Breaking the Firefighter’s Wheel: Embracing Strategic Leadership in Tech

Leadership in streaming isn’t for the faint-hearted. The constant demands of tight deadlines, production challenges, and team dynamics can pull even the most seasoned VPs and Senior Engineering Managers into a reactive mindset. It’s easy to fall into the role of a firefighter, dashing from one urgent issue to the next, extinguishing flames as they arise. But here’s the truth: while firefighting might make you feel indispensable, it’s not leadership—it’s survival.

True leadership requires stepping back from the immediacy of the day-to-day and thinking strategically about the future. Your role isn’t just about keeping the lights on; it’s about ensuring that the lights will shine brighter and farther tomorrow. It’s about planning for growth, fostering resilience, and building a team that thrives not just today but in the years to come.

One of the most critical areas demanding strategic attention is hiring. It’s not enough to fill today’s vacancies. Leaders need to think ahead—what skills will the team need in three years? How will the evolving industry landscape shape the expertise required? Hiring reactively to cover immediate gaps might get you through the next quarter, but it leaves the team vulnerable to the challenges that are just over the horizon. A forward-thinking hiring strategy anticipates these needs, ensuring that the team is equipped not just to survive but to innovate and lead.

Retention is another area where the firefighting mindset can lead to cracks. It’s tempting to focus solely on outputs and assume that as long as the work gets done, all is well. But ignoring the emotional and professional well-being of your team is a recipe for attrition. People don’t leave jobs; they leave cultures that fail to nurture them. Leaders who prioritize retention are those who take the time to understand what motivates their people, creating environments where growth and recognition are as important as deliverables.

Culture is often described as “what happens when no one is looking.” It’s the unspoken rules, the shared values, and the collective attitudes that define a team. Culture can’t be left to chance, nor can it be patched up in moments of crisis. If you’re not actively shaping it, it’s shaping you—and not always in ways that serve your goals. Leaders who prioritize culture create teams that are cohesive, innovative, and resilient. They understand that the way people work together is just as important as the work they produce.

Closely tied to culture is morale. High morale doesn’t just happen, nor is it a “nice to have.” It’s the difference between a team that goes through the motions and one that attacks challenges with energy and enthusiasm. Leaders who prioritize morale recognize achievements, address frustrations transparently, and ensure that the team feels seen and valued. Ignoring morale might not cause immediate fires, but it creates a slow burn that erodes performance over time.

Processes, often the least glamorous part of leadership, are the scaffolding that holds everything together. Effective processes aren’t just about efficiency; they’re about enabling creativity and innovation. But here’s the catch: processes need to evolve. What worked for a ten-person team will buckle under the weight of a hundred. Leaders stuck in a reactive mindset often miss these signs, leading to frustration and inefficiencies that drag everyone down.

And then there’s delivery, the holy grail of engineering teams. Delivering on time and on target is, of course, essential. But strategic leaders don’t stop there. They ask the harder questions: Is this pace sustainable? Are we sacrificing quality or team health for speed? Are we learning and improving with every delivery cycle? Firefighting leaders rarely have time for these questions—they’re too busy getting through today to worry about tomorrow.

This is the peril of the firefighting mindset. It feels productive because you’re constantly in motion, but motion isn’t the same as progress. The reactive leader solves today’s problems only to find themselves facing the same issues tomorrow. The strategic leader, in contrast, works to prevent the fires from starting in the first place.

Breaking free from a firefighting approach requires intentionality. It means carving out time to think, plan, and align on the bigger picture. It means delegating operational tasks to trusted team members, not because they’re less important, but because your focus is needed elsewhere. It means constantly connecting today’s actions to tomorrow’s outcomes, ensuring that every decision moves the team closer to its long-term goals. This is one of the biggest advises anyone can share with their managers.

At the end of the day, leadership isn’t about being the hero who saves the day. It’s about being the architect who designs a system so strong that it rarely needs saving. For VPs and Senior Engineering Managers, the challenge is clear: resist the lure of firefighting and embrace the role of a strategist. Because the future of your team—and perhaps even your organization—depends on it.

Yours truly,

Ricardo Castelhano