Pittsburgh Chief Implores Leaders to Step Forward

It takes merely a cursory review of fire service literature to see that leadership is a prominent topic. There is a plethora of media, including books, journal articles, satirical cartoons and others, describing, defining and identifying leadership, or the lack thereof. In addition, there are numerous curriculums being offered at the federal, state and local levels on leadership. Courses are available at the National Fire Academy, community colleges, colleges and universities, and both for-profit and nonprofit institutions of higher learning.

Many of us who study and teach leadership dive into these media to expand our knowledge and understanding of leadership theories. We enjoy reading the triumphs of good leaders throughout history. We examine with great enthusiasm successful military leaders, such as Joshua Chamberlain at Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg. We recount the success of political leaders such as John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Further, we take examples from leaders who faced insurmountable challenges and were successful, such as Sir Ernest Shackleton. There are also fictional characters whose examples of great leadership entertain us, such as Dorothy (Judy Garland) in “The Wizard of Oz” and my personal favorite, Davis (Henry Fonda) in “12 Angry Men.”

Considering our investment of time and money, we should be experts in the field of leadership. According to Pape (2015), “Reading one hour per day in your chosen field will make you an international expert in 7 years.” It would take me a day or two to list the names of people I know who exceed this qualification.

But the question remains, are we leaders? I dare say not. We may be scholars or academics, but more likely than not, we are only hobbyists. We can identify good leadership when we see it, we can identify with equal accuracy poor leadership, and we may be capable of leading, yet we are not leaders. We can tell you how to build the proverbial clock, but we cannot tell time. There is a significant gap between talking about leadership and walking the path of a leader.

Face “Vader”

The third movie in the original Star Wars trilogy is “Return of the Jedi.” In one scene, Yoda, Luke’s teacher and mentor, is dying. Luke pleads with Yoda to hang on, as Luke wants to complete the training to become a Jedi Knight. Yoda tells Luke: “No more training do you require. Already know you that which you need.” Luke appears relieved and states, “then I am a Jedi.” Luke’s statement causes Yoda some discomfort. Yoda responds: “Not yet. One thing remains—Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, and only then, a Jedi will you be.” In short, Yoda said hold on, not so fast.

Yes, you have taken all the classes, you have read all the books, and you have shared all the cool memes on social media, but you have not faced your “Vader.” You have not bridged the gap between talking about being a Jedi, and actually being a Jedi. You have not endured the hostile environment of leadership. Luke did not want to face Vader. He was uncomfortable with challenging his newly discovered father. Things did not go well for him the last time he faced Darth Vader. He did not want the universe to continue on the path set by Darth Vader and the Emperor. Still, he did not want to be responsible for changing the status quo. He was contemplating the price it costs to lead change and deemed it to be too high. Luke was afraid he might get hurt.

Status quo vs. change

Being a leader exposes you. It designates you as a target. You will come under attack from those who are comfortable with the status quo, from those who are threatened by the changes you propose. Once you become a practitioner of leadership, instead of just a student or teacher, you start a perilous journey. The risks are high. Failure can literally be fatal.

When you lead an organization, you have two choices. You can maintain the status quo and allow the organization to continue on its present course unabated. The risks are low. The organization is comfortable with the current course. Sure, things could be better, but whose fault is that? You are going to keep things safe, consistent and stable. Everyone knows what to expect, they are used to the circumstances, and they anticipate the consistency. No one complains outwardly. At best, everyone will think of you as a great leader. At worst, they will treat—and remember—you with indifference.

The second option is you can identify the opportunities, weaknesses and threats to your organization, and lead the organization into the future by exploiting the opportunities, diminishing the weaknesses and limiting the organization’s exposure to the threats. If you take this path, you become an agent of change. You become an adversary of the status quo and all in the organization who align with the status quo. This option is the tough route; it is the road less traveled. Being a change agent requires strength of character, endurance, faith and intelligence. It takes guts! You are no longer a face in a faceless crowd. You are out front. You are the face and voice of all that is evil. You are the target of all who fear or feel a sense of loss from your proposals and your actions.

People, both internal and external to the organization, will fear change and the perceived losses it will bring. They fear the loss of position, status and even money. They will no longer have the comfort of a well-known routine. Those who are uncomfortable will push back. You will hear statements like, “we’ve never done it this way before” and “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” These are simple but definite clues that your actions are causing some anxiety. Sometimes anxiety is caused simply because you are someone new.

