Four Principles to Help Firefighters Hone Their Leadership Skills
By Brian F. McQueen
Writing for the NVFC
You’ve probably come across many articles in firematic communications focusing on the development of leaders in the fire service. What I find to be so unique is the relationship between how we lead in the fire service and how we lead in our daily lives. Whether at work, home, or even coaching a youth sporting event, the way that you carry yourself exemplifies so much about the way you would be as a leader.
There are so many leadership theories in the fire service today that support various facets of how our constituents think a fire service should be run. But really, isn’t what we learned in kindergarten a good foundation of how we should lead our boots-on-the ground firefighters? In his book All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum tells us that these formative life lessons include share everything: play fair; don’t hit people; put things back where you found them; clean up your own mess; don’t take things that aren’t yours; say you’re sorry when you hurt someone; live a balanced life where you learn some, drink some, draw and paint some, sing and dance some, and play and work every day some; and when you go out into the world watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. In the fast-paced life of firefighters and EMS providers, sometimes we forget these basic rules and the real reasons why we lead.
- Leadership Skills: Utilizing the Talents, Skills, and Abilities of Those Around You
- Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes: Management and Leadership
- The Dynamics of Change Leadership in the Fire Service
In building on words of Tim McGraw, it is so important for our fire service leaders to be “humble and kind.” The team that works side by side with you on a daily basis will realize that these two traits, embedded into your leadership style, will truly change the environment in any station. Your firefighters will soon feel a part of your fire service family and will be willing to embark on the journey alongside you.
Our fire service is steeped in tradition, but we can learn so much from a leader, no matter what the color of their helmet is, who does what I call the “Big Four,” namely: Do your job, treat people right, have an all-in attitude, and demonstrate all-out effort.
Do Your Job: The most powerful leadership style anyone can have is one where you lead by example. Teach rather than show. Get your hands dirty. Be enthusiastic about your work and your enthusiasm will roll over to those you surround yourself with.
Treat People Right: If you show compassion to those you lead through your actions and modeling your outcomes, your firefighters will be more understanding of your vison for them. Sometimes you must take a step back, pause, and see things in another way to add reason to your mission. There is nothing worse in management than when you don’t know your own rules and those rules somehow keep changing.
All-In Attitude: Leaders must be able to always act with a purpose. Stretch yourself past your limits every day, take action without expecting results, use setbacks to improve your skills, seek out those who share your positive attitude, don’t take yourself too seriously, and show enthusiasm, which will be infectious in arriving at the goals that you set for your team.
All-Out Effort: The goal of a leaders is to teach and inspire the team to excel through their actions. As Vince Lombardi said: “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
Your job as a leader isn’t done just because you passed the promotion test or were voted in by your friends at a meeting. It is up to you to take the torch, run with it, and make your fire department the best it can be.
Being a leader in today’s world is not easy. It is a mindset that you must work at. Find leaders that have made an impression on you and learn from their example. These leaders don’t have to be in the fire service; they could be from within your working environment away from the station or in other facets of your life. Each leader you encounter has leadership traits that you may like. Bookmark them and keep them in your back pocket as you progress through the fire service. A successful leader doesn’t come around without a constant will to further themselves through various educational learning experiences. Success is dependent upon your effort!
Brian McQueen is a 44-year member and past chief of the Whitesboro (NY) Fire Department; past director for the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY); vice chair of the FASNY Training and Education Committee; member of the Executive Committee of the National Volunteer Fire Service; school board member for Whitesboro Central School; and a trustee for Notre Dame High School. He is married to his wife Sarah, and has a son, Ryan, daughter-in-law, Erin, and two beautiful grandchildren.
