INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Steve Kraft, chief of Richmond Hill Fire & Emergency Services, Ontario, Canada spoke Tuesday morning about leadership at the opening ceremony of the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC).
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Kraft spoke of the importance being a leader in the fire service that actually leads and doesn't just hold a rank or position.
“I don’t want you to sit here and think, ‘boy, I wish my chief, or my captain was here to listen to this message,’” Kraft said. “I need you to look in the mirror and do a bit of self-reflection. I want you to think, ‘What can I do to make my department better?’”
Leaders, according to Kraft, motivate people to do better and strive to make themselves better.
“As a leader, you are going to have to keep motivated… and it’s hard to do that with a bad attitude,” Kraft said.
Kraft offered five points that he considers important to becoming a great leader.
First, is that a great officer is a great coach, according to Kraft.
“A coach motivates and monitors,” he said, noting that good leaders notice mistakes and correct them as necessary in a constructive manner.
“If you see a mistake and you don’t correct it, don’t be surprised if you see it again,” Kraft said.
Second in the five points, is that leaders should show they care about the people they work with.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” he said. “…Be there when they need you.”
The third point is that leaders are also not afraid to make mistakes, Kraft said, because that means they are trying new things. “You are going to make mistakes,” he said. “You are going to get knocked down but it’s how you get back up that shows you are a leader.”
The fourth point is that you need to lead by example, Kraft said. “This is the greatest profession in the world,” he said. “As leaders, we have roles and responsibilities to motivate the younger firefighters."
And lastly, the fifth point Kraft offered, is that leaders must have the right attitude.
“You have to have a great attitude to get things done,” he said. If you are an officer and you gripe to firefighters, it’s nothing more than gossip because those below you are not likely able to fix problems above their ranks.
“You should always hand up negatives (problems) and hand down positives,” Kraft said. “…Show me a positive company and I’ll show you a positive officer.”
He said above all else, firefighters and leaders need to stop griping about their lots and start presenting solutions.
“Stop the gossip,” he said. “It is killing your departments... Be a leader. Don’t be just a position.”
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