Think about a typical Tuesday. Which is closest to true?
A. I was busy all day but the one decision that actually mattered didn't get made. (Firefighter)
B. I stayed on track until something more interesting pulled me off course. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. I got asked the same question I've answered a dozen times before. (Bottleneck)
D. Most of my day was decisions only I can make — the routine stuff runs without me. (System Builder)
A genuinely interesting distraction — a new idea, a "quick" project, a curious rabbit hole — crosses your path mid-task. What usually happens?
A. I drop what I'm doing to put out the new fire, then circle back later (if I remember). (Firefighter)
B. I tell myself it's just a few minutes, and lose the next hour. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. I let it wait, but only because someone will chase me down about the original task. (Bottleneck)
D. I note it and finish the current block before I touch it. (System Builder)
The same problem has landed on your desk for the third time this month. What's your honest response?
A. Handle it again — faster than explaining it. (Firefighter)
B. Feel a flicker of guilt that you still haven't dealt with it, then get pulled into something else. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. Realize you're the only one who knows the "real" answer, so it has to come to you. (Bottleneck)
D. Ask what the business is missing and turn it into a documented standard. (System Builder)
A new employee needs to know how to handle a recurring situation. What happens?
A. They ask me, I tell them, we both move on — until the next new hire asks again. (Bottleneck)
B. They guess, and I find out later it wasn't quite right. (Firefighter)
C. They wait for me to have time to explain it properly, which takes a while. (Squirrel Chaser)
D. They check the written standard and handle it without me. (System Builder)
If you took a full week off with no phone, what would happen?
A. Small fires would pile up and I'd spend my first day back putting them out. (Firefighter)
B. A project I meant to finish before I left would still be unfinished. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. Several decisions would just wait for me, no matter how urgent. (Bottleneck)
D. The business would keep running the way it's supposed to. (System Builder)
Copyright © 2026 The Performance Coach
Think about a typical Tuesday. Which is closest to true?
A. I was busy all day but the one decision that actually mattered didn't get made. (Firefighter)
B. I stayed on track until something more interesting pulled me off course. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. I got asked the same question I've answered a dozen times before. (Bottleneck)
D. Most of my day was decisions only I can make — the routine stuff runs without me. (System Builder)
A genuinely interesting distraction — a new idea, a "quick" project, a curious rabbit hole — crosses your path mid-task. What usually happens?
A. I drop what I'm doing to put out the new fire, then circle back later (if I remember). (Firefighter)
B. I tell myself it's just a few minutes, and lose the next hour. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. I let it wait, but only because someone will chase me down about the original task. (Bottleneck)
D. I note it and finish the current block before I touch it. (System Builder)
The same problem has landed on your desk for the third time this month. What's your honest response?
A. Handle it again — faster than explaining it. (Firefighter)
B. Feel a flicker of guilt that you still haven't dealt with it, then get pulled into something else. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. Realize you're the only one who knows the "real" answer, so it has to come to you. (Bottleneck)
D. Ask what the business is missing and turn it into a documented standard. (System Builder)
A new employee needs to know how to handle a recurring situation. What happens?
A. They ask me, I tell them, we both move on — until the next new hire asks again. (Bottleneck)
B. They guess, and I find out later it wasn't quite right. (Firefighter)
C. They wait for me to have time to explain it properly, which takes a while. (Squirrel Chaser)
D. They check the written standard and handle it without me. (System Builder)
If you took a full week off with no phone, what would happen?
A. Small fires would pile up and I'd spend my first day back putting them out. (Firefighter)
B. A project I meant to finish before I left would still be unfinished. (Squirrel Chaser)
C. Several decisions would just wait for me, no matter how urgent. (Bottleneck)
D. The business would keep running the way it's supposed to. (System Builder)
Copyright © 2026 The Performance Coach
