Leadership is hard, no matter how you cut it. What’s more, many fire chiefs are promoted, appointed or selected to lead their fire department with little guidance or training.
One of the many challenges for fire chiefs is identifying that they are the fire chief, not the chief firefighter. The change in duties can be a double-edged sword. The chief can spend too much time in operations or too much time in political arenas. Either approach can create distrust and foster a lack of respect for their performance.
So, what do firefighters want from their leaders? FireRescue1 What Firefighters Want survey sought to understand the most common challenges exhibited by fire department leadership. Let’s examine how firefighters rated their leaders on four factors: trust, competence and character.
Trust in leadership
The survey asked respondents about the fire chief’s connection to the line personnel. Approximately 45% disagreed with the statement, “My fire chief stays connected to the line personnel.” This exemplifies a lack of trust and concerns that the chief has forgotten the roots.
Diving into trust as it is associated with the fire chief’s disconnect from the line can vary based on the size of the organization. After all, the presence and impact of a fire chief will likely feel quite different at a small organization than at a large multi-station organization.
For smaller organizations, it is essential for fire chiefs to balance their presence on the line and in the political arena. Developing balance and presence in both areas will go a long way toward building success for the chief and, ultimately, the organization’s success. Firefighters on the line must also give their fire chief grace and understand that most fire chiefs would rather be on the line interacting versus dealing with political leaders or other nonfirefighting issues. One question that I ask firefighters who voice concern about the lack of connection with their chief is, “Do you have what you need to do your job, and does your political body leave you alone to do your job?” In many cases, if your political body is leaving you alone and providing you with the tools to be successful, then your fire chief is connected to the line – it’s just happening behind the scenes. It is when you don’t have the tools to do your job, and when you’re running into roadblocks at every corner that you chief is likely too disconnected.
Another component of trust stems from the fire chief’s willingness to receive feedback. Not every decision can be made by a committee, but when possible, gaining input from the line can create more ownership in the organization and provide an avenue for members to feel connected to their chief –explaining why decisions are made or what influenced decisions to the membership will also create more connection.
Approximately 46% of survey respondents disagreed with the statement, “My fire chief seeks feedback, whether positive, constructive or critical.”
Firefighters want to be heard. Create mechanisms for thoughts and ideas to be shared. Note that there is no shortage of ideas on how a fire department should be run. Not all ideas can be implemented, so communicating the “why” is important. The bottom line is that communication is essential in building trust between the line and the fire chief.
Competence on display
The What Firefighters Want survey asked respondents to react to the statement, “My fire chief exhibits leadership in the position.” The good news: 58% agreed with the statement. The bad news: 33% disagreed. One-third is a big percentage to show concern about the chief’s competence – the fundamental skills to do the job.
Fire chief competence can be broken into two categories: fireground and leadership. Successful fire chiefs stay in tune with new fireground research and are continually supporting growth in their organization through technology and research. The flip side of this is those chiefs who have failed to grow with modern times and are always saying no to new ideas.
Many years ago, Chief Alan Brunacini shared a 3x5 card with me that said YES on one side and NO on the other side. When it comes to fireground competencies, fire chiefs should get in the habit of saying YES more than they say NO. The fireground tactics, training and technology continue to impact how we perform on the fire ground, and for fire chiefs, not allowing or guiding your department to embrace these changes can affect the perception of their competence on the fireground. One word of caution when saying yes or no: Keep the end-user, customer or firefighter in mind at all times. How does saying yes impact them? How does saying no impact them? How does either answer impact your culture?
When it comes to leadership competence, it’s important to keep in mind that firefighters judge fire chiefs on their ability to communicate, lead by example, and maneuver the political environment to achieve department goals. The key way a fire chief can demonstrate their leadership competence is strong communication. Communication is a two-way skill – speaking and hearing. The chief must have their ears open to hear what their community or their members are saying. We have two ears and one mouth; we should spend more time listening than we do speaking.
When fire chiefs do need to talk, the format used to communicate is important. The best media to communicate is still in person, and the worst is email or policy. Some other options for strong communication include shift meetings, town hall-type meetings, plus webinars, podcasts or video messaging. All of these formats provide better communication than just sending a blind email or creating a new policy.
Bottom line: For fire chiefs to remain competent, they continually challenge themselves to grow and learn.
Character matters
Of all the items identified by firefighters regarding their expectations of the fire chief, character stands out as the foundation for success or failure. Some fire chief traits to consider from the survey include fairness, calmness, respect given and leading by example.
- Fairness: 51% agreed that the fire chief treats members with fairness; 30% disagreed.
- Calmness: 56% agreed that the fire chief remains calm under pressure; 19% disagreed.
- Respect: 63% agreed that the fire chief treats members with respect; 20% disagreed.
- Lead by example: 40% agreed that the fire chief leads by example; 42% disagreed.
As leaders, it is essential to hold yourself to higher standards than the rest. You set the bar in both moral and professional character. Your members depend on you to uphold high standards to build trust and create a healthy organization. There are lots of lessons to learn regarding character. How you show up, what you say, and how you react as a leader impact your character.
There are simple but powerful ways to demonstrate your character to your members: Show up and support what your members are doing. Be an advocate to your members and your community. Remain calm, don’t overreact. Things happen, so provide grace when needed and be fair. The most significant impact on your members is to be truthful and not shy away from difficult conversations. Your character will be remembered long after you leave, so manage who you are, how you act, and what you do – your firefighters expect it.
Final thoughts
We all know that there are good leaders and bad leaders in the fire service. It’s how we manage this knowledge that matters most. For firefighters, remember that your chief is the fire chief, not the chief firefighter. Give some grace with your expectations of how your chief connects to the line. And for fire chiefs, remember that the greatest skill you can continually work on is your ability to listen and then communicate clearly.
Leadership is hard, but connecting as a team with a common mission, vision and value system will help any organization grow and perform better.
