Fire-Fighter or Fire-Preventer?

Which of these best describes you at work?  When you think about your typical day, your activities might fit those of a:

• Fire-Fighter, if you...
• wait for the "alarm" to sound before you spring into action;
  
• never seem to know where a problem is going to pop up next;
• feel like you run from problem to problem;
  
• worry about whether you can keep a fire from burning out of control;
  
• don't feel in control of the situation;
• can regularly "feel the heat" from the situations you face;
  
•  are routinely at odds with your work environment or, worse yet, with your coworkers and clients;
• just want to make it to the next break in the action.
• or...
  
• Fire-Preventer, if you...
  
• start work on what matters most without being asked;
• scout out the sources of potential problems and remove the fuel, before a fire starts;
  
• always have a plan for the activities that should occur next;
• have a contingency plan to enact when things don't go quite as planned (do they ever?);
  
• know your capabilities and trust others to help fill the gaps;
  
• prefer to stay calm, cool and collected;
• enjoy teamwork;
  
• find enjoyment in the work itself.
  

Life as a Fire-Fighter may have its exciting moments, but working as a Fire-Preventer offers less stress and a longer-term future. It requires you to take the initiative, however, to move from reactive to proactive. What's your choice?