“3 things I really don’t like…
…hot beer, cold women, and a$$holes.”
This was one of the numerous snippets of bar wisdom I encountered on signs and tee shirts last month while cruising the British Virgin Islands with my wife and some close friends. The one above just cracked me up (from Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke if memory serves me correctly).
Then there was this one:
“Notice: Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
My guess is that many folks spend much of their day reacting to emergencies and fire drills that could have probably been avoided with a little better planning. Add in the time spent responding to emails and phone calls and the day is pretty much shot. When does the real work get done? Nights, weekends, never? I actually blame your boss and their boss for this, as $hit roles down hill. If they didn’t create the fire drill, you wouldn’t be fighting the fire.
3 suggestions:
1. Schedule daily head’s down work time and make it a priority (do you really need to be in all those meetings?)! This will allow forward progress every day.
2. Don’t respond blindly to fire drills. Think them through first before reacting and don’t be afraid to push back or question what you are being asked for if it doesn’t smell right.
3. And for those bosses and their bosses, think about the chain reaction you may be starting and who it may impact before you ring the fire alarm…there probably is a much more efficient way to get what you need which won’t turn your team on their heads and keep real work from getting done.
Note: Customers and spouses are allowed to cause fire drills, they come first no matter what 
