By Matt Love
We all have that thing, you know that thing in our lives that we just can’t quite see making it through the day without. For me, a hot cup of coffee is that thing. I really can’t imagine being productive without it, and in my mind, the smell of coffee represents the essence of what’s right in the world. I will never forget those long shifts in the firehouse where we went through pots of coffee, or the mornings we came back from a job and the stories we shared over a cup. There is one thing I never expected to gain from this essential fuel, leadership perspectives from the marks of lessons learned through success and failure. I’ll call them “coffee stains.”
Accessibility
A couple of years ago our family made the life-altering move from colorful Colorado to tropical Florida. Like many major life changes, this leap was packed with lessons, challenges, and rewards far greater than I could have anticipated. We miss many things about Colorado: the seasons changing, the beautiful snow, and for me, the absolute and complete accessibility of my required daily fuel–good coffee.
In Colorado, coffee takes on a different standing in one’s life than here in Florida. In Colorado, I could be in my favorite coffee shop and simply look down the street to see another coffee shop of the same brand. I am sure this is part of a marketing plan based on convenience and product demand, which resulted in an unmistakable and reliable level of accessibility. It is this accessibility that provided me, the avid coffee drinker, with comfort. I knew that wherever I was, my little cup of joy was near. They opened early, closed late, and I always knew what to expect. My fuel was accessible, and that accessibility provided me comfort.
In Florida, things are a little different. Not only is my favorite coffee location not as prevalent, it takes some searching to track it down. As a foreigner in a new land, this lack of accessibility created discomfort. The reliability that I knew so well and depended on was absent, and this absence led to an uncertain, unreliable feeling.
As a fire service leader, accessibility is essential to building a high-performance department. There are many stages of team development, all of which require time, planning, strategy, and growth. Within these phases of building the team we desire, the need to model actions requires accessibility, which in turn provides reliability and comfort for our team.
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When members know they can count on us, that we will be there when they need us, they gain the freedom grow and develop. Just like my favorite coffee franchise right down the road brings me a feeling of comfort, we can provide this same feeling to our team through accessibility. Accessibility provides our team with a level of comfort and reliability, and that comfort can be the needed link to unlock high performance.
Environment
Coffee has become more than a trend, and certainly more than a morning drink. Over the years coffee has evolved into an activity, and even an excuse, to socialize. Many times we hear the phrase, “Let’s grab a cup of coffee,” or “How about we discuss this over a cup?” I have worked through many tough challenges over a cup, or maybe a pot (depending on the challenge level.)
Frequently, as a relational gesture, I bring a cup of coffee when I meet with someone. On my way to a meeting, I run through my favorite coffee place and grab two cups of paradise. This gesture was always welcomed with great appreciation from those I met with. It often helped break the ice and demonstrated my commitment to them as well as my desire to spend deliberate and valuable time together.
This concept has not changed as I have become a Floridian, though the application needed some tweaking. After a time or two of showing up with two fresh cups of coffee, and receiving a different facial expression than I was expecting, I realized it was time to ask a few more questions. Come to find out, in addition to the customary questions of “cream or sugar?” in Florida a key determining factor that must be clarified is “hot or cold?”
Who knew that this new element to a classic drink would require a change in my operation based on my new environment? Maybe the 90º temperature and 100-percent humidity should have told me that, but I was blind to this alternative reality. Why was I blind? Why did this come as such a shock to me? My environment had changed, and I hadn’t asked the right questions to change with it.
As a leader, the answers don’t just end up on your doorstep. You have to get out there and find them. As your environment changes, you must have an open perspective to recognize change, and you must gather information to find out how to change with our environment.
Some of the best leaders are also the best listeners, but sometimes you must recognize when to stimulate the conversation. As a leader, this may mean engaging your members to discover the information you need to keep up with the pace of progress, especially if you’re no longer working around the firehouse. Environment is a paramount consideration in leadership, and it is always changing. Asking questions and actively searching for information, rather than hoping it falls in your lap, is a strategic way to get what you need to lead in an environment where things can be hot one minute and cold the next.
Matthew Love has served as a fire chief of the Fort Meyers Beach (FL) Fire Department. since 2009, and has also served as a deputy fire chief of operations and division chief of training. He has worked for many emergency service agencies, including the city of Colorado Springs (CO) Fire Department. He earned the distinguished Chief Fire Officer Designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence, and graduated from the United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. He holds a master of science degree in leadership with an emphasis in disaster preparedness and executive fire leadership, a bachelor of science degree in public safety and emergency management, holds an associate degree in fire science technology, and an associate degree in wildland fire science. He spent several years as an adjunct professor for the Colorado Community College system, teaching a variety of fire science courses. He also teaches courses in leadership, customer service, and firefighter safety throughout the nation. He speaks nationwide at various leadership events and has had the honor of being a reoccurring speaker for United States Air Force Academy Character and Leadership programs.
