We often view those most successful among us as having strong personalities with a seemingly mystic ability to imprint their will on those who follow them. While that’s probably more lore than reality, it does beg the question: How DO “those people” succeed? (And for the record, it’s not just “those people” who succeed; it’s their team, crew and organizations that succeed with them.)
Like any other service/industry/business, we as first responders should always look for ways to improve. Yes, first responders should be aware of the latest and greatest management theories out there; however, we must be cautious to not fall head-over-heels into the one of those corporate leadership or organizational paradigms. Remember Management by Objectives (MBOs) or Total Quality Management (TQM)? While those philosophies and practices surely have structural merit for day-to-day business operations, the attempts to shape fire and EMS departments around those models can have catastrophic effects on the services we provide.
Consider this recent quote from the former CEO of IBM, Sam Palmisano, published in an essay titled “The Globally Integrated Enterprise” in Foreign Affairs magazine: “Hierarchical, command-and-control approaches simply do not work anymore. They impede information flows inside companies, hampering the fluid and collaborative nature of work today.” Corporate philosophies like this are often espoused at events attended by our elected officials.
Contrary to such philosophies, I argue that chiefs, commissioners and administrators MUST have the capacity to maintain a paramilitary hierarchal command-and-control posture for emergency operations to be effective. The challenge to “run the business while running the service” is part of the “adaptive leadership” we’ll assess in this column.
The other leadership style we’ll discuss is that of “location”—leading from the front, rear or somewhere in between. Most respected and high-performing fire/EMS/police agencies I’ve witnessed have had a chief AND management team that understand the need to adapt their leadership performance position as needed.
Business vs. service
Like a wily and tech-savvy teenager trying to outsmart their parent, fire chiefs should stay attuned to the latest and greatest organizational philosophies and ideas coming out of their city/county manager’s office and from business systems/HR personnel. These folks often attend conferences or read high-level publications that promote efficiency and cost-cutting measures that are music to their ears. When they begin to subscribe to these improvements in business survivability, as touted by the publications, is when you need to have already done your homework. If not, you’ll likely be isolated on a proverbial island, pushing back and making your case where no one can hear. I recall the MBO and TQM years, where the non-emergency folks tried to balance the checkbooks and their beliefs on the promise of greater efficiency in public safety. This was great for the permits department, not so much for the needles, guns and hoses.
I won’t suggest there is/was NO merit in those MBO and TQM “exercises.” However, the county administrative group was SURE the fire department could save millions of dollars by applying MBO and TQM principles to our firefighting and paramedic missions. While there are certain principles I will admit later may have had some merit, I maintain that the attempts to routinely employ those leadership styles on first responder emergency processes across the country have generally been disastrous.
You want us to increase the quantity and quality of inspections we complete, or the smoke alarms we install, or the numbers of students we reach and teach? I will embrace that all day long, but not at the expense of having the tactical advantage for a firefight or medical intervention. We must, however, embrace the all-inclusive and objective-based quality concepts that sound management styles teach. You want me to put out a fire better or stick a patient faster? I’ll defer to my functional and educational training and expertise with the strategic operational prowess that only an adaptive fire department and staff can bring to the game. THIS is my Battle Plan Advantage (BPA).
Have a battle plan
Adaptive leaders understand the need for a fluid and flexible battle rhythm. Not every battle plan will have the same rhythm everywhere, for everyone. The “advantage” that helps you establish the rhythm in your battle plan is your local knowledge and expertise. Your BPA should be a holistic look at our business and should embody all of the life safety and budget initiatives on which you’re probably already focused.
Using the same mindset and development process for a BPA as we have used for our 360 structure walk-arounds should provide a little clarity for you. To that end, we know that the 360 is only as valuable as the intel and information we glean and put into action. Similarly, for your BPA, it is important that you at least CONSIDER the latest and greatest business-process improvements out there. There ARE indeed tried-and-true concepts of business inclusiveness and quality improvement that we must embrace, not for the purpose of assimilating, but for the fact that inclusiveness and improvement are generally ALWAYS the right thing to do in our business and for our service.
The BPA includes everything from process development to legislative research and engagement to operational and tactical resource deployment directives (orders, guidelines, etc.). To pick on an easy (and topical) issue, consider these questions: Do you advocate for implementation of residential sprinkler legislation? Are you aware of the efforts to weaken or eliminate existing sprinkler legislation? How are you engaging, both personally and organizationally, at the levels necessary to join in the engagement?
I encourage you to study the evidence that is readily available about the origins of successful sprinkler legislation, including tradeoffs with the building industry and weakening structural components at the promise of better fire protection that sprinklers obviously would provide. In and of itself, that tradeoff MIGHT be acceptable if sprinkler installation is successful. However, there are attacks on existing sprinkler legislation, seemingly constantly coming from the building industry, without a corresponding discussion for stronger construction standards (which were compromised for the sprinklers in the first place). It’s a regressive discussion that shouldn’t even be considered, but with financial decisions impacting all of our jurisdictions, there are lobbyists looking to make money and politicians looking to save money. Are you “lobbying” your politicians with the facts of sprinkler effectiveness? This is an example where inclusiveness and consensus-building is critical. But once the alarm strikes, trust me, that fire or that patient doesn’t care one bit whether you asked everyone’s opinion or whether everyone with you feels good about the tactics we’re going to employ.
