by Janet Ply, PhD · The Practical Leadership Newsletter · February 17, 2026
“Poor planning on your part shouldn’t constitute a crisis on my part” is a saying used often in project management. It’s just as relevant in leadership.
Some leaders wear their “save the day” heroics like a badge of honor.
Would you want your pilot or surgeon to operate like this?
Imagine air traffic control if pilots skipped pre-flight checks because they were running behind, only to discover a landing gear issue mid-flight. Or a surgeon who decides to skip scrubbing in because they washed their hands in the restroom. After all, what’s a little infection? That’s what antibiotics are for.
We would be horrified to fly or have surgery if these professionals operated this way.
Yet after working with hundreds of leaders - and spending decades in program turnarounds - I see the same behaviors in leaders who don’t take planning seriously.
Take a look at the Eisenhower Time Management Matrix in the picture.
Some leaders believe they should spend most of their time in the Urgent/Important quadrant. On the surface, that seems logical. If something is important and urgent, isn’t that the highest priority?
Not necessarily.
When you live in that quadrant, it usually means the work wasn’t planned properly. Teams end up managing crises instead of executing on the most important work.
The goal is to spend most of your time in the Important/Not Urgent quadrant.
Think about health. Exercising, eating well, getting sleep, scheduling checkups - all important, not urgent. When we make those routine, we minimize heart attacks, diabetes, and other preventable bad conditions.
Leadership works the same way.
How many times have you been in crisis mode because:
These are planning misses that could’ve been avoided.
If you feel like you live in reactive mode, you’re spending most of your time in the wrong quadrant.
The leader who “jumps in to save the day” gets visibility and praise. How many times have you seen someone get accolades because of all the time they put in to solve a problem they likely created? How many times do you see people who plan and are more productive and predictable get recognition because of all the bad things that didn’t happen because they have systems in place?
A leader says yes to more work when the team is already maxed out because they don’t know how to say no. Another chases the next shiny software tool instead of fixing root causes. Or they avoid the most important work because it feels daunting - and something else is more exciting.
I get it - it’s way easier to work on fun things than to master the mundane. It took me 14 years to complete my PhD because I decided it was more fun to get my instrument rating for flying. It would’ve been much smarter to finish the doctorate but constant research, analysis, and writing was mundane. It wasn’t until the university sent me a letter that I could not continue to extend the program that I moved into crisis mode. That was completely avoidable and would’ve saved me tens of thousands of dollars.
A few truths worth sitting with:
Here’s how strong leaders move from crisis mode to being in control:
Good leaders know their team doesn’t need more urgency. They need fewer surprises and time to do meaningful work.
No one should have to guess what matters most.
When you’re clear on your top priorities, pushing back becomes easier. You can say: “Here are my current priorities. Where does this fit? What would you like me to delay?”
Planning time gives you space to identify friction and build systems, with clear ownership, documented and automated.
One leader I worked with had a team member onboarding every new hire live on Zoom, repeating the same exact software training over and over. Once the leader set aside time to learn how employees were spending their time, they started recording the training. That single decision saved at least 10 hours per week. How many more things like that are going unnoticed or unchanged on your team?
Don’t be the kind leader who is always in firefighting mode. Have the discipline to build things that don’t catch fire in the first place. I know - this doesn’t sound very exciting but it’s what drives results, builds trust, and helps teams have a work/life balance.
Your team needs clarity and consistency, not drama or constantly shifting priorities.
If you feel like you’re constantly reacting, constantly behind, constantly in catch-up mode and want to change that, it’s fixable.
In my upcoming workshop, From Overwhelm to Confident Control, we’ll work through:
This live virtual workshop equips you with tactics you can immediately put into place and provides the activities needed for leadership discipline.
If you’re ready to lead with confident control instead of constant reaction, I’d love to have you join us.
Details coming soon.
Let’s move from firefighting… to building something that doesn’t burn down every quarter.
If this resonates with you, my book, Practical Leadership: A Guide to Building Trust, Getting Results, and Changing Lives would be a great addition to your library.
Mel Robbins, New York Times bestselling author and host of the Mel Robbins podcast had this praise for the book, “Janet Ply is the real deal. I’ve seen way too many talented people flail in leadership because nobody ever taught them how to do the job well. This book fixes that. Janet has been in the fire, she’s led through chaos, and now she’s giving you the tools she’s used to rescue high-stakes, high-dollar messes. If you lead people - or you want to - Practical Leadership should live on your desk. Get it, use it, lead better.”
Order it on Amazon or your favorite local bookstore!