Value of Self-Reflection

When evaluating the gambit of skills needed to be a successful officer, there is one that is perhaps the most valuable and yet hardest to develop.  I am referring to self-reflection, which in itself seems easy to do however, skewed perceptions often leave our true self image twisted and distorted like a fun-house mirror.  In addition, many of us fail to realize that self reflection is not merely what we think of ourselves rather it is the ability to see ourselves in relation to the external world that exists outside our mind.  Without this ability we fail to understand the impact of our actions and truly understand who we are or how we fit within the group.  While self-esteem should remain internally driven, self-reflection needs to look at the bigger picture.

Understanding your strengths and weaknesses, in comparison to your environment, is key to identifying your role.  Not every leader is equipped to handle every situation.  Knowing where you fit and realizing what is within your comfort zone is beneficial to everyone involved.  False confidence by over or under estimating yourself leads to becoming vague rather than definite and decisive.  The vagueness is a defense mechanism so that when challenged the person can skew the decision/answer they gave to fit the new information, thus attempting to appear right.  You will gather more respect and build a better team if you take an honest look at yourself and admit when you have short-comings.  Also, in maintaining integrity, if you cannot be honest with yourself, how can anyone expect you to be honest with them?  I am my worst critic, and over the years have learned to accept outside opinion, relating to aspects of my performance to help balance out my true self-image.  This works both ways.  Whether others see you better or worse, than you see yourself, maintaining balance is key to improving as a leader.

So, now that we have explored the reasons for self-reflection, the question is how to accurately complete a self-survey to see the reflection.  First step is to put yourself in the right state of mind.  Although not a formal process, it is one that requires attention to detail and a look at the bigger picture.  You need to accept that you may not like the answers you come to while maintaining the ultimate goal, of being better, as your focus.  Next, look at your internal perspective.  What are your values?  What are your perceptions?  How comfortable are you with the situation?  What do you excel and struggle with?  What is your level of commitment?  When you have the answers to those questions, it is important to gather external perspectives.  These can come from formal evaluations, personal discussions, or by focusing on the non-verbal ques given off by those around you.  In this stage of the process I like to have a trusted mentor/friend/co-worker who isn’t afraid to tell it to me straight.  I often find myself asking these people questions like…. did I handle _____ appropriately?  What do you think about _____?  The final piece to this puzzle is something we practice our entire lives starting in early child-hood.  This is evaluating cause and effect.  Successful officers are able to see beyond the initial effect.  An example of this concept is spilling a glass of water.  Simple cause and effect would dictate that the glass is empty and there is a mess.  Extended cause and effect would evaluate the placement of the glass, the amount of fluid inside, the conditions that led to the spill, the spill itself, hazards and subsequent actions that might occur from the water, the result of not having water in a glass(thirst, etc.), the added effort and resources needed to clean up the spill, the actions and effort needed to refill the glass, and even ways to prevent the spill from reoccurring.  Self-reflection will help you realize that every action has extended effects.  In the complicated interactions between people the ripple, created by your actions, can effect those who may have no direct contact with you.

Some closing remarks……Always consider that no-one can see your intentions, therefore your actions are what define you to others.  Using self-reflection as a 360 degree understanding, you will become a better leader since it will allow you to see how you influence others.  Everything you do or say is analyzed and translated through the perceptions of others making it necessary to see things from other points-of-view.  Never assume you are the best or worst when compared to others, there is always someone who will prove you wrong.  Maintaining a balanced self-reflection is the key to unlocking your potential as a person and leader.

Regaining Long-Lost Employees

While working on the book I am writing, I approached the subject of the different types of employees we find in our departments.  With a high concentration of Type A personalities, as found in most fire departments, there is one employee in particular that merits some additional attention.  I imagine that we all know someone like the person I am about to describe and each one of them, while similar, will have a broad spectrum of reasons for being that way.  This type of person is known as a disenfranchised employee (DE).  Many business leadership books list the DE as someone who used to care, perhaps was a star employee, and is now hurting the agency.  In the business world this accounts for lack in productivity, poor work environments, and a slew of problems that eat at a company’s bottom line.  In the fire service these people represent a growing number of “burned-out” employees that can put people in danger.

