Pyromaniac Managers and Their Fire Brigade

What Happens When Managers Treat Everything as an Emergency

Have you ever complained, “All I do around here is put out fires?” Even worse, do you have a boss who is the pyromaniac, setting the daily fires that you have to run around putting out? One urgent call, email, text or request can rec havoc on you and your team for the rest of the day. These alarms, most of them false, rob people of the time they need to do the truly important work… obtain the results they are paid to produce.

We recently worked with an organization who had a C level manager who mastered in pyromania. At any time, he would walk out of a meeting or send an email saying that the CEO wants this or that, and it is the highest priority. Five minutes after making the request, I am convinced that both he and the CEO had forgotten about the request and had moved on to another ‘high priority.’ It’s a sad fact, but some of these managers actually like to start fires so they can claim the credit for putting them out.

Great leaders are focused. They know the importance of keeping everyone’s focus on the most important strategic priorities. Pyromaniacs are the managers who lose focus and are easily sidetracked on the priority of the moment. One employee we interviewed summed up working with this pyromaniac when she said, “I refuse to become sucked into this person’s vortex. The challenge is figuring out which one of his fifty false alarms during the week is really important.” The problem with pyromaniacs is the chain reaction they create. If the CEO yells “fire!” on the crisis of the day, then the CEO’s direct reports have no choice but to ask their direct reports to join in and fight the fire. Most likely, this manager was totally unaware of the stress he or she had created in the culture by sounding another fire alarm.

Whether it is you or someone else starting the fires, here are 7 tips to handling pyromaniacs:

1. Clarify and verify. If someone sounds the fire alarm, ensure you fully understand the task being requested, how the task helps to positively influence your strategic initiatives and what the specific timeframe is in which the task needs to be accomplished.
2. Negotiate timeframes. If you could accomplish the task sometime this week, rather than right now, you are able to effectively prioritize and you will no longer have a fire drill.
3. Listen and then ask. Before you sound the alarm, ask what people are currently working on. Is the accomplishment of what they are working on more important than the accomplishment of the fire alarm? Let people know that you know how busy they are and discuss the timeframe for accomplishment.
4. Keep a list of the fires and who provided the kindling. When you are able to review the fires and pyromaniacs, many times you can spot patterns and be proactive with actions that will alleviate the need for sounding the alarm.
5. Stay calm. Just because the pyromaniac is all jacked up about the crisis, does not mean you need to join in with the same level of emotion. It’s work and it’s a job. Keep things in perspective.
6. Figure out what can come off the list. Pyromaniacs are the best at igniting more fires. Great leaders are best at figuring out what does not add the most value.
7. Take responsibility. Great leaders know it is their responsibility to create an environment that minimizes chaos and gives employees the opportunity to do their best work.

As a leader, you create the environment for getting the work accomplished. By putting these seven tips into place, you are on your way to getting the most important work accomplished for your organization…and creating an environment where your employees love coming to work.