BY C.V. “BUDDY” MARTINETTE
When comparing fire and EMS trends, there are many consistencies in what we experience organizationally on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. Fund-ing issues, employee health and safety, staffing, equipment replacement, and capital replacement are just a few of the issues all of us deal with on some level.
There is another consistency in our organizations. It is something that, if it is not happening in our organization right now, we can be sure it will happen just as sure as the sun shines. Does your organization resemble a revolving door more than a department with a stable workforce? Are you meeting with retiring folks and attending retirement ceremonies one day and attending recruit class meetings and promotional ceremonies the next?
Whether in a volunteer or a career organization, the situation we are all experiencing, or anticipating, is the mass exodus of our senior employees and the influx of new, inexperienced employees. One reason for this phenomenon is the rapid expansion of the volunteer and career fire service during the ’70s. These “50-something” employees are now planning to leave and take with them their tremendous wealth of experience and institutional knowledge.
For many of us, this wholesale change has already occurred, and we are dealing with the challenges created by the turnover. For others, these issues are just rearing their ugly heads and, because of slow planning, we are struggling to introduce innovative programs to minimize the impact created by the “experience vacuum.”
It is the leader’s responsibility to prepare for and recover from these changes in our organization. One place to start is to create an environment wherein our senior, nonretiring current employees can continue to prosper and flourish while new employees are being integrated into the organization. This would make all employees feel valued and would facilitate this transition by transferring the wealth of organizational knowledge and experience carried by our senior employees to our new employees.
The wholesale replacement of personnel presents enormous challenges for leaders. Lack of “on-the-job” fire experience for new members is of paramount concern, but there are others as well. Ultimately, the department’s success may depend on how skillful the leader is at being able to keep all department members engaged in the organization’s work and in establishing mechanisms for transferring the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the senior members to the less experienced ones.
THE PROBLEM
In the ’70s and early ’80s, America was burning. Many of you hired during this time period can remember running multiple fires in one duty shift. Multiple-alarm fires and fires in general were frequent enough to allow recruits to learn on the job. Recruit classes were a few weeks shorter because organizations could count on their seasoned veterans to teach new recruits the tricks of the trade while on the job—literally!
Those times bring back fond memories of fighting fire for the first time and having a crusty old veteran firefighter tell me, “If you don’t get your head out of my butt while we crawl down the hall, all you will ever learn is what my backside looks like.”
All kidding aside, some of the folks we are promoting these days don’t have very much experience. Some of them may have only a few fires under their belt and their nozzle time is relegated to just a few room-and-content fires. In many cases, these newly promoted employees are getting experience at the same time as the recruits, and it is occurring in real time. I don’t know about you, but that is a little scary.
I was speaking with a battalion chief from the Fire Department of New York concerning the effects of retirement on its workforce. You can imagine the problems created in such a large, active department when not only the ’70s and ’80s folks are leaving but also so many other members who have been affected by the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks. (In addition, numerous experienced veterans were among the 343 department members killed in the collapse of the WTC towers.) The chief said, “I hear more Maydays now than ever before. They are for the most part being transmitted by newer, less experienced officers and firefighters who in many cases don’t have the experience the older firefighters had.”
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
Not only are our senior folks leaving us, but many of them are also distraught and angry when they retire. Sometimes these emotions are self-induced to create a justification for leaving one stage of life and heading to another. Psychologists refer to this response as a self-preservation instinct to justify a change in their own mind. Many of us can relate stories of senior employees who retire in bitter fashion for no apparent reason or employees who all of a sudden request a transfer because their assignment is terrible when just the day before all was great with the world.
Many of the senior employees are distraught because leaders have failed to demonstrate to them their value to the organization. This situation happens in many cases because we leaders recognize that the future and the long-term success of the organization rest with the younger employees. Consequently, we spend our time trying to develop them. What do you think that says to the long-term employee? Perhaps something like, “You don’t care about my feelings” or “Why should I engage when it is only about the young guys?”
