Overwhelm And The Corporate Arsonist

If you are lucky enough to still have a job, and that job is working in an office, then you may know a little bit about overwhelm and burnout.

Overwhelm comes with having more to do than can be done. Burnout shows up when you do the same old thing over and over again without ever feeling like it makes much difference.

In this post, we want to examine a common source of overwhelm and burnout, offering a glimpse into what you can do about it.

Do You Work With Fire Fighters Or Corporate Arsonists?

In my consulting experience, I have found that organizations in overwhelm also tend to be organizations in a constant state of fire drills. Management is forever screaming "Stop what you are doing -- this is urgent!" Someone discovered a fire or crisis that must be attended to right now. So, "hurry up! Don't just sit there, do something."

The problem with fires and crises is that they rarely seem to show up when convenient. And you never find a fire or crisis penciled in on your calendar.

Do you find yourself constantly fighting fires and crises at work? Do you hear others complaining about all the fires they have to put out? Sound familiar? Of course it does. Studies have shown that up to 80% of a person's day can be filled with unplanned work -- fires, crises and other "emergencies."

Can you think of an organization that NEVER complains about fires and crises?

Sooner or later you will likely settle on the Fire Department, Of course, they never complain about fires and crises now do they? Why not? Well, that's their job, isn't it?

And, yet, when was the last time you saw the fire engine broken down on the side of the road because they just didn't have time to get it tuned? Don't fire fighters have to plan, perform preventive maintenance, create budgets, shop for food, investigate new flammables at local businesses, train new staff, learn new techniques, and a whole host of other non-firefighting activities?

Of course they do!

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) of Quincy, MA there were to 2.12 million false alarms in 2007, up 230% over the previous 15 years! The City of Los Angeles averages roughly 100 false alarms per day.

The fire brigade doesn't have the luxury of looking at the ringing phone and saying, "if it's important, they'll call back." They have to drop what they're doing and respond right now. And much of the time, those calls are false.

We already know that real fires and emergencies just don't get scheduled on your calendar. They show up when they show up. The corporate fire fighting challenge lies in two very different categories according to source of the emergency, yet both share the same solution: planning and preparation.

A big question has to do with the source of the fire: did something external take place that wound up creating the emergency? Or, do we have a corporate arsonist running around loose, starting fires for others to fight. Even worse, might you be your own arsonist?

Some fires and crises are genuine. Something unplanned occurred and immediate response is required. Just because something is unplanned doesn't mean you can't anticipate and plan for it. Huh?

If part of your job is to respond to fires and crises, then doesn't it make sense to organize your work so that you can respond urgently without everything else getting discombobulated? Every one of us has a job to do, and part of that job is to anticipate disruptions, and organize accordingly. That's what fire department planning is all about, right down to the fire pole and turnout clothing.

Are You Your Own Arsonist?

We have all heard the difference between Urgent and Important, and yet we allow the non-important to become urgent, thus creating fires to be put out. So, in a way, we become the arsonist who creates the fires we have to put out.

Have you ever set yourself on fire? How about putting off renewing your driver's license? I mean, how important is a driver's license really? Not that big on a day in and day out basis. However, it just might look a bit more important at the airport security line or if Officer Friendly wants to have a look.

How can you organize your work so that you not only get things done, but also find yourself prepared for the inevitable emergency? How do you distinguish between the urgent and the important, making certain you have room for both?

In the next couple of posts, we will show you a system for organizing what's on your plate in a way that will not only help you get more work done more efficiently, but also help you get the right work done in right timing.

The arson rate will drop and when real fires show up, you will have your own equivalent of turnout gear and the fire pole to help you respond.

You can find out more about Russell Bishop at http://www.lessonsinthekeyoflife.com. Contact Russell at: [e-mail]

The author of Lessons in the Key of Life, Russell is an Educational Psychologist, professional life coach and management consultant, based in Santa Barbara California.

Comments

[feyangel]

I do not work in the corporate world, but I do work in an industry that is all about deadlines and urgency. When I first started in the profession, I really hated the way everyone was always pushing their agendas and a huge sense of crisis and emergency at me. So- I decided to make it part of my ministry to always be the calm, clear voice of reason and compassion in every situation. It was amazing how well that approach worked to change the "tone" of the communications and situations I was involved with. Once everyone was calmer and feeling heard, we were always able to work out the most effective way to resolve the "emergency."

