From firefighting to future focus: Proactive vs. reactive leadership
The following is an excerpt from our June 2025 issue of Hey Leader.
Hey Leader, crafted with thought & care by The Perk, is a monthly email series all with the intention to help you lead better. You belong here!
Hey, Leader —
Let’s talk about one of the hardest things to do as a leader: Slowing down.
It’s not because you don’t want to. It’s because the speed & swirl of your day-to-day never seem to let you.
If you’re like most leaders we coach at The Perk, you spend a lot of time in reactive mode:
Jumping into problems the second they surface
Rushing through decisions—even big ones—just to keep things moving
Feeling like you’re always behind & always catching up
It’s like a leader friend told me recently: “Over the weekend, I feel like I get my bearings back. On Monday, I’m excited to head back to work & actually take the time to think about our team’s goals & future state. By 5 pm, I realized that I haven’t moved the needle on tomorrow’s challenges. Only the ones for today & then that’s how it is all week.”
Oof. Totally get that.
And the thing is: It’s not your fault. That pace is downright addictive. It’s frenetic & urgent, so it feels like progress, right? It feels like you’re moving forward…but you’re not. You may just be confusing activity with results. A rocking chair feels great - you’re constantly moving, but you’re not actually getting anywhere. Shift from being the rocking chair to being a racecar.
And the truth is that constantly reacting to what’s in front of you doesn’t make you the best leader you can be, either. Honestly, it just makes you exhausted. Because when you’re always in response mode, there’s no room to lead. No space for creativity. Or strategy. Or priorities.
Just stress. And, a lot of “am I even cut out for this?”
That doesn’t help. You are cut out for this. You just need an intentional shift from reactive to proactive leadership.
🚨Reactive leaders are stuck in survival mode. They deal with what’s urgent, not what’s important. They respond to whatever’s loudest or latest. They’re driven by the swirl.
😎Proactive leaders pause before they act. They build in time to think, to align with their teams & to anticipate what’s coming next. They’re driven by the future state of their teams & work.
Being proactive doesn’t mean you’ll never have to put out a fire again, but it DOES mean you’re not living in the fire.
The thing about proactive leadership is that while it takes time to build that muscle (being reactive is a HARD habit to break!), there are a bunch of ways that you can practice every day. Starting…right now.
Sometimes the difference between reactive & proactive is as simple as a moment of reflection before diving into your day, or a 30-minute block on your calendar that no one else touches (& you don’t touch it, either!).
You can run your day instead of letting the day run you. So, let’s help you take back the driver’s seat, okay?
Start small. Pick one proactive practice (we’ve got four of them below in our #PerkProTip for you to choose from!) & then protect it like it matters (because it does).
Your leadership is much too valuable to be wasted in constant firefighting mode.
Want to Lead Proactively? Start Here.
If you’re looking to lead with more clarity & calm this month, here are four small-but-mighty practices we recommend trying. They don’t require a total overhaul of your schedule—just a few intentional choices that create breathing room (& better results!):
Start with your “Big 3.”
Every Monday (or Friday afternoon, if that’s more your style), carve out a few quiet minutes & ask yourself: What are the three most important things I need to move forward this week?
These should be high-impact priorities—not just the stuff that’s screaming the loudest. Once you know them, write them down & revisit them daily. Better yet, share them with your team at meetings & check-ins so that everyone’s aligned.
Block time for focus—and protect it.
Yes, we know your calendar is already full. But setting aside even 25 focused minutes can make the difference between reacting to everything & making actual progress. Call it your “Think Ahead Time,” set a Pomodoro timer, & give yourself the time to plan, prep, or think for the day. I personally like to do mine while I’m outside walking - I feel the nature & space allows me to think better & clearer.
Do a “Before Action Review.”
Before you launch into an action, hit pause & ask yourself:
What does success look like here?
Imagine the action didn’t go as planned. What went wrong? What got overlooked?
Now, imagine you’re building a Prevention Plan so what you identified doesn’t go wrong. What steps can you build in to reduce the risk? Who’s responsible for those steps? How can you build checkpoints along the way to stay on track?
This quick reflection can prevent rework, miscommunication, or the dreaded “we should have talked about that earlier” moment.
Wrap It Up With An “After Action” Review.
At the end of a project, don’t just move on—look back. Take 10 minutes (solo or with your team) to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, & what you want to do differently next time.
Whether you try one or all of these this month, remember—you don’t need to fix everything. Just start by taking back one corner of your calendar, one decision, one moment. Then build from there. And as always, if you try any of these, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
What's The Perk saying?
Our media selections this month are to help you in becoming a the best leader you can be for your team!
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What's our community saying?
We’re always soaking in the latest news & insights on culture, organizational development, & leadership. This month’s media picks are all about helping you trade constant reaction for intentional action.
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