Met the Chief Fire Starter from k9 Venture – Manu and read his interested title last week. Now just happened to see a very interested in article of CFS. Now would like to share with you.

Full original article: http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/AMMagArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=11362

Executive IdeaLink: Moving From CEO to Chief Fire Starter

Moving From CEO to Chief Fire Starter
By: Quint Studer

In early civilizations, fire starters taught others how to keep the flame alive. If they were successful, the tribe lived. If they were not, the tribe died. It was that simple. Now, apply this analogy to your organization. When you do, you’ll realize that it’s time to rethink your role as CEO. Are you overwhelmed with policy and procedure manuals and endless meetings or are you conceiving great ideas that get implemented, sparking the enthusiasm of everyone around you, and igniting and stoking the spirit (and profits) of your organization to blazing new heights?

In early civilizations, fire starters taught others how to keep the flame alive. If they were successful, the tribe lived. If they were not, the tribe died. It was that simple. Now, apply this analogy to your organization. When you do, you’ll realize that it’s time to rethink your role as CEO. Are you overwhelmed with policy and procedure manuals and endless meetings or are you conceiving great ideas that get implemented, sparking the enthusiasm of everyone around you, and igniting and stoking the spirit (and profits) of your organization to blazing new heights?

Of course, there is no “magic bullet” for moving from CEO to fire starter. But there are some overarching principles-or sparks-that can help you on your journey.

Spark 1: Think of yourself as CFS…chief fire starter. Reposition the way you think about your role within the organization. If you think of yourself as a fire starter, in charge of lighting a fire in the soul of every man and woman in your company, everything you do will change.

Spark 2: Have an absolute passion for excellence and never waver. Having a passion for excellence can manifest itself in many ways. But one of its main hallmarks is the refusal to accept no for an answer, the refusal to look for someone to blame. Pursuing excellence means not giving into the temptation to accept the status quo, to assume there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s important to drive hard and find out what the real problems are.

Spark 3: Don’t be too removed from the people who do the job. Solve problems by soliciting the advice and direction of the people who do the job every day. Walk up to employees and ask very specific questions: Is there anything we can do better? Do you have the tools and equipment you need to do the job? Even when you are too busy to walk around and talk to everyone, you can have leaders under you keep you informed about the personal details of individual employees. That way, when you meet with those employees, the inside information you’ll possess will help you seem more visible.

Spark 4: Identify the major problems and other seemingly unrelated ones will fix themselves. It’s funny how one thing builds on another in life. Fix one major structural problem and 10 others will correct themselves, too.

Spark 5: Work on the assumption that people want to do a good job. I really believe that when people aren’t performing, it’s almost always because they don’t have the tools they need.

Spark 6: Make the connection between employee satisfaction and the bottom line. Remember, satisfied employees are always better performers. When employees feel appreciated and recognized by their leaders, they seek out opportunities to do good things for the company and its customers. They think like owners, not renters.

Spark 7: Hardwire your company culture with key behaviors. When you hardwire the right behaviors, tools, and techniques and align your focus organizationwide, your company will be consistently successful, regardless of who the leaders are. Once the systems and processes are in place to sustain service and operational excellence, an organization is no longer dependent on a particular leader to ensure continued success.

Spark 8: Get rid of the we-versus-they mentality. It’s easy to spot a we/they culture. If employees love their boss but hate administration, you will know they have the we/they disease. It’s especially obvious at budget time, when a manager comes back from a budget meeting and says, “I fought for us but this is all I got.” Don’t let it happen in your organization. Even though it may feel easier or more comfortable at the time, ultimately you’re dividing the staff when you should be uniting them. There is only one group, one team, and it is we.

Spark 9: Know and understand the impact of high and low performers and learn to deal with each effectively. It is easy to spend too much time with low performers and not enough with high performers. Strive to do the opposite. And here’s a major point to remember: you must deal with low performers. Don’t be afraid to let disruptive people go. If you don’t, these low performers will affect your high performers, causing them to 1) leave the organization, 2) channel their positive energies into outside interests, or 3) pace themselves and slow down.

Spark 10: Create and develop leaders. Because an engaged, aligned workforce is so critical to hardwiring excellence, I believe that not investing in leadership development is the equivalent of organizational malpractice. In my former roles as a hospital president and 20-year health care veteran, I found that most registered nurses leave their jobs because of their relationships with their supervisors. The same is likely true in every segment of the business world. The best thing you can do for your staff and your organization is to invest in leadership training.

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