Are you constantly putting out fires at work? That's not a leadership strategy—it's a symptom.

Ever worked in an organization where crisis mode is the default setting? Where teams pride themselves on their ability to "turn on a dime," order late-night pizza, and heroically save the day at the eleventh hour? While this firefighting culture might feel exhilarating and even create a sense of camaraderie, it masks deeper leadership problems that ultimately damage your organization's health and sustainability.

At its core, the firefighting syndrome stems from two fundamental leadership failures: lack of clarity about what success looks like, and insufficient accountability systems. When leaders can't articulate clear expectations or resort to "I'll know it when I see it" feedback, they force their teams into endless cycles of rework and last-minute scrambles. Even worse, organizations often inadvertently reinforce this behavior by celebrating the heroes who "stayed up all night" rather than those who delivered quality work through consistent, measured progress.

Breaking free from a firefighting culture requires a significant shift in leadership approach. Rather than asking vague questions like "How's it going?", effective leaders request to see work in progress with questions like "Show me where you're at." This simple change creates transparency, enables early course correction, and prevents the procrastination that leads to crisis. Taking a page from agile development methodologies, this iterative approach actually reduces overall work by approximately 20% while producing better outcomes.

The maturity of your organization depends on your ability to evolve beyond emergency mode. While startups may thrive on adrenaline and rapid pivots, sustained success requires processes that value outcomes over activities, clarity over chaos, and sustainable pacing over burnout. What kind of culture are you building?

Reverse delegation might be silently sabotaging your leadership effectiveness and your team's growth. In this eye-opening conversation, Scott and Tammy tackle the widespread phenomenon where well-intentioned leaders find themselves taking back work they've delegated to their team members.

The hosts unpack how many of us unwittingly create this dynamic through a fundamental misunderstanding of servant leadership. "No, you're not being a servant leader. You're being a bonehead," Scott remarks in his characteristically direct style, highlighting how taking on your employees' responsibilities actually disables rather than enables them. This conversation exposes the warning signs that you're carrying too many of your team's "monkeys" – from working longer hours than your staff to constantly justifying why you should handle tasks yourself.

Drawing on the classic Harvard Business Review concept of "management monkeys," Tammy provides practical strategies for breaking this cycle without sacrificing deadlines or team morale. The discussion explores the delicate balance between supporting your team and creating unhealthy dependencies, offering insights into when stepping in is appropriate and when it undermines growth. You'll learn powerful questioning techniques to help your team think more deeply rather than simply providing solutions.

Are you creating a firefighting environment by rescuing your team at the last minute? Do you find yourself playing the "Uno reverse card" game with tasks that should remain with your employees? This frank, practical conversation will transform how you think about delegation and employee development. Listen now to become the leader who truly enables others rather than unconsciously disabling them.

Questions or topic suggestions? Let us know! podcast@becomemoregp.com

Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomemoregp

Connect with Us:

Tammy K Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammerarogers
Scott Burgmeyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burgy
Producer Karman Hotchkiss: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karman-hotchkiss/

Other Resources: http://www.becomemoregp.com

This week Tammy and Scott talk about how they are doing in regards to their commitments for 2025. How do you think they are doing? What is their grade? Whoa - Karman is holding them to it!!

Questions or topic suggestions? Let us know! podcast@becomemoregp.com

Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomemoregp

Connect with Us:

Tammy K Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammerarogers
Scott Burgmeyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burgy
Producer Karman Hotchkiss: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karman-hotchkiss/

Other Resources: http://www.becomemoregp.com