Firefighting
Lurching from crisis to crisis instead of working the plan. Heroic in the moment, damning as a lifestyle — a team always firefighting is a team whose prevention budget was 'deprioritized.'
Heard in the wild
“The week was pure firefighting; the roadmap never got touched.”
Tone check: Professional
Orgs promote firefighters and forget arson prevention. Track what percentage of time burns; make the number visible.