So, I’m feeling a little salty … and I hope that this column adds flavor to your role as a leader, preserves rich traditions and inspires you to taste new ones.
Among the most underrecognized, misunderstood, pain-in-the-rear people in the fire department are your salty seasoned firefighters—but I love them! Their leadership is evident but often underutilized. Their passion is confused with anger at times because of their delivery, yet they have an extremely important effect on the new generation of firefighter.
We need salty seasoned firefighters, because they are the backbone leadership of the crew. They are the ones who speak up and ask the difficult questions, the people who others look to for guidance (mentoring), and the reason that fire chiefs tend to shy away from casual conversations out of fear of being blasted.
What do fire chiefs need from our salty seasoned people? How can the fire service give salty firefighters a seat at the head of the table “above the salt?”
Salt brings out other flavors
Did you ever order something at a restaurant that you expected to “wow” you as soon as you took your first bite, only to be absolutely disappointed with its flavorless taste? What did you reach for first? Perhaps salt. A sprinkle here and there and, suddenly, the tasteless, flavorless food transformed. Salt brings out flavors that always were there but weren’t showcased until the salt entered as a mentoring season that invigorates even the most tasteless food.
Similarly, our salty seasoned firefighters are primed to transform the newest generation of firefighting leaders when they are better understood and better utilized and empowered to lead.
Who typically rides as an acting officer on a fire truck when the captain isn’t on duty? Who typically is out in the bay reviewing the RIT pack with the rookies or is under the pumper to try to fix a leaky valve? Who typically is tasked with “just make it happen” on the fire scene once incident commander gives the orders? The answer: the salty seasoned firefighters. They are the go-to people on the crew. They are the informal leaders who bring out the essences of others, which makes for a more flavorful crew.
This group often is looked down on if they don’t promote, yet they are the informal leaders who mentor the newest firefighters, who get the job done when seconds count, who build bridges between firefighters and the people who wear bugles. Their essence and presence showcase the different flavors, the different skill sets, of each person via the position of the “old reliable” who simply makes it happen. These strong leaders create balance between safety and stretching, because they make the team better around them and, even with skepticism, contribute via a nurturing readiness. They are present, useful, ready and willing when they are empowered to lead.
Ask your salty seasoned people what they think, what they feel and what they need.
Salt preserves flavor
Salt has been used as a preservative since its discovery and became one of the first commodities to be traded. Without salt as a preservative in ancient times, food would spoil and people would go hungry. Salt draws moisture out of food and reduces the bacteria that could grow. In essence, this is osmosis, and osmosis works to both sides.
Our salty seasoned firefighters, when they are valued and empowered, are primed to create balance for crews, shifts and departments. No one tells stories in the way that salty seasoned firefighters do, whether it be around a kitchen table, sitting on a bumper of a truck or standing around a fire pit. Salty seasoned firefighters were “there,” and preserving history is part of what makes the fire service so unique. Just as these informal leaders, the ones who have “been there and done that,” bring out flavors of the new, they also preserve the flavors of the old.
As company officers, it’s absolutely imperative that you recognize the value of preserving the flavors that create the most tasteful experiences of the past yet also encourage people to create new recipes that include new flavors that foster balance while reducing bacteria (toxic behavior) and ridding the recipe of spoilage.
For the salty seasoned firefighters who read this column, be the salt that brings out other flavors as well as preserves the flavors of the past. Look for opportunities to reengage in balance while allowing osmosis to drive equality.
Too much salt
As we know, too much salt can ruin a meal, and once you add too much salt, it’s extremely difficult to taste other flavors. Often, the meal is ruined.
What can we draw from this as leaders?
Speaking to the salty seasoned vets, consider your delivery, because your passion often is received as anger and disrespect. A valuable lesson can be lost in your delivery. Trust me, I know, because I was one of those salty firefighters. So, temper your response and focus on the fact that leaders are resolute, impactful, competent, decisive and humble. Consider how you can fit those characteristics into the situation but remember that once too much salt is tossed in, it can be very difficult to taste anything else.
I encourage you to share your concerns with your chiefs but also to recognize that you are the balance. You aren’t there to spoil but to preserve and create the new. Your chiefs need you to be you, to be the salty leader, but to do so by bringing balance and allowing osmosis to provide equality. A good friend and/or mentor should ask, “Are you aware that when you say or do fill in the blank, this is how you are viewed?” This is important for all of us to remember, because we need accountability and reliability in our relationships.
The past, the future
There certainly is no doubt that our world, our history, our lives, would be so much less in the absence of salt.
Look to salt to add and preserve flavor and provide the balance that we need as leaders.
For the salty seasoned firefighters out there, whether a member of a career, volunteer or combination department, keep on being the salt, because if salt loses its saltiness, what good is it?
Continue to lead with fervor and fortitude. Keep up the diligent work to change the old adage of skeptics who “take you with a grain of salt,” because there’s no doubt that salt has a seasoned history and an iconic future to bring groups together and to provide balance and equality.
