The Burn Filter
A triage tool for Chiefs of Staff who know solving every problem isn’t progress or leadership.
All businesses have problems. All companies have something on fire.
That truth has always felt comforting. It reminds me I’m not alone. My problems aren’t special, they’re solvable.
The question then becomes: Which ones first and in what order?
The real skill isn’t solving everything. It’s knowing what can burn.
This isn’t a groundbreaking idea, but it’s one I had to learn the hard way. While running my company, I acted like a full-time firefighter. I put out every spark I saw and assumed that was the job. It felt productive but I was scattered and always on alert. The problem with constant firefighting is that it pulled my focus from what actually moved the business forward.
It’s a lesson every executive learns, especially when you feel like the business isn’t progressing.
This article is for Chiefs watching their principal run ragged trying to solve everything. Or worse, for the Chiefs burning out because they believe it’s their job.
It’s not. And it’s not your principal’s either.
Putting out every fire isn’t a good use of energy or time.
The real work is triage.
Prioritization.
Protecting the space to solve what matters.
The Chief’s Real Job
I’ve always loved solving problems. It’s wired into me. I also know I’m not the only Chief who feels that way. There’s something satisfying about stepping into a mess and making it make sense.
Then eventually, I realized that not every problem deserves my attention.
Real leadership is choosing where your attention goes. It’s deciding what matters and letting go of what doesn’t.
A Chief’s job is to clear the noise so the right work can happen.
That space is where strategy happens. Where clarity forms. Where your principal can actually think.
Why Everything Feels Urgent
Early in your career, everything feels urgent. Every Slack ping. Every client hiccup. Every typo. You don’t just see fires. You smell smoke that isn’t even there yet.
That’s normal. A few things usually drive it:
Lack of experience
Confusing motion with impact
Wanting to be seen as someone who cares
Even seasoned leaders fall into this trap, especially those who haven’t yet built the muscle to separate signal from noise.
The busyness feels like progress. The constant reaction feels like caring. It’s not.
Noise isn’t a signal. Busyness isn’t impact.
The Burn Filter
The shift from solving everything to solving what matters doesn’t happen all at once. But it starts with a system.
That’s why I created the Burn Filter. This is a tool I wish I had when I started wondering if every fire actually needed my full attention. It helps you pause, assess and decide what deserves your energy and what you can let smolder.
Start here:
Step 1: Take a breath
Fires spike adrenaline. Judgment gets cloudy. Ground yourself before you respond.Step 2: Run the filter.
When everything feels urgent, this is the tool I use to triage what’s worth our attention.
🔥 The Burn Filter 🔥
A triage tool for strategic Chiefs
Does this align to our current priorities?
→ No: Let it burn
→ Yes: Keep goingWhat’s the cost of doing nothing?
→ Low: Let it burn
→ High: Keep goingIs it reversible?
→ Yes: Let it burn
→ No: Keep goingCan someone else handle it?
→ Yes: Delegate
→ No: Keep goingIs this actually yours to solve?
→ No: Let it burn (or pass off)
→ Yes: Step in strategically
What It Looks Like in Action
A few weeks ago, I was on a call with a senior executive I support. I could tell something was weighing on him. So I pulled the string.
He started listing everything that was on his mind:
Tension was brewing between two departments that wasn’t getting resolved
Uncertainty about whether to escalate a potentially public-facing issue
A high-performing team member who seemed disengaged
A gap in new opportunities that was starting to impact forecasts
I stayed present and ran the Burn Filter in my head.
Team tension? Frustrating, not fatal. Handle later.
PR concern? Possibly real, but it won’t move the business forward. Someone else could own the next step.
The disengaged employee? Worth a conversation. That one matters. Leaders build and mentor the team.
Pipeline gaps? That’s the most real of the bunch. Strategic, time-sensitive, and tied to growth. I recommended he start there.
We went from scattered to focused in under 30 minutes. Two fires were noise. Two were signals. And only one needed his full attention that day.
That’s the power of triage. It doesn’t eliminate the fires. It helps you decide which one actually deserves the hose.
When You Let Something Burn
Letting a fire burn doesn’t feel great. You will second-guess it. Your principal might too. So might the team.
That’s when your job shifts from fixer to stabilizer.
Once you’ve triaged the problem and made the call, hold the line. Model calm. Communicate clearly. Reinforce the priorities you’ve already aligned on.
You’re not being careless. You’re being intentional.
That’s not reckless. That’s leadership.
Let some fires burn. It’s one of the clearest lessons I’ve learned as a founder, now in service as a Chief. The most effective Chiefs don’t react to everything and they help their principals do the same.
They respond to what matters.
That’s the difference. That’s the advantage.
If these articles resonate or there’s a topic you’d love to see me tackle, hit the Message button below. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind.