The Office Arsonist

Recently I was listening to a podcast…well, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really listening. We were in the car and my husband had on a sports podcast and I was all but zoning out. The podcast is called Men in Blazers and is all about soccer – both European and American leagues. I’m typically more of a crime and murder podcast junkie myself, so I was only half listening.

The podcast hosts were discussing new leadership of some European club and one of them stated, “Leaders who only know how to lead in times of fire become arsonists.”

Have you ever worked with an arsonist? Someone who seems to thrive in chaos, who lives for the drama of a catastrophe, and loves to be the hero who single-handedly saves the day?

A work environment like this can be extremely frustrating (and tiring). It feels like you’re always waiting for the inevitable next crisis for this person to swoop in and try to fix. Ultimately, this person ends up causing so much drama, they seem to be lighting the fires themselves.

So how do we avoid the arsonist, and better yet, make sure we are not the arsonists ourselves?

I think the first step comes right out of the fire safety manual we all learned in elementary school. You need to stop, drop, and roll.

When the inevitable work “fire” happens, instead of rushing in with hoses, ready to douse the flame and soak everything in our path, first take a moment to pause. Step back from the situation. Does the current situation demand you react right now, in the heat of the moment? Can you take some time to collect your thoughts, work collaboratively with your team, and figure out a solution, together?

It only takes one person to start the fire, but a good firefighter knows they need the whole team to put it out.

Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count.

About Molly: Molly Hallman is our Engagement & Experience Coordinator, helping the marketing team with all things writing related, websites, social media, and events. When she’s not telling the Advoco story, she’s spending time with her dogs and her husband in pursuit of Greenville’s best hot dog (current favorite: the mac and cheese dog from the Greenville Drive Stadium.) Got a question for Molly? Send her an email!

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