Dealing with lazy partner after promotion

[Mas3372]

Hello,

I was recently promoted to lieutenant 2 months ago. I belong to a full time career department. There is only myself and my driver in my station. I am only 29 and have been on the job for 8 years and consider myself to be motivated and to have a higher standard work ethic. My driver is 32, has been on the job for just over 3 years and is LAZY.

I constantly need to remind him to pick up after himself, make his bunk, close the doors, do his dishes, etc. He just dosn't get it. We had dinner with a few other stations tonight, about 12 guys, after dinner and before dinner, everyone single guy is on there feet cooking and then cleanin up, except my partner. I approach him after everyone leaves and I get the same lame excuses. "I was full", "I like to relax after I eat", "I helped, I got the plates out"....

I have tried to motivate him by praising others in front him, I have talked to him one on one with noone else around. I don't know what else to do. He gets defensive everytime I mention something, or gives me a sigh with an eye roll. He is truley the challenge of the department and I am faced with that challenge.

Furthermore, he dosn't take orders well. I am far from a hard ***, but when I tell him to nose the ladder into the buildign as side AB, and he parks it across the street and then says "I didn't hear you", I want to pull my hair out.

Any suggestions....

[randell713]

a quick kick in the a** if not, you could only warn someone so much. Lay it on a superior or write it up.

[TNFF319]

Write him up.

[Mas3372]

I would like to write him up, hell, I woudl love it. But I hat to resort to that if there are possible ways to correct his behavior without taking action that coud tarnis his career. He ****ed me off even more this weekend. We had 8 guys playing in a charity golf tournament for our state association of firefighters and he was supposed to play in one of the foursomes. Well, he couldn't get his schedule right and took OT and blew off golfing and never told anyone. He is just an irresponsible, immature person who cares about nothing but himself. It just sucks that I am in such a unique situation. I have only been an officer for 2 months and if I take the hard *** role and treat him like I shoudl, it will be percieved by otheres that I am just a hard *** for my position.

[N2DFire]

Mas3372 -

I've been in a similar situation as you. You've gone from "Buddy to Boss" (which happens to be the name of a book as well - I've honestly never read it but it may be worth your time to pick up a copy)

http://www.amazon.com/Buddy-Boss-Eff.../dp/159370075X

As for your current predicament I'm in agreement that you need to quit soft gloving him and write him up.

You're worried about being seen as a "hard ***" - don't. First of all I'm sure you're not the only person who's noticed his behavior so letting him continue is only going to cause you to lose credibility with the rest of the Dept.

As long as you are fair and document your actions and the rationale behind them (and aren't a "hard ***" to any one else) then I think you will be fine.

Best of luck and congrats on the new position Loo.

[KB1OEV]

As for your current predicament I'm in agreement that you need to quit soft gloving him and write him up.

You're worried about being seen as a "hard ***" - don't. First of all I'm sure you're not the only person who's noticed his behavior so letting him continue is only going to cause you to lose credibility with the rest of the Dept.

As long as you are fair and document your actions and the rationale behind them (and aren't a "hard ***" to any one else) then I think you will be fine.

My thoughts exactly.

In addition, I would write down all the things he has done or not done to deserve the write up. Also make notes if you have spoken to him about his behavior and when. Some people get very defensive and may even go cry to a higher ranking officer. The best thing to do in that situation is to have everything layed out, so you can show very quickly that beyond a doubt this person deserves to be disciplined. Makes for less arguing and puts you in better light with a superior if it came to that.

Good luck.

[Mas3372]

Thanks everyone for your help. I think I have compiled a plan that I hope will work. The one thing that I notice is that he gets very defensive and mad as soon as I mention something. I am going to spend the next tour addressing the small items one at a time so that he will not feel as though I am attacking him. After that, I plan on sitting down with him and simply expalining to him that I question his work ethic and the lack of pride for the job. I will make it clear to him that he has two options. He can allow me to work with him and critique and feely comment on everything that I question to help improve his work ethic that will generate a greater pride in his job; or, if he does not want to improve and feels as though he dosn't need to, then I will have to be the "hard ***" so to say. I truley feel that he has potential to be a good firefighter if only he work ethic goes up, he takes more pride and develops a better attention to detail. I think if I don't provide the opportunity to work with him to improve on his ability, provided he wants the help, then I will have failed him as an officer. If he chooses not to take the opportunity, then there will be no other option. Wish me luck.

[sarah9]

Hello,

Dealing with inactive colleague is very troubling, and if you have to work with them, it is a big headache first talk to him and if even then he did not how and improvement talk to your seniors about that.