Leadership in Pittsburgh

I came to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in July 2007 as an assistant chief. In September 2007, I was appointed fire chief. I replaced the previous fire chief, who was elevated to public safety director—my direct supervisor. I recall a conversation I had with the public safety director two weeks after I became chief. He had received word that the morale of the bureau was very low and he was concerned. He asked what I was doing that was destroying morale in the bureau. My response was a simple one-word answer: “Nothing.” I was two weeks into the new position. I had not issued a single new policy. I had not revised a single old policy. There were no new memos, no new orders, no new directives, no new operational bulletins—nothing. I was still trying to gain my situational awareness in the new position. Simply by being the chief, I created anxiety within the organization, what Heifetz and Linsky called “disequilibrium” (2002). I represented a threat to the status quo. The fact that the complainant had access to my direct supervisor and my supervisor felt the complainant was credible enough to confront me with the accusation let me know I was both exposed and targeted.

That was just the beginning. During my tenure as chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, I have sustained multiple attacks. My credentials were attacked when I was referred to as the “affirmative action” or “EEOC” (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) chief, this despite the fact I have more education, training and experience than any of my predecessors. My integrity was attacked when I was accused by a disgruntled vendor of rigging the bids for new engines. No one mentioned the fact that the vendor was disqualified because he submitted a bid for a different city, not Pittsburgh. These attacks and accusations occurred in the court of public opinion, where it seems you are guilty until proven innocent. Then, you are still guilty. The attacks became personal. I was accused of using my position as chief as a stepping stone to greater opportunities.

When attacked, it is critical that you do not strike back. You must absorb the hits and endure the attacks. If you strike back, you officially engage in a war. You will spend all your time either attacking or counter-attacking. And while you are doing this, the status quo prevails. Eventually, you will run out of time and resources. You will exhaust yourself fighting. Your agenda will fall to the wayside. When you do not fight back, the opposition will become frustrated. They are not getting to you. Therefore, the attacks will intensify. The opposition will portray you as soft or weak. The challenges and attacks may become more brazen. In leadership, you must rise above the fray. You must assume a 40,000-foot perspective. Heifetz and Linsky describes this as “going to the balcony” (2002).

Despite the tenacity of these attacks, I was not only able to survive but also to thrive. I give credit to several things that permitted me to endure. First, and foremost, I have a strong faith in God. I can PUSH (pray until something happens) all day, every day. Second, I have a very strong family foundation. I have a wife and a son. Every day, when I get home from work, my family greets me. I look at their faces and think to myself, “Yeah, I will take eight hours of crap for them all day, every day.” We have a very strong, and close extended family. Our families rallied around us, supported us and defended us through all. Third, I built a great team. I have two assistant fire chiefs who share my vision for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire. I have a fiscal officer with 30 years of institutional knowledge who loves the Fire Bureau and is vested in its success. Finally, and this is very important, I built alliances. I built alliances with those in the administration above me, I built alliances with those who are my peers, and I built an alliance with labor. It took time, but I had to build credibility with all. However, after several years a little trust developed between us. I value that trust more than gold.

When I said it took time, I mean years. Labor and I could finally sit down and not yell at or threaten each other. I explained to them my vision for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, and they listened. I explained the need for a change in the culture, and they listened. They explained to me their concerns with change, and I listened. They began to realize that I was not the antichrist and was not here to “bust the union.” They began to realize that despite being an outsider from a small-town department, I could apply leadership skills and strategies to the challenges faced by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire. They began to realize that I viewed the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire as my home. I viewed them as family. I took ownership. We mutually agreed, after five line-of-duty deaths within a 10-year span, safety of our firefighters was the top priority.

Since that time, there have been dramatic results. We improved the safety of our firefighters by performing inspections of PPE. We inspect and clean PPE after every structural fire. We repair or replace the gear as needed. We improved our service to the public. We increased our recruit school from 18 weeks to 32 weeks. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire is 100 percent certified to the Firefighter 2 level. We are certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as an emergency health care provider. We improved our ISO rating from a Class 4 to a Class 1. We expanded our level of service with the purchase of a fire boat to respond to incidents on or near our three rivers. We have a more prominent role in emergency management and homeland security.

We need leaders

I was fortunate. I had good teachers and peers who understood leadership. In addition, I had an opportunity to lead, and I seized it. I knew there would be attacks. The tenacity of the attacks is what surprised me. However, the sacrifice was worth it.

The American fire service is facing daunting challenges. We need leaders! There are a great number of us who are trained and skilled in leadership. We need you to bridge the gap between scholar, student and hobbyist to leader. The American fire service needs you to face “Vader.” It will take a huge leap of faith. It takes strength of character and guts to expose yourself, to allow yourself to be targeted for the benefit and future of the organization. Yes, you will be targeted. Yes, you will take a hit. Yes, it will hurt. However, the fire service needs you. Your organization needs you. Your community needs you, just as badly as the child trapped in the second-floor bedroom of their burning home. I implore you, take the step of faith to bridge the gap. It’s gut-check time!