In this installment of Leadership Lessons, we are going to add to our leadership toolbox by applying the context of a speech given by Navy Admiral William H. McRaven to a group of West Point cadets regarding their commitment to service as future leaders in the U.S. Army.
Admiral McRaven told his audience that “the oath you took is clear: to support and defend the Constitution – not the institution, not the Army, not the Corps, not the division, not the brigade, not the battalion, not the company, not the platoon and not the squad – but the nation.” For our purposes, we serve a community, the public. Whether it be a city, town, village, military installation or something else, that is what we serve, nothing else; not the station, battalion, division, union or department. All of those things are mechanisms to serve, not whom we serve.
Leadership in today’s fire service is an enigma. It is an enigma because we allow our focus to be diluted and forget that it is not about us or our brothers and sisters. As a leader in today’s fire service, you have only one true service commitment – to the public you swore to serve and protect. And even if you did not take an official oath of office, every time you train or respond to a call, you are dedicating yourself to the service of others. This is non-negotiable.
Do not get me wrong; I am not saying you do not serve your followers, your peers, your company, your battalion, etc. I am saying that you have one and only one true commitment, to the public. With that said, everything you do should be with this commitment in mind. Do not allow yourself to ever fall into the trap of thinking that your service is anything other than an absolute commitment to your community.
Training for a purpose
We serve by training, by building bonds, by honoring those who have gone before us, by learning from mistakes and by being open-minded enough to learn from our own failures. We train to live and we live to train. All successful operations are the result of time spent training, learning new thoughts, ideas and concepts and honing our existing skills.
It does not matter how long you have been in the fire service. If you are unwilling to set high expectations for yourself and those you lead, you are no longer honoring your commitment (to the public) and failing as a leader. If you do not train or you cut corners while training – e.g., not wearing the proper protective equipment, do not exercise or eat right or you have only the probie to do the drill – you cannot say that you believe in firefighter safety and the basic principle of “Everyone Goes Home.” We are here for them, not you, and that means putting in the work.
We all know that no firefighter can do this job alone. We are a team and being part of a diverse team is work. As a leader, you often work, sleep and eat with those you lead. While you are on the same crew, you are not just “one of the guys” – you are the leader.
We all know that leadership can be a pain, as McRaven mentions: “Leadership is difficult because it is a human interaction and nothing, nothing is more daunting, more frustrating, more complex than trying to lead men and women in tough times.” It is not about being the buddy; rather, it is about being the boss. You are person who sets the high expectations. As such, it is your job to hold those you are responsible for to those expectations. However, when your crew is right, but has been wronged, it is your job to stand up for them and be their voice; do not sell them short. However, when they are wrong, it is not your job to make excuses for them or to turn a blind eye to the facts just because they are your friends.
Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. To this end, we dishonor the sacrifices of those who have gone before us by repeating the mistakes that led to those same sacrifices. As a leader, it is your job to push, pull or drag the organization forward. The public expects you to be a champion of change. Lives will depend on you having the courage to lead (proactive change), even in the face of exile by your peers, so have the courage to lead change. Do not accept any system, process, action or behavior that compromises our commitment to the public.
Admiral McRaven also tells us that leadership is not fun. Leadership requires standing up to the status quo. There are many instances where leaders have stood up for causes that have the individual’s best interest at heart rather than the publics.
As an example, why would you ever defend a member who has betrayed the public trust, e.g., been convicted of a criminal act or someone who places their own agenda before that of the public? When we do (or watch without acting) things such as this, we destroy our service from the inside out. If you are a leader or aspire to be a leader, you cannot cut corners, you cannot make excuses, you must hold the line, you must enforce the standards of excellence, you cannot not gossip or allow gossip to occur and you must always honor those who have come before by serving the public rather than the individual.
While the admiral’s speech was given to West Point cadets, the words are equally pertinent to the fire service. Please keep training every day and act as if your life depends upon it because, quite simply, it does. Keep pushing forward, keeping championing change and never give up.
