For many years, whether I was a Production Manager, Plant Manager, or VP of Operations, my mornings began the exact same way.
I would arrive at the plant, stop at my office, and turn on the light so people knew I was in the building. Then I would go for a walk.
Not a casual stroll, a full walk through every department, saying good morning and checking production status to see what was accomplished since I left the day prior. Because when you run a 24-hour operation, a lot can change overnight.
And here is the part that surprises people:
I didn’t stop walking.
Even if a machine was down. Even if a mistake was uncovered. Even if someone mentioned something that sounded urgent. I kept walking.
“So… people brought you problems and you just walked away?”
Yes.
Not because I didn’t care. Not because I wasn’t going to act. But because leaders have one job before they solve anything:
Assess the entire situation first.
If you stop at the first issue you hear about, you might miss the real disaster three departments away. You may walk into a bigger problem next or a major catastrophe. And if you’ve already committed your time, attention, and energy to the first fire (without seeing the rest of the fires) you have already started your day reacting instead of leading.
Why the walk matters.
That daily walk did a few important things:
- It sets the tone. Saying good morning matters and people notice.
- It created visibility. Walking the floor keeps leadership connected to reality.
- It collected information. You cannot prioritize what you do not understand.
- It prevented overreaction. Not every “urgent” issue is the most important issue.
Once I completed the walk and understood the full picture, then I would go back and start taking action.
And I followed one rule:
Pour your water on the biggest fire first.
The mistake I see everywhere: chasing “easy” tasks.
This applies to paperwork and office work too, not just manufacturing problems.
I have watched colleagues focus on the wrong task simply because they wanted it off their desk. They weren’t prioritizing, they were clearing.
And the truth is: your desk should never be task-free.
There will always be something to improve, revisit, or investigate.
For years, I kept a rack on my desk with a stack of paperwork in it, my to-do pile. It might include:
- Researching software to track equipment maintenance.
- Reviewing marketing analytics.
- Investigating risk strategies like micro-captives.
- Improving a process we already “finished” last quarter.
The work never ends. The goal is not to eliminate tasks. The goal is to choose the right tasks first.
A leadership truth: there will always be fires.
If you are a manufacturing manager or company executive, you will always have fires burning and that is normal.
What matters is how you respond:
- Do not waste your water on the small fires while the big one burns freely.
- Do not treat every issue like a crisis.
- Do not react before you evaluate.
Walk. Assess. Refocus. Prioritize. Then Act.
Because if you put all your water on the wrong problems, eventually you will face the big one, with no water left.
Want help prioritizing what matters most?
If your days feel like nonstop firefighting, or if you know your team is working hard but the biggest issues keep slipping through, let’s talk.
At CollineIQ, I help leaders and business owners assess what’s really happening, prioritize the right actions, and prevent small problems from turning into major catastrophes.
