Firefighting feels noble.
But it’s a symptom of poor design.
When everything’s on fire, it’s easy to feel important.
Needed. Even heroic.
You’re solving urgent problems, making big calls, saving the day.
But here’s the hard truth: if you’re always firefighting, you’re part of the design that created the fire.
Every flame traces back to a structure that can’t handle its own load — unclear roles, missing accountability, or decisions that keep circling back to you.
The fix isn’t “better execution.”
It’s a better design.
When a company scales, chaos isn’t optional — but chronic chaos is.
And if you’re constantly stepping in, your org is telling you something simple:
It’s not built to run without you.
The best CEOs don’t fight fires.
They design systems that prevent them.
If that idea hits home —
You might not be the leader you think you are. Try the PSIU Test and find out:
https://organizationalphysics.com/worlds-fastest-leadership-test/
– Lex, your CEO coach
📌 P.S. I used to think leadership meant being the one who showed up when it mattered most. Now I see it’s about designing a system that doesn’t need you to.
