If You're Always Putting Out Fires, You May Be An Arsonist...

Why do some leaders spend every day reacting to crises while others seem to create calm, capable teams?

In this episode, Amanda sits down with Coleman Associates CEO Melissa Stratman to unpack the provocative idea behind the title: many of the fires leaders are constantly extinguishing are unintentionally of their own making. Drawing from the new Coleman book, Mastering Leadership: The Coleman Way, Melissa shares lessons distilled from more than 30 years of coaching healthcare executives, developing leaders, and helping organizations build cultures where people—and performance—thrive.

Together, they explore why leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about becoming more intentional, examining the stories we tell ourselves, taking ownership of our reactions, asking better questions, and building the habits that prevent tomorrow's fires instead of simply putting out today's.

Whether you lead an organization, a clinic, a department, or a small team, this conversation will challenge the way you think about leadership—and leave you with practical ideas you can apply immediately to become less reactive and more intentional every day.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

• Mastering Leadership: The Coleman Way — Melissa Stratman, Amanda Laramie & Adrienne Mann
• Reality-Based Leadership — Cy Wakeman
• Emotional Intelligence — Daniel Goleman
• The Reengineering Revolution — Michael Hammer
• Strong Ground — Brené Brown
• Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara

Guest: Melissa Stratman

Host: Amanda Laramie

Thanks for listening!

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