When an organization is in crisis, the focus becomes all short-term. It’s “where can we cut?”, what change can we make today?”, and “how can I get through tomorrow?”. Leaders can become so involved in firefighting that they forego innovation.
And then it becomes a vicious circle. When leaders fail to articulate a vision of what the other side of change looks like, there is no near-term movement to achieve it. The crisis consumes all of the organizational energy, often deepening the troubles.
Even in the best of times, it’s hard to think about tomorrow amid today’s meetings and priorities. Strong leaders need to be intentional about carving out separate chunks of time to think about the future and to take preventive measures before flames erupt. Schedule your calendar as a visionary, not a firefighter.
