November gives us bonfire celebrations and Movember awareness – a timely reminder of two pressures leaders face all year: constant firefighting and hidden mental load. At the recent HR Summit, a recurring theme emerged. Many managers in tech-driven teams are stuck reacting to unplanned work instead of focusing on strategic delivery. It looks heroic but over time it increases stress, impacts performance, and contributes to quiet burnout.
When firefighting becomes the norm, it’s usually a system design issue, not a people issue.
The 3 Ps: People, Process, Purpose
Small fires spread when one of these is out of balance:
- People – cognitive load, fatigue, silent stress.
- Process – unclear ownership, friction, priorities shifting too often.
- Purpose – teams lose sight of why work matters, which fuels disengagement.
When all three align, conditions become calmer, work flows, and leaders breathe again.
Three Practical Ways to Cool the Flames (and the 3 Ps they reinforce)
1) Map Interruptions for One Week (Process → People)
Track unplanned work and interruptions. You’ll expose friction points – unclear ownership, missing handovers, late‑breaking priorities. Fixing these process gaps immediately reduces people overload.
2) Cap Work‑in‑Progress (Process → Purpose)
Limit concurrent tasks so more work actually finishes. Throughput rises, context‑switching falls. Use team goals to ensure you’re finishing the work with the highest purpose and value, not just the loudest item.
3) Protect Focus Windows (People → Purpose)
Bundle meetings and defend two daily blocks of uninterrupted work. Leaders role‑model this. Protecting people focus improves quality and reconnects teams to the purpose behind their work.
The Movember Connection
Movember encourages open conversations about mental health. In high-pressure technical environments, stress often goes unspoken. Improving conditions is a proactive way to support workplace wellbeing before problems escalate.
One recent client saw a reduction in escalations within two weeks of adopting these habits.
If you’re exploring ways to create calmer, more effective leadership conditions, I’m offering a 25% reduction in my signature coaching and mentoring package for Knowsley Chamber Members who book with me before 30th November 2025.
Colin Hughes – CHughes Coaching
Mindset & Career Coach for Tech Professionals
Supporting tech managers to lead better teams.