up to fail.  But now it’s your problem because you are not a mind reader.  Plus, now you are forced to prioritize the urgent over the important (my experience is most fires turn out to be relatively unimportant).  Good luck with that.

Since we are always having to put out fires at work, I’ll use the fire analogy to help managers understand the difficult position they put staff members in when they do this.

Manager: ‘Go put out the fire now!’

Staff Member: ‘What fire?’

Manager: ‘I don’t have time to explain.  I’m already late for a meeting.  My assistant can give you some additional details.  You’ll have to figure it out as you go.’

Staff Member (to Manager’s Assistant): ‘What can you tell me about this fire the manager wants me to put out?’

Manager’s Assistant: ‘What fire?  I don’t know anything about it.’

Staff Member:  ‘I’m so screwed.’

Poor staff member.  On the left you will find a rock and on the right you have a hard place.  Get comfy.

I understand there are times when a manager has to let the staff figure it out on their own (i.e. push baby bird out of the nest, throw them in the deep end of the pool).  This can be a valuable tool in the learning process.  However, many times managers are just plain lazy and use this concept as a crutch, not to mention the exponential amount of unnecessary stress heaped on the staff member having to overcome so many unknowns. 

Let’s review the potential questions the staff member may have and the problem solving concept addressed:

 

·         Where’s the fire?  (Identification)

·         How big is the fire?  (Scope)

·         Where’s the fire hose?  (Tools)

·         Where’s the fire hydrant?  (Tools)

·         How do I hook up the fire hose?  (Knowledge/technique)

·         What’s the best way to put out this fire quickly?  (Knowledge/technique)

·         Are there any other firemen available to assist?  (Resources)

While staff members should be reasonably expected to fill in a few blanks from time-to-time, having to figure it out all on their own is just bad business practice.  Expect bad outcomes and strained relationships with overuse of this approach.  Instead, provide reasonable direction and clear expectations for staff members.  They will be able to identify problems and determine and implement solutions all by themselves.  The end result is a more engaged staff, plus you’ll end up with far fewer fires in the first place!

Related reading:
Putting Out Fires: Stop, Drop, and Roll
Why You Must Stop Putting Out Fires
Active vs. Reactive: How to Stop Putting Out Business Fires