There’s a saying in Africa:

You don’t chase after a mouse when your house is on fire.

When I first learned about it in a book by Chika Onyeani, I couldn’t get past the imagery. It is simple…ordinary even — a house, a mouse, a fire yet exceedingly impactful: don’t waste time on the small and distracting when something far greater threatens your survival.

Where This Wisdom Comes From

This proverb is drawn from African traditions of storytelling and teaching. Like many African proverbs, it doesn’t belong to just one people or one country. It’s part of a wider inheritance of oral wisdom, captured in collections across West and East Africa. Villages relied on proverbs like these to teach focus, priority, and survival to both children and leaders.

And what a picture: the mouse is annoying, yes, but if your house is burning, the fire is the only thing that matters. Handle that first. The mouse can wait.

What It Means

At its core, the proverb is about prioritization. It warns us not to let irritation, distraction, or pettiness absorb our attention when far greater issues demand focus. Think of it this way:

• The fire = the urgent, existential, or strategically vital.
• The mouse = the petty, distracting, or relatively insignificant.

Modern Applications of the Proverb

1. Business & Leadership

• Distraction vs. Survival: Companies sometimes pour energy into small cost-cutting measures (“chasing mice”) while ignoring major threats like outdated business models or digital disruption (“the fire”).
• Example: A retailer might obsess over staff uniforms or logo colors while e-commerce giants are taking away their market share.
• Lesson: Leaders must focus on the fire — the systemic risks or big opportunities — before attending to details.

2. Politics & Governance

• Misplaced Priorities: Governments may get caught up in small political rivalries or symbolic gestures while citizens face pressing crises like unemployment, public health emergencies, or food insecurity.
• Example: Debating minor protocol issues in parliament while the economy is collapsing.
• Lesson: The proverb calls leaders back to what matters most — the people’s survival and wellbeing.

3. Social Movements & Community

• Unity vs. Division: Communities can splinter over minor disputes (“the mouse”) while facing existential threats like environmental collapse, systemic injustice, or violence (“the fire”).
• Example: NGOs competing for small grants instead of uniting to address climate change or poverty at scale.
• Lesson: Don’t let petty issues distract from collective survival.

4. Personal Growth & Strategy

• Everyday Decisions: On a personal level, it’s about not being consumed by irritations when larger shifts require attention.
• Example: Stressing over a rude email while neglecting declining health, family breakdown, or financial instability.
• Lesson: Focus energy where it has the biggest impact.

Tying to Strategic Alignment

In my own work using the Hudson Alignment Framework™, the proverb resonates deeply:

• I see so many clients waste time chasing “mice” outside their zone of genius when bigger fires need their unique brilliance and approach
• Businesses that chase after small tactics (mice) detached from the overall strategic vision, while neglecting customer trust, retention, or systemic alignment (the fire) quickly collapse.

We all face moments where the mice scurry across our path and tempt us to chase. But wisdom, whether from African villages or modern boardrooms, whispers: first handle the fire.

It’s not about ignoring the mouse forever. It’s about sequencing.
Clarity. Prioritization. Alignment.

That’s how we keep the house standing — and maybe even make it stronger after the flames are put out.

Strategic Reflection Prompt

Where in your life or business are you chasing mice while your house burns?

If this resonated, share it with someone you know who’s chasing mice right now. And if you want help naming and extinguishing the “fire” in your business — let’s have a Clarity Conversation™. Because alignment starts with choosing wisely what deserves your focus.