Why it matters
Most organisations celebrate firefighting, which teaches people that crises earn attention and prevention goes unnoticed. Spotlighting prevention rewards the foresight that keeps fires from starting.
How to run it
- Ask the question in a monthly team meeting: “What problem didn’t happen this month because someone saw it coming?”
- Name the person and describe what they did.
- Explain the cost avoided — make the invisible visible.
- Balance your recognition so prevention gets at least as much airtime as heroics.
Watch out for
- Prevention is invisible by nature — leaders must actively look for it