Regards,
sarah_9



http://www.jimclemmer.com

[USMCFFighter]

Thanks everyone for your help. I think I have compiled a plan that I hope will work. The one thing that I notice is that he gets very defensive and mad as soon as I mention something. I am going to spend the next tour addressing the small items one at a time so that he will not feel as though I am attacking him. After that, I plan on sitting down with him and simply expalining to him that I question his work ethic and the lack of pride for the job. I will make it clear to him that he has two options. He can allow me to work with him and critique and feely comment on everything that I question to help improve his work ethic that will generate a greater pride in his job; or, if he does not want to improve and feels as though he dosn't need to, then I will have to be the "hard ***" so to say. I truley feel that he has potential to be a good firefighter if only he work ethic goes up, he takes more pride and develops a better attention to detail. I think if I don't provide the opportunity to work with him to improve on his ability, provided he wants the help, then I will have failed him as an officer. If he chooses not to take the opportunity, then there will be no other option. Wish me luck.

Let us know if this works. Personally, I doubt it. It seems like you are a REALLY nice person and want to get along. Just curious, where do you draw the line? Say a patient is mistreated or there's a procedure on a working fire scene that doesn't get taken care of. Do you report to your supervisor that you had someone under your command that had an attitude problem and wouldn't listen to you? Right then and there I would question did we promote the right person. Meaning these issues should have been taken care of beforehand so that there is no finger pointing on scene. I know, we're just talking about dishes and a golf tournament but this is where it begins. Think about it, reverse the roles, would you leave your officer hanging? There are definitely 10%'ers out there and this person sound like a perfect match. Either they will never care or care when THEY get promoted.

Don't get me wrong my rank is firefighter but in the Marine Corps I was in several leadership billets and leadership is leadership. People aren't going to like every decision you make. As long as you're making logical, SAFE decisions all the whining and crying in the world doesn't matter as long you ALL return to your homes when your shift ends. They promoted you for a reason. Think long and hard what that reason was. As you stated earlier it begins with verbal reprimand (counseling) and what everybody else said a paper trail. Here's the thing, you're worried about offending this person but they have already spread the word, that they run YOU and that YOU are soft. Stay Safe out there. Just my two cents.

[Breech31]

Mas3372- This is BS! My suggestion to you is to do your job, because he's not doing his! It has been said before, but do you think your'e the only one his slacking is affecting?

Further, he's not the only one slacking...you are...and I guarentee you that your fellow firefighters look at you as a slacker too, as you have let your partner shirk his duties. Man up, have some stones, and do the job you love. Respect yourself and your department. You have tried to be nice to him and it has not worked. No more holding this guy's hand.

Write him up!

[rm1524]

Make sure you document every time you talk to him. Don't ever not take notes when you talk to him about his issues. Talk to his last lt. and see how he dealt with him.

Don't be afraid to write him up. The SOG's are there for a reason. He is a adult if he gets in trouble, loses his job then that's his tough luck. He knows what the job requires and if he don't want to do it then what happens happens.

You are being watched by others to see how you handle this. Man up and take care of business.

Just a note. I was a capt. and was having problems with a eng and would ask, beg, plead, scream, cuss this guy to do his job. I didn't want to write him up and i didn't take notes. I was trying to be a nice guy. When he cried to the chiefs that i was being mean to him, I didn't have a leg to stand on beacuse i didn't have anything in writing of all the talks we had. That was one of the reasons that i got demoted.

Just so i won't have to answer someone wanting to know the other reason, it is this. I don't do well with people that are lazy and don't give a crap about doing a good job and will tell them what i think of them. The chief did not like my old school attitude. So now i drive and have alot more fun at work!

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Were you with this guy before you got made? Was he like this then?

I agree with the person who wrote that you are being watched. Do it right.

Document. document, document.

[BCmdepas3280]

Forget the nice guy mode

1st.....Do not request or make it an option, make it clear when you want something done...its an order.

2nd...You are no longer his buddy, your his boss....he will spend more time trying to not do the work than it will take to do it

3rd...Most important ...You are responsible for everything that goes on in the house, his lack of motivation is your challenge....he is exploiting your weakness(nice guy/friend)....the sooner you realize this the better off you will be.

And lastly if all else fails ...send it up the chain...chiefs love to motivate

[eng451]

I'm interested to find out what has happened since the first posting on this topic. Can I say I have been there, done that! No but I have come close on several occasions.