In some jobs, you get the feeling that most of your day is spent putting out fires. And, that is a noble cause to be sure. As we all know, someone has to do it. It might as well be you.
I was struck by a blurb I caught on the radio recently as I was trying to pass some time while sitting in traffic. The voice was telling the legend of The Great Fire of Nantucket in 1846. Apparently, if the story is correct, the firemen that arrived on the scene were from two different areas. Long story short, they ended up having a bit of a turf war. During the tiff, the town burned.
I got to thinking, how many of our daily rants and raves are, in reality, the result of some type of fight over territory. Who crossed what lines and shouldn’t have. Who should have been doing more on their own side, and didn’t. Meanwhile, the town is burning down around us.
Perhaps, in the heat of the moment, we need to just step back and ask the question: what is best for the overall picture here? Sure. That sounds naive. Yes. You might have to give up some ground. But when you consider the final damage, will avoiding the inquisition be worth it?
I understand that it’s all relative, but we all know, turf wars can simply backfire. Just something chew on as we zoom toward that weekend!
S.