The old school way of thinking would dismiss these people, toss them to the side, with remarks pertaining to their inability to “make it” as a firefighter.  While this seems like the easiest and fastest fix, it fails to understand the merits of the individual and account for the cost associated with their training and experience.  In many cases, the brightest burning stars are the quickest to burnout.  The first question that needs to be asked is “what caused them to change?”  Identifying the personal or professional issues that caused the change is the first step to re-engaging the individual.  Word of caution though, we are not mental health professionals and do not need to act like it.  You do not have to dive into the personal life of your employees the analyze what went wrong.  A simple understanding of their situation will suffice.  Some common personal causes are: divorce, money problems, unhappy home-life, sick or dying family members, or lack of support at home. There is very little that we can do about these types of issues beyond acknowledging the problem and offering an employee assistance program. The more common issues that we can handle revolve around professional causes. Some of these include: lack of acknowledgment, not being validated, failure to progress, constantly being limited or micromanaged, lack of personal accountability within an organization, and having a perception of being mistreated.  While many of these problems are employee specific, there is also something to be said for noticing trends.  When multiple personnel show signs of being DE, there is often a bigger problem within the organization.

The question remains, “How do you re-engage someone who has become a DE?”  On a personal level, they need to have a reason to be connected to the organization.  No one, especially firefighters deal well with feeling like they are not needed.  Employees much like fire need specific components to grow.  I like to think of it as a spark, fuel, and air.  Finding a role that utilizes their specific talents is the fastest way to create a spark.  On its own, the spark is not enough to breathe new life into the employee.  The next component is fuel.  Just like a fire you cannot add too much or too little fuel if you expect growth.  The fuel is a two part formula that includes continuing projects to provide opportunities for success and positive reinforcement with honest feedback.  The final component is one that takes an experienced leader to understand.  Air in its simplest form means that the leader needs to give the DE room to succeed without leaving them feeling abandoned again.    Best case scenario, this career CPR will bring a DE back however, if wide-scale problems are present, individual action will not be enough.

On an organizational level, several DE’s are a sign of poor leadership/management practices.  Drops in morale, lack of advancement opportunities, failure to hold people accountable, and micromanaging supervisors are generally the root of the problem.  The effects are further compounded when the DE is a supervisor.  Our attitude as a leader is highly infectious.  Poor attitudes seem to be even more contagious than positive attitudes making it more difficult for positive attitudes to survive.  The biggest question in this scenario is how do you as a company officer fix DE problems that may stem from higher levels of management?  This is one of those “easier to explain than to do” scenarios.

You have to be persistently positive.  Find ways to give DE’s spark, fuel, and air while pushing for management changes.  Help to reestablish the organizational image.  Throughout an organization’s progression, the failure to pass on core values and pride will lead to senior personnel becoming DE and prevent newer employees from ever truly engaging.  Give credit where credit is due, stop “blanket policy” fixes, and treat people with respect.  No one wants to be a number, they need to be accepted and validated as important members of the group.   Failure to re-engage these employees will further support the perception that employees are numbers as they either leave or are let go and are replaced by newer, less experienced personnel.  This scenario is one that can be more rewarding than a traditional conflict resolution since you are not only fixing a problem but bringing back someone who use to be a strong performer.

I want to close with one of my favorite quotes….. “If you are not apart of the solution, you are apart of the problem.”

 

Thoughts on trade theory and the fire service.

While studying for my International Business class, I began to look at globalization and trade theories which attempt to explain the best practice for making the most while lowering cost.  Throughout my studies, I try to look at ways in which the material I am learning for business can be applied to the fire service.  Although I am sure I am not the first to look at the subject of reducing costs without reducing services, I like to think this idea has merit.

