🔥 Are you always putting out fires? 🔥

Author

Kacy Maxwell
October 15, 2024

Last week, I shared about the 5 Key Leadership Shifts you must make when you become a leader. This week, we are going to dig into the first one: shifting from worrying about today to planning for tomorrow. This is an essential shift because if you are only worried about today, you will end up running on an endless hamster wheel and never get ahead. Whether it's the growth of your team, where your company is headed, or what the priorities should be for the next month, taking time to think about the future is essential for leaders to grow.

〰️ ARE YOU FUTURE FOCUSED? 〰️

If you ask most leaders why they don't take time to think about the future, the most common response you will get is that they don't have enough time. 'The fires of today need to be put out, and I'm just trying to keep things afloat.' The sad thing is, they aren't wrong—at least about what they are doing day to day. But these leaders don't really have a time issue; they have a priority issue. They feel like everything happening today is more important than what happens tomorrow. Until you shift your thinking on this, you will never find the time.

But how do you find the time to pick up the binoculars? I started a simple practice a few years ago that has been a game-changer for me. I set aside one full day each quarter for future thinking. A WHOLE DAY? Yes. HOW? The first thing I do is book it out six months in advance. Usually, there is nothing yet on my calendar that far out, and when that day is booked off, no meetings ever get placed on that day. It's like calendar magic. Then I start preparing for the day a month or so in advance. I have a pretty specific ritual that I follow when I take this time. If I am going to step away from the office for a whole day, it better be worth it.

🔑 STRATEGY DAY KEYS 🔑

  1. 📍 NEW LOCATION I always choose a location that is not my home or work office. I find that new locations often bring new ways of thinking. You can easily rent space for a day at a local co-working space, but I wouldn't recommend a public place like a coffee shop—too many distractions.

  2. ✍️ WHITEBOARD & MARKERS I typically do a lot of whiteboarding at these offsites, so I always make sure my space has a whiteboard and I bring fresh markers. There is nothing worse than nearly dry whiteboard markers.

  3. 🏋️ EXERCISE + WALKS I always exercise in the morning before I head out. It helps to get my brain awake and my body functioning. I also plan for 1-2 short, 15-minute walks—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This is for when I hit a wall or just need to stretch. Walks are a big help for my mind.

  4. 📵 NO EMAIL/TEAMS/TEXT I let my team know that while I am reachable, the fire they're contacting me about has to be so intense that the building won't be left standing if I don't jump in right then. Most fires aren't and can easily be handled the next day.

  5. ☝️ GO ALONE There are plenty of strategy sessions that are better with your team, but this is one that you need to do on your own. The goal is to get your mind focused on the future, and having others around will not allow you to access this part of your brain.

  6. ⍰ QUESTIONS PREP I prepare a set of questions to work through. I have found that answering questions helps me think in ways that I wouldn't naturally. I craft the questions based on whatever I am working through and what I am hoping to achieve. Sometimes they are broad, sometimes specific. Then I work through them throughout the day.

⚠️ One note of caution before you try this: while it sounds easy, it is actually a discipline that requires some practice. Putting out fires can often be very gratifying and addictive. Taking the time to slow down and push yourself to think differently can be tough. After the first hour, you may want to quickly check your email or Teams for that dopamine hit, but when you do, you are starting back at zero. This is deep work, and deep work is not for the faint of heart. Before taking a full day, you may want to schedule a half-day to start the practice and get used to it. Like running a marathon, you start by learning how to run a mile. I'd love to hear if you have tried this or if you have any other questions on this topic! Just hit reply and let me know!

📚 DIG A LITTLE DEEPER