A good example of this is as leaders, we give developmental projects to younger officers because we desperately want to give them confidence and experience in managing people. All the while, the leaders know full well that many of our experienced folks could do these things standing on their heads. I ask you the following: Are your methods inadvertently excluding your most senior and experienced employees? You know as well as I do that as soon as something goes wrong, we expect these senior employees to bail us out by coming to the rescue.
Don’t get me wrong. We have to do these things to develop people. The problem may be in the message and how we deliver it. These situations beg the question, Are we engaging our senior employees in helping to train and mentor our younger personnel or in leading important departmental projects? What does it say to our senior folks when it appears they are not valued until we get in a bind?
If your organization isn’t already including senior employees in departmental activities, or if there tends to be an attitude that senior folks are tired and just riding out their careers, you may have already lost some of these folks. Typically, the behavior associated with this withdrawal is trying to just get by, not volunteering to participate in the work of the organization or simply saying no to every request, using excuses such as “I don’t have the time” or “I’m way overextended now.” Worse yet, some of these folks may sabotage current change efforts so they feel more comfortable. Remember, most employees develop a perception concerning the way things are going to be when they retire or leave the organization and for this reason resent efforts that change this paradigm.
Another very important consideration is that some of our senior employees may not have the skill set required to maintain efficiency in today’s modern times. For instance, if they are computer challenged or can’t quite do the math to be a hazardous materials technician, it does not make them stupid or less desirable employees. Nor does it mean they can’t add value to other departmental initiatives. It just means that we as leaders did not, at some point, create an environment in which these employees were motivated to learn and change.
ENGAGING SENIOR EMPLOYEES
So, what can we do about these very complex issues involving our new and senior employees? What can we do to engage senior employees and not inadvertently exclude them from the department’s work while helping new employees to grow? Here are a few suggestions.
- Value all employees. We all can admit that when times get tight we have our “go to” folks, the people who always come through when it is really on the line. The problem is that when you count on these folks all the time, you are not growing other employees, and the message is that you value only those folks with exceptional ability. They are labeled “part of management’s clique”!
The truth is that our organizations are full of people with varying levels of skill. Some have confidence; some don’t. Some are very intelligent, and some have just enough cognitive ability to pass the civil service exam and understand hydraulics. The point is that the leader needs to figure out how to engage all employees in ways that they can add value and stand a good chance at success. Above all, make sure you value all of your employees and then tell them that you value them—in particular the senior staff you have been counting on all these years.
Consider all stakeholders, respect job descriptions, and match the job or task that needs to be accomplished with the roles and responsibilities already outlined in the job description or organizational structure. This will go a long way toward valuing every individual for the job he is paid to perform.
- Listen to your people. As a leader, being told to listen may sound a bit trite. As we all know, listening is a required leadership skill. The problem is that sometimes we listen but don’t hear what our people are saying. There may be a tendency to just listen to the complaint (symptom) and not hear the real problem (disease).
Not determining the root cause of problems when we listen to employee concerns ultimately just placates them. Believe me, all employees want to be heard, even when they don’t or can’t divulge the real problem. It is our responsibility to figure out the real problem if it is to be solved and the employees are to feel you value what they have to say. This is true of all employees.
- Beware of shifting momentum. It is the leader’s responsibility to grow new employees. The growing of new folks determines the future success of the organization. It is imperative that leaders realize when the pendulum has swung so far toward the growing of new employees that senior employees are excluded.
This is another case where including senior people as coaches or mentors demonstrates a commitment to what they bring to the table in experience, even if they ultimately know the end result of the experience will mean someone else will get the benefit. It should never be acceptable to deny senior staff opportunities to impart their knowledge, skills, and experience before leaving. That is the only way to keep them involved.
- Convey an appreciation for timing. Timing, they say, is everything. If you are a chief officer, you know this all too well. The success or failure of any initiative is dependent on political support, proper funding, and the internal capacity to deliver the finished product.
A prime example of how timing can “demotivate” our motivated employees is telling them we don’t think the timing is correct when they want to institute a change or develop a project. If we don’t fully explain why it is not wise to go forward with something, the employees will be turned off and ultimately will feel that their input and efforts are not valued. To help with this situation, help employees understand all aspects of the change process and convey to them an appreciation for timing as it relates to success. Finally, show them at what place in the process they will be included.