Without confusing the politics and nature of the theories as they relate to globalization, the one theory that interested me the most in relation to the fire service is a free-trade theory known as absolute advantage.  Basically, this theory states that some countries can produce certain goods more efficiently and by focusing on what they are good at they can afford to import other products they are less efficient at producing.  Here is the point where everyone reading this is scratching their head and wondering how it applies to the fire service.

Translation:  If each department focuses on something (rescue, HAZMAT, ect.), while creating automatic aid agreements to share their specialty/receive specialties with neighboring departments; then the result is a more diverse, more efficient, and better quality of service to the entire area.  Many departments try to be a one-stop shop which can spread resources, manning, and money pretty thin.  If interdepartmental organizations are created so that the burden of expense can be spread out over the members, the benefits can outweigh the cost.  The current economy has every politician and decision maker looking for ways to cut costs.  If your department is trying to be a stand alone group of specialties, it is not only wasteful when looking at the bigger picture it can also lead to some severe safety concerns.

Consider the number of hours it takes to obtain, recertify, and stay proficient with each skill set firefighters are expected to perform.  At a certain point, it becomes impossible to maintain proficiency with every single thing.  If you are like me then your “I Love Me Folder” is full of pieces of paper that certify me as proficient in the class I took.  The number of hours required to maintain firefighting, emergency medical, specialized rescue, and command proficiency is outrageous.  Now imagine the benefits of focusing on the basics and one or two extras.  I can either maintain mastery on a few things or barely skate by with many.  At the point in time when someone’s life is in jeopardy, would you want someone who skates by and fumbles with a task or jumps right in with the refined skills

As the fire service continues to progress, the need to combine resources, share across borders, and downsize government will grow exponentially.  After centuries of expanding, the only hope for government agencies including the fire service is to find ways to cut costs without placing our people in danger or reducing the level of service.  Bridging departments and expanding brotherhood/sisterhood relationships is the key to survival and excellence.

 

Marketing yourself and your department

Current times have made many organizations desperate to reach out to their customers and prove their worth.  While our customers may not realize they need us, we should be taking the extra effort to prove to them they do.  Part of this we accomplish on a daily basis by getting on the apparatus and helping people however, the other part is one that is often overlooked.  The truth is that many businesses and organizations would kill for the chance to have the following the fire service has.  Based on tradition, history, and perceived image alone; the fire service has easy access to most forums.  Churches, businesses, schools, and any other place you can think of typically welcomes firefighters with open arms and hospitality.  The question remains….. Why don’t we take advantage of that?

All too often we get in the mindset that we are only being paid to ride the trucks and put out fires.  The realistic truth is that we are some of the most respected public servants in the world.  The term servant implies that we serve others.  While I may not be a genius, this concept suggests that I go out of my way to do things for the people I work for.  The point is that our first meeting with the individuals that make up the public we serve shouldn’t be at their emergency.  They should know our faces and see that we provide valuable services to them and their loved ones.  This is where marketing yourself and your department kicks in.  Most business/marketing strategies begin by finding out who your customers are and identifying how you can meet a need.  The underlined message is that we are there for them in any emergency but what we often fail to convey is that we are there all of the time 24/7/365.  I have heard of community out-reach programs where members of the fire department bag groceries or coach a children’s sports team.  That works for those departments however, there is no cookie cutter example of reaching out.

In addition to knowing your customers, it is also important to prioritize our interactions since everything has a price tag and money is short.  Quite often, it is the littlest gestures that show we care the most.  Offering to provide an apparatus to make a child’s birthday party or stopping to change someone’s flat tire shows that we are concerned about more than devastating emergencies.  While I don’t condone taking response units out of service thus limiting the community’s protection, establishment of volunteers within a paid department can help accomplish both activities without reducing coverage.  So now the important question arises…. What are YOU willing to do to sell yourself and your department?  Are you there for the glory and a pay check or do you truly care about the people in your community?  In the end it takes more than one person to make this marketing process successful but like many other journeys, it has to begin with the first step!

