Do you recognize that? You're working on a project and everything runs smoothly, until an urgent situation suddenly takes over. Annoying, but it also releases an energy that causes movement. Everyone is going into high gear to solve the problem quickly. Imagine being able to use that energy tactically. What if you can use those 'fires' to accelerate results from focus? In this article, Dylan Hermanns, management consultant, and Dolf L'Ortye, co-founder of Summiteers, investigate whether you can use the power of fires as a tactical weapon in your project.

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Sudden focus and energy

Dylan: “Whoever leads a project knows the struggle. You must claim sufficient capacity for your issue. Whether it's time, attention, resources or space on the agenda, you're constantly playing a game against other issues that also require capacity. And once you have enough resources, you can't rest on your laurels. You will always see: just when you are well on track, a 'fire' starts somewhere. Suddenly, all eyes are on that one urgent situation, and everyone switches quickly to solve it. Within no time, your project's resources will be hijacked. This phenomenon of sudden focus and energy got Dolf and me thinking. There are many people in organizations who are very good at putting out fires, and who also enjoy it. It's exciting, there's a lot of pressure and something needs to be done now. It gives people energy, it gives them a kick. Is that a strength that you could use as a project team? '

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Consciously set fires for more focus

Dolf picks up the thread: “When you do your job very well as a program manager or project manager, your team is in a predictable environment. There is a plan, you have everything under control and deadlines are tight. But when a fire suddenly starts elsewhere in the organization, that whole plan collapses. That's frustrating because it feels like your hard work is being nullified.”

But what if you turn this around? Dolf continues: “What if you consciously schedule moments when you start a fire? Not to cause chaos, but rather to stimulate that enormous focus and energy. You plan your project well, but at certain times you consciously create a fire. Not to disrupt things, but to create focus and urgency at the right time. Very well planned, you escalate every now and then, you beat the drum, and that's how you create traction on crucial deliverables when necessary.”

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Fires as a tactical tool

Dylan adds: “So that's how we came up with the idea that such a 'fire' could well be a good remedy, something that you use consciously every now and then. Let's be clear: it's a theoretical thinking exercise, because — yet — we're not doing this as systematically as we outline it now. Of course, we sometimes escalate, precisely because you're constantly competing for resources. Then comes the well-known game: 'I need that person! ' “No, I need her more.” We all know that tug of war. But setting a fire can be a kind of multiplier. If you do it right, it can accelerate. Of course, you have to be selective: such a crisis should provide a temporary boost, not structural chaos. Then the risk is that it will either exhaust your organization or lose its strength because it has become predictable.”

Dolf: “Exactly. So if you have the change portfolio in your agenda and are always just putting out fires, you have to ask yourself how you are actually driving your change. You cannot prevent an acute problem from time to time. Sometimes it's even powerful, as Dylan says. But if you don't feel a constant basis for your change, maybe you should look for the pyromaniac instead of continuing to put out the fires.”

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The power of urgency in change

“There is an enormous communication component to this idea,” Dolf continues. “The one who shouts loudest, the biggest fire, often gets the most attention. This may have been less relevant in the past, because changes were less continuous back then. But nowadays, you see that organizations are going through so many changes that the capacity to change has become very scarce. That makes the right distribution of resources all the more relevant now.”

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Play with the joker of focus

“The question, of course, is: what does this look like in practice?” , Dylan concludes. “As a program manager, you have to make a solid plan with a clear approach and clear deliverables, but keep some cards handy. Do not work according to the classic approach, but consciously create a 'fire' around the deliverables when necessary. This plays into the strength of your organization, because many people get energy from putting out fires. Be selective when using this “joker”. Too many crises? Then you literally burn out your team. And that should not be the intention. But think about it, and maybe we've inspired you. We'd love to hear your ideas!”

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