How Leaders Fuel Brush Fires
Distracted leaders drown in what’s broken. Fixing dilutes energy. Fueling multiplies it.
Fixers look like heroes. But leaders fuel brush fires.
Maximize what’s working.
Find Brush Fires
- Where is the can-do corner?
- Where do people lean in?
- Where is work moving without friction?
- Where are the problem solvers?
Energy reveals truth.
Explore the Source
Don’t stop at where. Name why.
Identify:
- Behaviors that create fire?
- Attitudes that sustain it?
- Conditions that make it possible?
Define energy-producing actions in one word. Name it to scale it.
Fuel Brush Fires
What do your energizers have in common? How can others adopt their practices?
Expand it.
Don’t fix everything.
Do this:
- Draw a map of your team. Circle the fires.
- Identify behaviors that fuel brush fires.
- Replicate pockets of positivity elsewhere.
- Put top performers near the energy.
Warning
The fire you feed grows. Are you fighting fires when you should be starting them?
Solving negativity is useful. Fueling brush fires is exponential.
Challenge
Map three brush fires on your team. How can you fan the flame?
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