 

Your Role in Employee Retention

 

Many departments across the nation have been feeling the pain of tightened purse strings.  When government entities feel the need to cut sections from a budget, our career field is one of the few that look appealing since the better we do our jobs, the less it seems like we are needed.  With this fact in mind, there are certain retention factors (salary, benefits, promotions) that are out of our hands however, the biggest factor is greatly influenced by line supervisors.

What is this magical retention factor?  Job satisfaction.  While we are not here to sugar coat everything and  make people believe the problems don’t exist, there should be a certain amount of political foresight before we open our mouths.  A negative officer makes a negative house.  If you only focus on the negative, those under you will be influenced to do the same.

When considering the negativity we are often expected to break to the people under us (lack of salary increases, position/hiring freezes, or even layoffs) it is hard to find a positive spin.  The best thing you as an officer can do is begin to think like a chief.  It is easy to criticize a decision when you only look at the little picture however, understanding what was gained or what wasn’t lost by the decision allows for the positive to come out.  For instance, you are given the news that there will be no pay raises this year.  You can either grumble to the crew that we are all getting screwed or in some cases point out that by accepting the lack of a raise, no one is going to lose their job this year.  I guarantee the newest guy on the department will be relieved as will some of those getting close to retirement.  The point is that the way you handle the bad news will have an immense impact on the way everyone reacts.

Beyond playing the political game of putting a positive spin on things, there are many other factors that the officer has direct control over.  Mainly, the way you treat your crew.  Job dissatisfaction is the number one reason people search for other employment opportunities.  Obvious things you can do to help job satisfaction include:  treating your people with respect, fostering  the brotherhood mentality, providing training for advancement, and providing positive feedback.  Some of the less obvious things include:  listening to complaints, following up with concerns, being your crew’s advocate, and providing empowerment opportunities.

In many of my human resource classes, there was a section that talked about motivation in the employment setting.  The number one thing most people put down in discussion boards as the best motivator was money.  The truth about money is that it is a temporary satisfier.  What I mean by that statement is when money is relied on as a motivator, you will never be able to pay enough.  Working overseas as a contract firefighter making six-figures a year seems like a dream.  Even with a six figure salary, the complaint about pay raises was present.  That in itself proves that you cannot rely on money to maintain your employee pool.  The officers below Fire Chief have to assume some responsibility for working within the confines of things they can change to make people want to stay.  Let’s face it, the job sells itself, it is up to us to sell the department as a place people want to be!

 

Are you abusing your position?

 

This subject is one that I never thought would have to be discussed in the fire service however, I have heard more than one complaint in the past few months that would classify as abuse.  Once someone receives their gold badge, there is an inherent responsibility that must be assumed for your crew.  Although you are responsible for their personal safety and professional growth, they are not your slaves.  They are not placed in your care to do the things you no longer want to do, especially if it is of a personal nature.

When it comes to an employee questioning something an officer has told them there is a tendency for  officers use the “because I’m the officer” defense.  This defense is a cop-out and should be backed by policy, procedure, or guideline.  Expecting your firefighter to cook for you, clean up your messes (beyond daily station duties), arrange or checkout your PPE, babysit your kids, or wash your car is an obvious abuse of your position.  Other abuses are less obvious and often justified as “training opportunities” or “character building.”  Making your firefighter do your reports or finding meaningless tasks for them to accomplish is unacceptable.

The arrangement, checkout, or cleaning of PPE is a personal responsibility.  You cannot expect nor make it mandatory for someone else to take care of your Personal Protective Equipment.  Furthermore, if something is missing, broken, or dangerous to use; you cannot punish or get upset at them.  If they put your gear on the truck, it was a courtesy and you are still responsible for it.

