Once a week, though, Butcher meets with company directors and uses a portion of that time to look further out. And usually once a month, the IT staff "buries itself in a room for a couple days" to discuss long-term strategic plans, she says. "We don't talk about the fire of the day."

Noon

"At lunchtime, Butcher puts in an order at the nearby sandwich shop. She occasionally goes out for a working lunch with company directors, team members or vendors, but she says she likes to spend at least part of the afternoon in her office with the door open so "folks can drop by."

"It allows me to interact with my team," Butcher notes. The discussion may be around a new IT project or a new car someone just bought. "My favorite thing is when they come to me and say, 'I have this issue,' " Butcher says. "I like those brief opportunities to coach."

3 p.m.