- Be inclusive. When developing project teams, make sure you include all employees. This means a good cross section of employees of all ranks and levels of experience. This type of inclusiveness can benefit the organization in many ways, especially in capturing the experience of your senior employees while they are informally mentoring the newer employees.
That doesn’t mean that the most experienced person is assigned the formal leadership position. It very well could be that you are trying to get a young officer some experience and that interacting with senior folks in an informal/formal work environment might be beneficial. The optimal outcome is a successfully completed project by employees who have grown because of their participation.
Look and think long range. Begin with the end in mind, and think backward about assignments to balance the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies across multiple projects. Post the plan for the year (or 18 months); share what you know and when adjustments must be made. Tell members why this or that individual was selected to participate in the various projects.
Pick the level of position appropriate for the assignment. If it is strategic in nature, select more experienced staff and add a few new folks for mentoring/coaching.
- Don’t allow employees to disengage. When it comes right down to it, all of us are paid to participate in those activities that contribute to the organization’s success. It should never be all right for any employee to say, “I am not doing that because I am leaving in a few years.” If this type of statement is allowed to penetrate the organization, it will add to a “me-me” culture. Share with these employees how their efforts and participation are valued and will contribute to the success of the whole. Process improvement and change are about customer service and how to create environments wherein our people flourish and provide more efficient service.
I will always believe, “If you work here, you have a responsibility.” That responsibility transcends all aspects of our work and service to the public. The leader’s job is to create an environment in which all employees are engaged in the department’s work.
One method for keeping staff engaged is to “tap” them. Always approach individuals on a personal level. If the goal is to train and involve the young or new people, talk with the experienced ones. Tell them you are not inviting them but that with their permission, you will call on them or refer the inexperienced staff members to them if the members need help. Ask their opinion up front about the project, and be sure to include their advice when chartering any work group. Give credit where credit is due.
- Inform. Nothing hurts more than being left out. Speak often and directly to individuals—new, young, old. Tell them personally about the project: why you are or are not going to include them, (if included) when, and the value they will bring to the effort.
- Work on the organization’s culture. An effective leader in a successful organization is committed to building a culture that continually mentors and grows all employees—a culture that makes sure all employees understand that if they work here they are expected to continue to grow and evolve. This means that all members understand and accept that things will change and there is no guarantee that things will be a certain way during any portion of their career.
This is especially important in today’s workplace because the delivery of fire and EMS services more and more is based on technology that is evolving at record speeds. Our personnel need to grow accustomed to change and its effects.
- Develop a mentoring program. Mentor-ing is closely aligned with the passing of fireground experience from one person to another. Develop a formal mentoring program that involves assigning key experienced senior personnel to mentor new personnel. Mentoring in this sense is not about training or coaching; it is about providing new employees with someone who can help them negotiate the intricacies of the organization’s culture. It is about ensuring that deeply held values are passed from generation to generation and maintained as a part of the organization’s culture.
- Stay engaged. As the leader, you must stay engaged and realize that you are responsible for your organization’s future. You determine whether your department’s culture will be one in which learning is encouraged or change is resisted. You cannot delegate this function to the training division or expect that it will go away because you look away from it.
People will remember the legacy we leave as leaders. This is as true of our first assignment as an officer as it will be of our final leadership position. As leaders, we are stewards of our organizations. We exist only to guide, mentor, develop, and align our employees’ efforts. Understanding our role and accepting the responsibility to further our organization’s capability while keeping all of our personnel engaged are hard work, as you already most likely know.
C.V. “BUDDY” MARTINETTE is chief of Lynchburg (VA) Fire & EMS, an Instructor IV with the State of Virginia Department of Fire Programs, an Incident Support Team operations officer, a task force leader for Virginia Task Force II of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Urban Search and Rescue Program (US&R), and a FEMA rescue specialist instructor. He has a bachelor of science degree in fire administration from Hampton University and a master’s degree in public administration from Troy State University. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and has received the designation of Chief Fire Officer by the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. Martinette is the author of Trench Rescue, www.trench rescuebook.com (Warwick House), and lectures nationally on specialized rescue operations and fire service leadership.
