Originally published in Entrepreneur Magazine

By Todd Davis

Who hasn’t dreamed of being a firefighter? Most of us wouldn’t dare try it in real life. But, if there’s a burning building nearby, it can be exhilarating to witness brave men and women saving lives and homes.

Who hasn’t dreamed of being a building code inspector?

You, most likely. But, when you’re the one who owns the building you had better hope the latter does her job properly so there is less chance of you ever needing the former.

It’s the same in the workplace. The employee who comes in late at night to finalize a project before its deadline might save his team’s bacon. But, had the project been planned better from the start everyone could have gotten to bed on time. The team would also have had the opportunity to double and triple check their numbers, to clean up the presentation and to make sure everyone’s input was given its proper hearing.

In my years as a “people officer” advising companies that are looking to improve their corporate culture, I’ve seen this situation play itself out over and over. The members of the team work themselves to exhaustion but progress always seems to be lagging. They are constantly busy but seem to be standing still.

I call this the pinball syndrome.

Read the full article at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/303811

Todd Davis is the author of FranklinCovey’s upcoming book, Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work.