Forged in the Fire: Finding Strength in Your Biggest Leadership Dumpster Moments

Do you remember the first absolute dumpster fire you had in your business? 

On rare occasions, external forces can cause such an event. But more than likely, that fire had been building inside your organization for a while.

·         Growing complexity.

·         Lack of clarity and direction.

·         Delayed decisions.

·         People avoiding accountability. 

Every little thing you allowed became the fuel for an epic blaze, and if you look back at the moment it caught fire, you were probably the one who lit the match.  

Maybe you lost your temper after tolerating too much for too long.  Maybe you made a mistake trying to compensate for other issues. Maybe you were so overwhelmed that you checked out.  Or maybe you pulled your team together and quietly said ‘No more. Today is the day we change how we’ve been operating.” Regardless of how and when you lit it up, you move into firefighting mode and forge the path ahead.

And if you work smarter than you have before, that path forges you in return.

I recently gave one of these ‘dumpster fire’ coins to a client of mine who had just struck the match. Yes, with intention and with good reason, but there was so much more inside that fire than she expected, and she was reeling under how heavy it felt as things were blazing around her: Fearful. Criticized. Powerless.  

This token is a reminder of the strength that she’s forging, and it has given us courage and something to laugh at when we’ve needed it.

She’s focused on one theme right now: There’s a wealth of opportunity in that dumpster fire if we stay focused on the greater good of the company. It requires a lot of commitment to ask the right questions… and then do the very hard work of executing on those answers.

·         What will make the business stronger? 

·         What will make the team stronger? 

·         What will make YOU stronger?

·         Whose strength do you want beside you, now and into the future?

Forging strength throughout her company will be the outcome of our work together, but the strength she is forging in herself is the gift I am watching emerge. 

From powerless to powerhouse.