When it came time for my crew to learn the report system, in preparation for advancement, the steps for teaching were clear.  Have them watch me do it, help them do it, watch them do it, and eventually let them do it (with spot checking).  If they are able to do it on their own, it is not their responsibility to do your work.  In my case, if someone wanted to do it for practice or because they were good at it, I would help do their work and still follow up with what they did.

Getting a gold badge does not give you a free pass to kick your feet up and relax.  The truth is that the badge is meant to represent that you are capable of doing more than those without the extra bugles.  I prefer to think of line officers as lead firefighters.  With that mindset, it is easier to keep things in perspective and prevents poor management practices.

The final types of abuse can directly or indirectly be the officer’s fault.  Mental, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse/harassment can destroy a department.  If an officer is allowing the abuse/harassment to occur or even worse, participating in the problem, there are serious consequences that can happen.  Beyond embarrassing the department, officer, crew, or employee; the stress can destroy someone’s life.  We are charged with sending everyone home in the same or better condition than they arrived to work in.  This covers all aspects.  Monitor your people and be the professional they need you to be.  Beyond having a happy and productive crew, you will also find that your job becomes easier.

If you are not apart of the solution, you are a part of the problem!

 

 

Building Loyalty and Respect

I recently had a request to write an article on building crew loyalty and respect.  From the standpoint of an established officer with a proven history, this concept isn’t very difficult however; being a new or acting officer can leave you at a major disadvantage in this crucial area.  The question remains: how do you establish and build these key components needed for proper team development?  Although there are many books and articles you could read, I have found the solution to be much simpler.

The golden rule I was taught as a child is often the fix to many of a company officer’s problems.  “Treat others the way you want to be treated!”  When I look at building respect the first step is to give respect.  To build loyalty the first step is to give loyalty.  Depending on your competence level and confidence, the time needed to see a return of that investment will vary however, if you don’t initiate the process don’t expect your peers or subordinates to do the work.

The second part to this which if you are already having problems may be a little late to consider is setting up the right attitude before you become a leader.  The way you follow your superiors will often be the way your people will follow you.  If you are a good follower and become a leader, the ability to demand higher of your subordinates will appear less hypocritical and genuine.  Take the example of a guy/girl that is always bad mouthing their leaders behind their backs.  When they become a leader, what precedent have they set as acceptable behavior?  You cannot expect someone to get your back when they know you are always stabbing people in the back yourself.

Here are some things you can do to facilitate building respect and loyalty with your peers and crew:

– Act with INTEGRITY, Speak with INTEGRITY, Listen with INTEGRITY!  INTEGRITY, INTEGRITY, INTEGRITY!!!

– Explain your intended goals and how you intend to get there.

– Immediately start to consider and correct the way you are treating people.

– Seek out classes and opportunities to better yourself to show you deserve the loyalty and respect.

– Do not partake in gossip!  You cannot expect loyalty if you are talking behind someone’s back.

– Maintain an “open book” personality, what you see is what you get, no hidden motives or agendas.

– Stand up for your crew and yourself!  If you make a mistake own it, if your crew makes a mistake, own it!

– Handle things at the lowest level possible, no one likes a tattle tale especially when the tattle tale is their leader.

– If someone tells you something you have to report, tell them you have to report it and give them the chance to report it with you rather than throwing them under the bus.

– Know who you can trust when discussing issues (hint: when in doubt you should be able to go to a higher rank).

– Become a stable person.  It is hard to back someone who is never in the same place emotionally, physically, or intellectually.

– Stick with it because it will take longer to build loyalty and respect after you have already lost it.

Like any other relationship, building the loyalty and respect needed to have a functional team will take time.  The process in never ending and even the best leaders can destroy years of work with a single mistake.  In my opinion, he best way to have the crew you always wanted is to be honest, keep an open line of communication, and avoid damaging the progress you have already made.  Integrity is key to every step and often begins with an internal look.  If you can be honest with yourself, it will make being honest with everyone else easier.  Beyond that just follow the golden rule “Treat others like you want to be treated!”

