Leadership and fire

...just one match

The following text is based on a Linkedln post from July 2022.

My dad has taught me a lot of things, learning how to build a fire was one of them.

Starting a fire can be easy, but starting a fire meant to last for a long time requires some knowledge and care. However maintaining a fire going for as long as needed… that is an art in itself.

I always recall the pride my dad took in teaching me the art of building a fire to last. "No starters, no additives, no need to blow to make it work, no magic tricks... only paper and wood of increasing thickness," he used to say with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. He would put his creation to the ultimate test with just one match. "A well-built pyramid needs just one match, not 2, not 5, just one match," he emphasized.

Personally, I have grown fond of making fires, whether it's for cooking, grilling, or simply to gather around and enjoy its warmth. There's something special about the taste of a steak cooked over red-burning coals, the enhanced flavors of pizza from a wood-fire oven, and the cozy ambiance of a fireplace with wood crackling inside.

Admittedly, gas grills and pizza stones added to a regular oven offer convenience for year-round cooking, and I do use them with excellent results. But over the years, I've come to realize that what I truly respect and cherish isn't just the taste of the food; it's the ritual of building and tending to a fire. There's a sense of connection to nature and tradition, a meditative process of bringing life to a dancing flame, which fills me with a deep sense of contentment.

Indeed, a fire is more than just a source of heat or a means of cooking—it's a connection to a timeless human ritual, a celebration of simplicity, and an appreciation for the art of craftsmanship in building and maintaining something beautiful and enduring.

Building and maintaining a wood burning fire requires some preparation and skills, a lot of patience and humility... Fire humbles you!

In the crackling embrace of the dancing flames, one can find a tapestry of wisdom that extends far beyond the hearth. A seasoned firemaker understands the intricacies of nurturing and sustaining this mesmerizing force, drawing striking parallels to the realm of leadership and the art of bringing people together.

1. “Bring people together takes time, you don’t get to switch an on/off knob” - If you are not going to use natural gas, you have to take the time to gather the wood, select the right pieces for the right place in the pyramid and make sure they will all work together to keep the fire going for a long time. Like with good leadership, you don’t just flip a switch and everything is ready to go, you need to a select your team members, bring them together, play to their strengths and align on a common vision.

2. “Quick wins as means to the end” - No matter how quickly flames burst, the fire can die any second after started if not prepared well. Like with good leadership, getting early wins, visible achievements fast can help with team morale, with creating a strong sense that this team can execute with a sense of urgency. However, if the foundations are not in place, it will be difficult to turn the win into momentum and the fire may fail to grow and sustain.

3. “Build a flywheel, not a ladder” - It takes focus on the critical things to turn the initial fire into an unstoppable source of heat for the long run. Do not add wood blindly thinking that it’s all you need. Focus on wood, oxygen and shape. Those are the 3 priorities to create a strong flywheel effect. Pay attention to the three of them equally and you will “build to last”.

4. “Be resilient” - No matter how experienced or careful you are, if you are hands on with the fire, you will get burnt, you may suffer a temporary setback. Focus on your flywheel, adjust and get back to it.

5. “Become anti-fragile” - There may be a moment when you realize that due to major challenges (heavy wind, logs rolling out in a small oven, rain) things need to change, not just to bounce back. Learn to adapt and transform with the setback, don’t obsess with going back to where you were, move forward to a different and better place to rebuild and generate an even stronger flywheel effect.

   Some setbacks require bouncing back, others require transformation!

6. “Add strategically, do not overload” - You know that you will have to constantly add wood to the fire, but like said before, this is not building a ladder, rather creating a flywheel effect. Too much wood at the wrong time and in the wrong place can quickly deprive the fire of oxygen. Do not suffocate your people, do not add countless priorities to the table… Pace yourself.

7. “Patience and Focus build greatness” - Ultimately to keep a fire going is required not to have distractions, to have focus on the important things you can control, attention to the unexpected you can’t control and a lot of patience to see it through.

   

   Like anything worth working for in life, to get it started can be simple but keep it going, see it grow, manage it to the specific needs and enjoy it for a long time… that’s difficult, it takes more than skills or technique, it is an act of love.

   and that, I believe, is what my dad was trying to teach me!

P.S. Before I go, here you have “The Treat,” where I share some of the music that kept me company while writing … Enjoy as you bid farewell to this post

“Lead yourself, Learn to live. Lead others, Learn to Build.”

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