Always Putting Out Fires? Time to Rethink How Work Gets Done

When every problem feels urgent, it often signals an inability to prioritize. Leaders need to identify why this is happening, and develop protocols for moving forward.

When a company leader complains that the business is “always putting out fires,” it’s a sign that something deeper is happening. Nicole West, Founder of New Perspective Consulting LLC, says as organizations grow, it's difficult to overcome their instinct to treat each issue with the same urgency. While a focus on execution may serve new businesses well, as time goes on they need more formal rules for dealing with the issues that erupt all too frequently. That means stepping back and identifying the systemic factors that prevent the companies from prioritizing, then setting protocols for moving forward.

In this interview, West shares her perspectives on how to make this happen, based on her work helping companies, small businesses, and nonprofits climb out of constant crisis mode and move forward more strategically and intentionally.  While the transition can feel slow at first, she says that ultimately companies will feel more in control, and the same issues won’t keep cropping up again and again.