Now, to be honest, I don't know if that would work in a situation where I was not an independent agent, with no boss over me. I find that sometimes my client wants to run through a deal with the elevated voices, adrenalin, crisis consciousness and etc,. It is sometimes harder to calm them, because their "perceived power position" of being the person who will pay me, urges them feel like they get to run whatever attitude they want, no matter how unpleasant or ineffective it is. So they CLING to their "fire." I think that may be more like what a corporate boss does with his/her employees. And while I can fire my customers when they become too obnoxious-- employees don't often get to fire their bosses.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

Wow, this is perfect timing for me. I've been thinking about systems in my life that could be more efficient.

I had my share of time in the corporate world, and still cringe when I think about some of the embers that people chose to throw gas on.

Thanks for being a voice for awareness at work.

Jason

[snapshot1940]

I used to work for the Federal Govt. For 15 years, I was a forest fire. You can only burn ofr so long.

[Eli Davidson - Huffpost Blogger]

Guilty!

I am my own personal arsonist! My day is engulfed in the urgent, and it is a habit I am looking forward to letting go.

I am very much looking forward for your wonderful posts to help me put out the fire that I have started.

Thanks again!
Eli Davidson

[Soundofthunder]

I had a great boss who had a simple saying: this ain't brain surgery. If we make a mistake, nobody died, we just fix and move on. So when I made a mistake (who doesn't?), I fixed it and moved on. He didn't get mad or upset or read me the Riot Act. He took it in stride. Then I got transferred to a new boss with a different maxim: WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! Every little problem was turned into a life and death situation. He chewed me a new-one for sending off a corrected fax with the date written by hand instead of printed out (it was the 1980s, no e-mail, and printing out one page on a dot matrix was torture). If a number was wrong, he flew off the handle. He stressed me out so badly I would pray for death, mostly his. It was that terrible.

So the "fire fighting" you speak of is more of an attitudinal problem than an actual problem. If people in an OFFICE would act like they're in an OFFICE and not an ER, productivity and happiness in the staff will go up. Needlessly burdening people with feelings of being in a constant state of emergency serves no purpose. Nothing good can come of it.

SOT

[brandnewstuff]

Best way to put this-Federal Senatancing and Policy

http://www.ussc.gov/orgguide.htm
bam
http://www.usdoj.gov/dag/cftf

[Ray46]

I remember the following statement.: In America managers are rated on how well they handle crises. In Japan managers are rated on how well they avoid crises.

[brandnewstuff]

Federal Sentancing Guideline for Organizations- FSGO

The DAG office - Corp Responsibilty

After the Bush Yeras lots of leftover bad people- enough stated- Accountibilty and Culpabilty even for those that abuse power- The Worse DOJ in US History- Frauds

[TashaG]

Too many managers are "Corporate Arsonists" they don't plan ahead and they make every little thing a huge Crisis. IMHO while rank and file should plan for emergencies, it is really management's job to deal with issues before they blow up. I really am starting to think that it's the fault of corporate america for not training their managers better and for getting rid of more experienced older managers. This leaves a vacuum where the young managers don't learn the proper management skills. This also burdens the rank and file with Bullying and inexperienced managers who don't know their job.

[Homosapient]

This is so true. I consider myself the eye of the storm in most work environments, because I refuse to act without thinking. Often people get in "react mode" and their actions end up causing more harm than good and more work. Using the old Pareto Principle, most of what we do really has no value. Filling out yet another version of that budget spreadsheet because the VP likes to see it a different way, responding to another cya email, endlessly rescheduling meetings because not everyone can attend, filling in project status for the upteemth time - all of these activities have become the norm and none of them get product or services out the door. Meanwhile, no one has the time to learn about or understand the problems that arise, especially their root causes, and we address the symptoms and make things worse. Worse yet, no one has time to build real relationships with colleagues, customers, or suppliers and this leads to yet more misunderstandings. All of these are classic vicious cycles. It's time to stop doing and start thinking.

[ChristineSchanes]

Thank you, Russell, for your wonderful post!

You certainly can see what's going on around us and in ourselves which is very helpful. Sometimes, I believe, we get so busy that we lose our perspective about what's really important and what's not.

Your posts are always so helpful, informative and practical that after reading your current post, I can't wait for the next one.

Christine Schanes