The Importance of Growing Fire in Your Company
By a Lifehack Contributor

As a supervisor or executive in your company, you have a responsibility to cultivate and grow crops that will yield the next series of leaders and top performers. One essential crop that you should focus on growing is fire – the most passionate employees that will ignite and move your company forward.

Growing Fire
Find the most passionate employees in your team and give them extra care and attention. These employees may occasionally crowd the other plants with their quirks, but their passion is what will drive the company forward. Cultivate these employees into leaders that you can send into situations in your stead and trust them to handle the task.

Plan Tomorrow Today
As a manager, you already know who the “fire” is on your team. Here are some tips to growing your fire:

Share the end results requirements – share with your fire the perspective from which you’re making your decisions. Tell them the “what we need for a win” type of information.

Share boundaries – letting an employee run with a project doesn’t mean throwing them to the wild and letting them figure it out. Show them the edges of the game board, the known hazards, and the things that traditionally cause issues.

Announce and Coronate – make sure that more than you and your selected employee know of this granting of extra power. Gently let your team know that your “fire” is working with your authority and that they can count on your support.

Stay attentive for “switchers” – occasionally, an up-and-coming passionate employee is really a despot waiting to happen. Watch for signs and, when necessary, revoke the opportunity for the time being.

Broadcast success, shield failures – give your freshly grown fire all the sunlight you can when they blaze a new trail to success for the team. Conversely, shield them from criticism and use it as a learning point.

Good Farmers
There are good managers in companies who contribute to their success, but imagine how much more effective you’d be if you produced these fire crops of talented leaders who would, in turn, become future managers and leaders of greatness within the organization. As a company, prioritize growth for the future and grow fire.

In conclusion, growing fire is essential for the success of any organization. While it may seem daunting to give up control to an employee, trust in your ability as a manager to select the right employee and let them run with your support. Grow the right crops, and your company will thrive.