Creating and Inspiring Exceptional Fire Department Leaders

By Dennis Compton

Competent fire officers of all ranks are critical to the success of a fire department. It’s hard to single out a particular rank and say that those members’ performances as leaders are more (or less) critical than those of other ranks. It would be a mistake for senior fire department officers or others in organizations to underestimate, or undervalue, the role that all fire officers play within the mission. Their leadership, management, supervision, and overall job performance impact the members of the fire department every day in all aspects of the department’s work. Their technical competence, people skills, attitude, and commitment have a direct effect on performance outcomes, morale, culture, and the overall work environment. Whether they’re called lieutenants, captains, chiefs, or whatever, the role of the fire officer is of great value to the organization. They are the fire department’s formal leaders, and the organization is simply not going to excel without their commitment to excellence.

We could easily go to a textbook or the Internet and capture a list of positive fire officer skills and characteristics. Each of them would have importance and should be among our list of expectations of all leaders. We should train on the content of that list, and those items should certainly be part of the criteria for evaluating fire officer performance. However, there are some key characteristics and capabilities of exceptional fire officers that are worth visiting on a regular basis. Within that context, following are some of my observations about exceptional fire officers I’ve known:

• A positive and productive work atmosphere should be present every day, and the exceptional fire officer creates and nurtures that type of environment. Members of the department clearly understand what is expected of them regarding their performance and behavior. This is communicated by the fire officers up front and never in an “in your face” kind of way. People want direction, and they want to know how their performance and behavior will be evaluated and against what preestablished criteria.
• Exceptional fire officers always lead by example, building a sense of mutual trust and mutual respect among the members of the department. The leaders understand that if they lie to people, steal ideas from people, or talk behind people’s backs, they won’t be trusted. Leaders also know that if they are disrespectful toward others, people in the organization will not respect them. These leadership “Rites of Passage” tend to influence a fire officer’s success as much as or more than anything else they say or do.
• The exceptional fire officer knows the job, does it well, and expects the same from others. These exceptional leaders maintain a command presence that contributes to their professionalism and success. As a result of their positive approach to leadership, the members have pride in themselves, in each other, and in the fire department as a whole.
• Exceptional fire officers establish self-discipline as a shared value within the fire department. Expectations of members are clear; standard operating procedures are in place and followed; and when self-discipline breaks down, the fire officer takes appropriate action to correct the situation and put the member back on a positive and productive course. This is carried out in a corrective way whenever possible, and favoritism never plays a role in addressing performance and behavioral issues.
• Exceptional fire officers stay competent and ensure that the members receive the appropriate training to maintain their competency as well. Exceptional performance, serving the needs of the customers and the members, and emphasizing the importance of firefighter safety are always priorities. In doing so, the fire officer makes it clear that prevention, public education, and all aspects of emergency response are equally important in protecting the lives and property in their community. Each of these responsibilities requires the commitment of all department members to be effective, and this requires ongoing training and coaching on the part of the fire officer.
• Work is planned and completed under the supervision of exceptional fire officers, and these fire officers provide appropriate leadership, supervision, and management throughout the fire department on a consistent basis. There is ongoing follow-up concerning assigned tasks, and people are held accountable for outcomes related to their work and responsibilities. The fire officer also ensures that all service delivery elements of the mission receive the attention necessary to make them effective.
• The willingness to communicate, mentor, coach, and counsel on a regular basis helps exceptional fire officers maintain consistently high levels of performance throughout the department. When problems occur, they are not allowed to fester. They are addressed in a constructive way by the appropriate fire officer. That is critical to a leader’s effectiveness and is in the best interest of the organization.
• Exceptional fire officers maintain a positive, productive, and healthy approach to their role in the fire department and are open to change. They don’t build themselves up in the organization by putting other fire officers (leaders) down. They ensure that relationships among members of the organization stay positive and are never allowed to get in the way of effective service delivery.
• Maintaining control over their happiness and their future, as well as having the ability to let go of negative things from the past, are key traits of exceptional fire officers. They have an incredible capability to maintain perspective in a balanced way.

There are many leadership traits, skills, and behaviors that contribute to (or hinder) a fire officer’s overall performance. Those I’ve identified tend to make the difference between average fire officers and exceptional fire officers. Fire officers tend to have a lot of influence on the people and the mission, and exceptional fire officers are special leaders and organizational treasures. Creating them requires a commitment by current leaders to constantly evaluate and improve their own performance, as well as coach the next generation of leaders as they are developed. Current and future leadership is (and will remain) critical to fire departments throughout the nation. It makes departments more effective or prevents them from being effective. Leadership development is the greatest gift we can give to the future of a fire department.

DENNIS COMPTON is a well-known speaker and the author of several books, including Progressive Leadership Principles, Concepts, and Tools. His previous books include a three-part series When in Doubt, Lead and Mental Aspects of Performance for Firefighters and Fire Officers. He has also authored many chapters and articles for various publications. Compton was chief in Mesa, Arizona, for more than five years and assistant chief in Phoenix, Arizona, where he served for 27 years. He has served as chairman of the Executive Board of the International Fire Service Training Association and chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Advisory Committee. He is chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Board of Directors. Compton is a past recipient of the George D. Post National Fire Service Instructor of the Year Award and received the 2003 Mason Lankford National Fire Service Leadership Award.

Dennis Compton will present “Progressive Leadership for Fire Officers” on Monday, April 16, 2012, 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., and “Creating and Inspiring Exceptional Leaders” on Thursday, April 19, 2012, 1:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m., at FDIC in Indianapolis.