Tag Archives: firefighting

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Contradiction, Argument, Debate and Fighting

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There are a variety of techniques for dialogue.  Ultimately the goal is to build knowledge and understanding through repectful but stimulating interraction.

These discussions can be divided into four categories.

Contradiction

While contradiction can be used in an argument in and of itself basically contradiction is the statement of a position opposite to one already made.

This category of dialogue can be conducted respectfully but is relatively superficial.

Arguments

Arguments differ from contradiction  because they need to include a reason or set of reasons with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong.

That is, arguments are rational, and while without care they can morph into more heated discussion with care they can be conducted in a very respectful manner relative to all participants.

Debate

Debates are in essence an argument within the context of a formal structure.  The may be moderated with time periods set for each participant to put forward their points.  The topic is usually defined and the discussion held within the topics boundaries.

These are respectful in nature,the rules of the debate are designed to make that the case.  Although, as in the example of the recent U.S. presendential election debates, this is not always achieved.

Fighting

The main difference between a fight and all the other categories involves the use of personal attacks.  As soon as the dialogue moves from the focus of the topic to the personal (easily identified when the pronouns  “I or you ” enter the conversation), it is more a fight than anything else.

This is basic human nature, the personal statements are interpreted as attacks, and attack is the underpinning of a fight.  These discussions quickly move from the rational to the emotional.

This category is to be avoided.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

How to stop Firefighting

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My post on Saturdays  used the analogy of firefighting to help explain the concept of urgency and importance as it relates to your priorities. Urgent/ Important represented the equivalent of fire fighting.

On the other hand Important/ Not Urgent activities are often subject to procrastination, they get a default priority. That is we’ll  get to them when we get to them, the motivation to do the task is not obvious.

How focusing on important not urgent makes a diiference

Consider the fire-persons ( formerly known as firemen) sitting around the fire house waiting for an alarm.

Actively promoting fire prevention awareness to the community is important.  Fire prevention training , while important is not urgent (obviously not as urgent as fighting an active fire).  However, fire prevention reduces fires and so there is less firefighting.

Effective fire prevention results in less fires, leading to less fire fighting, so more time for important activities like fire prevention.   It’s a positive upward spiral – focusing on the important not urgent reduces the important – urgent (i.e., less firefighting).

Less firefighting means less of the damage that is typically associated with fires.

A Real Life Example

Without providing details, in order to protect the innocent, here’s a real example of this I recently observed.

An organization I am familiar with recently completed some major technology changes.  Not unexpectedly this created many fires.  The majority of the resources focused on putting out the fires.  And, immediately as one fire was out three more sprung up in it’s place.

The fire fighters were clearly getting exhausted.  The good news, and point of the story a small group of leaders in the organization took it upon themselves to identify the root causes, craft short, medium and long term strategies to address these along with specific action plans.

While creating the strategies did not appear urgent, nor provide immediate satisfaction, the key  outcome  of the strategic planning was a structured and methodical approach to issue management.  Within two months, no more fires.  Fires which might have continued for another 6 months or a year otherwise.