THIS is where your adaptive leadership must kick in. It’s not just the chief but rather the entire organization that has to be proficient at adaptive leadership concepts. Rightfully so, we put a lot of faith in the men and women staffing our stations—men and women who may be sweeping the floors and cleaning the toilets one moment and preforming CPR or pulling bodies out of houses in the next moment. Regardless of your rank, you MUST have both a personal and professional plan to make that adaptation work. Use all of the knowledge, skills and abilities you brought to the table to get where you are, and build the Battle Plan Advantage you’ll need.
Front, rear, somewhere in between?
Sprinklers are merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg for topics you face every day: firefighter cancer prevention, public education, budget management, capital improvements, employee assistance issues, discipline, unions, volunteers, politicians, etc. Once you have that BPA, where does the chief fit in? Let’s consider how you balance all those topics while employing an effective BPA in your department.
We sometimes hear people talk about people “leading from the front” or letting their people do their job and “leading from the rear.” It’s also important to note that in our leadership development programs, we tend to emphasize to people that as they rise through those ranks, they’re no longer “one of the fellas” (or gals), no longer “buddies”; essentially, they’re no longer in the middle of the pack, so they can’t lead from the middle, right? Wrong. The adaptive leader must master the art of bringing calm to the moment’s chaos. That ability is NOT established by virtue of your election or appointment; that merely gives you the “authority.”
As we talk about “leading from the front,” we’re referring to a leadership trait, not necessarily a tactical position. And let’s get this out of the way now: With the exception of kingdoms and autocracies, there is no such thing as a “born leader.” Our leaders develop and become who they are through a series of opportunities and events over time. Recognizing that there are formal leaders and informal ones, we won’t debate the “how that person got there”; let’s instead focus on building better leaders and teams.
“Leading from the front” generally describes a leader who appears commanding, is decisive and is prepared to take risks. All desirable traits for a fire chief, right? Sure, but you can’t project that persona 24 hours a day without alienating many of those working or volunteering under your command. People need to KNOW you’re decisive and prepared to take risks, but they don’t need to see it all the time. Someone who leads from the front ALL the time is more likely aligned with (and likely described by their subordinates as) a dictator, among other adjectives.
For fire chiefs, there is a community and an organizational expectation that you’ll be visible and available most of the time. Even when you’re not “available,” you’re likely reachable. If you’re not, I suspect there’s an under-tow in your organization slowly tearing it apart. As a new chief, you need to be out front a lot. As you build credibility and further develop your craft, your leadership style should adapt to a less forward position. Why? Beyond the classes and promotional opportunities, at some point, those under your command need the opportunity to practice leadership themselves. As you’ve been leading from the front, your organization and your community has been watching. Those underneath you should be picking up on your expectations, your style and your success. As they do, more of them will take the lead on projects and events in your organization and community—if you let them. That’s where you begin to morph your leadership location to the middle or rear. You’re not giving up any of your authority; you’re providing guidance and opportunity.
When I was appointed chief in 2010, I made a personal and professional decision to not let any of those “young folks” out-do me. I made it first a directive, then ultimately it became an expectation that I would run five miles with each recruit class at least one time. I displayed the personal example and set the expectation that physical fitness was important for both our personal and professional well-being.
As the years went by, training academy staff learned what the expectations were and ensured recruits were ready to beat the old man. You see, it wasn’t REALLY about the young folks beating me; it was about personal well-being and the expectation that their command staff would do anything we expected them to do. While this began as an exercise of “leading from the front,” it morphed into the chief leading from the rear, allowing staff to get it done, while the old man chugged along (literally and figuratively).
On the scene, your firefighters and paramedics need to know you have their back. That doesn’t mean you show up and assume command of every fire you go to. If THE chief has to assume command, either they were the first chief there or there’s probably a lot of other folks along the way not getting something done. In over six years as chief, I showed up on the scene of hundreds of incident scenes, only assuming command twice. My role on scene became that of the team-builder, staff-comforter and occasionally community consoler—always prepared to take the steps necessary to bring an incident scene under control. This is another example of leading from the front, middle and rear, potentially all within one incident.
In sum
Being prepared to adapt your leadership style and position is an art. Examine your battle rhythm, establish your battle plan, and use the advantages you bring to the table to LEAD. Leading from the front, middle or rear matters a lot less than making sure you and your staff are getting the business done at the right times, for the right reasons. Are you leading from wherever you need to be at any given moment in time? Are you an adaptive leader, prepared to switch gears, make decisions, get things done, all the while developing tomorrow’s leaders? Use your Battle Plan Advantage to build a better team because, remember, one day you’ll be an adaptive retiree!