Facing adversity

Today is definitely in the top ten of worst days in my life, a day that no firefighter wants to face.  For a breed of person that often finds themselves fighting the odds and yet are unwilling or unable to give up; leaving the line seems unbearable.

I recently found out that I have a condition that makes it extremely painful to walk which makes wearing fire boots seem like some ancient torture device.  Throughout the entire ordeal I have wrestled with the idea of having to leave something I love. Beyond just having an outlet for how I am feeling, I wanted to share this experience to make a point and maybe reassure myself that things will be ok.

Many of my coworkers didn’t know how to react to the news any better than I do now. This problem like all problems faced by fire officers is not beyond being overcome through tenacity and maintaining hope. This particular problem seems like the end of the world today but I know in a few years may be the beginning of something better.

The point that I am trying to make is that whether it’s a medical problem, financial issues, or some other life altering event; the need to take a structured approach is appropriate. Like any other curve-ball thrown at us on an emergency scene, life’s emergencies need to be evaluated, mitigated, and restored back to the best condition possible. The biggest benefit to being in the fire service is that at the end of the day you never have to face your problems alone.

I often tell people when I teach the lesson concerning the wellness of first responders to know when to seek help. Often just sharing your problem with someone is enough to give you room to breathe and look at your options. Don’t put on the blinders and face any problem with tunnel vision. Anchor yourself to someone or something that can weather the coming storm and prepare to face adversity with open options. For many there is nothing stronger than the desire to succeed. Life wouldn’t be worth living if everything was handed to you on a silver platter. Embrace your adversity and above all, never give up!

I close this posting with a quote that has helped me when things looked the worst….

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
– Thomas Edison

Making tasks manageable

“The older I get, the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first, a process which often reduces the most complex human problems to manageable proportions.”- Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are several management books that preach about prioritization and time management.  The familiar component to every program is being able to break down tasks into manageable pieces.  The ability to know where to stop is key in this issue. Most employers have 8-10 hours to drive their employees into the ground however fire officers could literally accomplish that within a 24 hour shift. For most officers the knowledge of priority is split into two categories: emergencies and everything else.

To be effective in the fire department, activities must be put into more than the two categories. The company officer book separates things into three categories: emergency response, preparation for emergency response, and organizational duties. There is no argument about emergency responses taking top priority. Preparation for emergency response encompasses more than just checking out the truck and training. Pre-planning, area familiarization, and hydrant testing/operation are also important. The problem that is prevalent is that at any given moment, the top priority can destroy the best plans. Where an officer can excel is knowing when to let go of the organizational duties in order to make the other two priorities possible.

There are many days where we have run our calls, barely got our training or other assigned tasks completed and the daily duties have suffered. While making a habit of this is not preferential, it is sometimes necessary to ensure your crew has the proper time to recover and prepare for emergencies. Officers that are unable to adapt to the situations presented on a daily basis run the risk of putting themselves, crew, and the citizens in danger.

No matter what, making your crew’s health and safety your highest priority will put you in the best position to do the most with what you have.

Positive outlooks and attitude will carry you far

“In every person who comes near you, look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.”. – John Ruskins

Through adversity and turmoil we are forged into the people who look back at us in the mirror.  Learning life lessons and imitating the good things of those around us can only improve who we are.  Drawing inspiration and motivation from others allows for a limitless supply of options.

It is true that even the best people, who are a driving force behind movements, have a bad day.  Surrounding yourself with good people isn’t always possible which leaves two options:  follow everyone else’s ups and downs or change your perception to focus on the good.

Like all advice blogs, this is sometimes easier to point out for others to do rather than do it yourself.  In the end, you have to strive to be a better person and even if you fall short, don’t give up or surrender.

I have often talked to people about controlling the things they can and for most situations the only thing that you have 100 percent control over is how you perceive the world.  This key concept will allow you to become a more balanced leader.