The tactical firefighting merry-go-round

Too many operations leaders I talk to are stuck in what I lovingly call the tactical firefighting merry-go-round.

The place where strategic thinking, proactive problem solving, and innovation go to die.

Where you can’t see the forest through the trees. Where every day is reacting to what’s on fire instead of building what’s next. Where you’re so busy solving today’s problem that you never get to tomorrow’s opportunity.

Unfortunately, this is where many operations leaders live.

The causes are many:

The company grew too fast, or is currently growing too fast, and operations, systems, and processes couldn’t keep up. Or they weren’t given the attention they needed, because no one had the time.

And here’s the uncomfortable one: too many of the people involved in operations like the tactical firefighting. It makes them feel productive. Important. Needed.

Putting out a fire feels good. It’s visible. It’s immediate. You get a hit of “I solved that” every time.

But that feeling is a trap.

Because here’s what firefighting actually costs you:

You’re always reacting, never building.

You can’t grow, because everything runs through you.

You burn out, because the fires never stop.

And you stay stuck, because you never get the time to fix what’s actually causing the fires in the first place.

The firefighting feels like progress. But you’re running in place. The merry-go-round spins and spins, and you end up exactly where you started.

So how do you get off the ride?

There’s only one way: slow it down long enough to build the structure you need.

That’s it. That’s the whole answer. And it’s harder than it sounds.

Because slowing down feels counterintuitive when everything is on fire. It feels irresponsible. How can I stop to build systems when there are real problems that need me right now?

But that’s exactly the thinking that keeps you on the ride.

You have to be willing to let something smolder while you build the thing that prevents the next ten fires. You have to trust that the short-term discomfort of slowing down is worth the long-term payoff of a business that doesn’t need you to firefight every day.

The firefighting might make you feel productive and important in the moment.

But it’s not where you want to be.

The goal was never to be the best firefighter. It was to build something that stops catching fire.