By John Hustoles
Leadership can set a ceiling on an organization’s progression. If leadership is allowed to evolve and leaders are open to change, leaders who are too outdated to accommodate growth will not stunt progress. In a business world consumed by competition, complacency will not exist for long: The complacent entity will fail and be surpassed by other organizations that make growth a mainstay. The fear of failure encourages growth. The options are to grow or fail, and leadership is the cornerstone of entities that choose growth.
The fire service, however, is unique in that a municipal fire department holds a monopoly on the business of fire prevention and emergency medical services (EMS) in its location. Leadership does not need to heighten the ceiling of success because there is nothing to threaten the existence of a fire department that is not willing to progress.
With the understanding that the private business world is a sink-or-swim arena, it is reasonable to assume that business enterprises are growing and progressive. Fire service leaders should strive for much more than providing a service for their community. They should be equally concerned about servitude toward employees and being a center for learning and training for the members. Effective leadership is the best way to create this environment. Effective leaders are visionaries and embody the qualities they would like to see in their personnel. In this way, their personnel will follow them for who they are as opposed to the number of bugles on their collars.
Leadership
Leadership draws on one’s education, experience, and charisma for serving those who follow. Leaders are not defined by rank or title. You do not need to be in a management position or a supervisory role to possess the attributes of a leader. Conversely, just because you are a supervisor or a manager does not mean you are a leader.
Effective leadership characteristics are the same for all types of businesses. One school of thought is that the purest form of leadership is in voluntary organizations, such as churches. The leaders have only their influence to aid them. Followers in voluntary organizations cannot be forced to get onboard. If the leader has no influence with them, they won’t follow.1
The notion of a pure form of leadership is important in the context of an entity. This dynamic depicts a leader with an objective of servitude and followers with honest trust – the most effective form of leadership. The lesser form of leadership is represented by a group of individuals who follow because it is their only option, which is prevalent in many professional settings. In this case, rank replaces trust. As followers begin to follow rank, they lose sight of leadership in its purest form.
The Business World
A visionary has the power to grow an organization into a global entity. A leader with vision will prevent complacency that slows productivity, which would eventually lead to the organization’s demise. The leader will instill a sense of urgency to help guide the vision and turn it into a reality.
The competitive nature of business dictates the direction of its future. Those running the organizations of the future must provide exemplary models of how to inspire, give vision to, and grow an organization. Further, the level of leadership is expected to escalate as long as the rate of change accelerates.
Dr. John Kotter of the Harvard Business School predicts that the rate of change will continue to grow for some time. “The rate of change in the business world is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up over the next few decades. Enterprises everywhere will be presented with even more terrible hazards and wonderful opportunities, driven by the globalization of the economy along with related technological and social trends.”2
The speed of change heightens the importance of effective leaders in the modern business world. In the infancy of modern business and the Industrial Age, it took a visionary to develop a large-scale business. However, at the current rate of change, the visionary is a mainstay, adapting to the consumer’s ever-changing needs.
Regardless of the context in which success is applied, any organization can improve its operation by adopting the characteristics of successful globalized industry leaders. The fire service is no exception. The trend in leadership has been a movement toward inspiration and vision. “Transformational leaders are known for moving and changing things in a big way, by communicating to followers a specific vision of the future and, like charismatic leaders, tapping into followers’ higher ideals and motives.”3 It is commonly accepted that transformational leaders resolve crises in organizations; this is not always the case. In a business where change is the norm, there is always room for a transformational leader. This is exemplified in the evolution of modern industry. Change is not needed only during a time of crisis; it has become a common phenomenon.
Burns’ model of the transformation process depends on the leader’s ability to change the status, to inspire a shared vision of the future, to provide effective leadership throughout the transition, and to institutionalize the change. (3) This model has created cultural change in the business world; it can do the same for the fire service. The missions of a fire department and a business organization may be different, but successful leaders in both arenas must possess many of the same qualities, such as vision.
The Fire Service
In the fire service, there sometimes is a lack of understanding that change is necessary, and new concepts can be met with resistance. Tactics of the past would continue to work, and change would be unnecessary if the standards of the job stayed the same. The need for change is being fueled by the personnel entering the field today, and standards of leadership in the fire service have been changing. “Gone are the days of rank-driven because I said so styles of changing behavior. Today, such leadership tactics would more likely invite a disparate treatment harassment investigation than result in a rehabilitated firefighter,” explains Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros of the Sacramento (CA) Fire Department, a 30-year veteran of the fire service. “This new culture can be met with resistance, but the changes are inevitable.”4
The principles of leadership in the fire service derive from years of a militant, managerial stance, hinging on one’s ability to manipulate personnel’s actions. This form of leadership has been made possible through the tradition of strict rank structure, but it does not necessarily resemble true leadership. This technique produces employees who follow because they have to, not because they are inspired to. Maxwell (2002) views leadership in its most raw form, “If you can’t influence others, they won’t follow you. And if they won’t follow, you’re not a leader. No matter what anybody tells you, remember that leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” (1, pg. 199). In other words, if a chief officer relies on rank to validate his authority and to enlist results, he is not leading.
The Effect of Tradition
Tradition has played a role in leadership for centuries. Miyamoto Musashi lived in 17th century Japan during a time when tradition dictated the people’s actions. He cautioned the people against acting according to customary beliefs and challenged his people to reject their superstitious beliefs and to try to see the world as it is.5
Tradition should involve taking actions that make people feel worthwhile and compelled to work toward the greater good of the organization and treating individuals based on what is expected of them. If the fire department wants to produce honest and courageous firefighters with integrity, personnel should be treated in the appropriate manner beginning with the first day on the job.
Despite the harm that can come from misguided tradition, tradition has its place in the fire service. It has developed over the course of a successful organization’s existence and is a by-product of longevity. The principles of leadership aid an agency in arriving at a point where tradition unfolds and does not block advancement.
Management vs. Leadership
A fire service weakness commonly cited is that there is not as much focus on leadership as there is on management (Table 1). The culture of the fire service has produced many managers with little regard to leadership qualities. This is not to say that because there is no standard directly applicable to leadership training there are no good leaders in the fire service. In fact, the fire service has many good leaders. The issue is that these leaders are not being produced directly by the fire service in a standardized way. “These individuals either came from the factory as good natural leaders or went out and sought the art of leadership on their own,” says Kastros. (4)
Managers have been used to fill the gap created by a lack of leadership in the fire service. There is an unparalleled need for managers in the fire service; however, one who is simply a manager will never fill the role of a leader. Leaders and managers, though equally important, are not interchangeable. Management is a set of processes that makes something function. It has parts associated with planning, budgeting, organizing people, staffing the job, measurements, controls, and big pieces associated with problem-solving techniques. Leadership is at the heart of creating things in the first place or changing them in significant ways – i.e., having a group of people to behave in new and different ways to produce better outcomes.6
Fixing the Problem
A problem of the magnitude of what the fire service is facing in relation to leadership warrants cultural change. The answer comes in the form of education, exposing those deficient in the given area to a new way of thinking.
Cultural Change
Those entering the fire service must be taught the principles of leadership from the inception of their careers. If leadership is going to evolve, it must be initiated with the moldable minds of those entering the field. Sending a veteran chief to a weekend class on leadership will not create the needed change. As challenging as cultural change in the fire service may seem, it is not impossible.
A change of this scale has occurred and became permanent. In discussing the use of tobacco products with a 20- to 30-year veteran of the fire service, you will find that the environment in a fire station used to be drastically different. Then, smoking was still allowed in fire stations throughout the United Sates. Currently, smoking in a fire station in the state of Florida and most other states is unheard of. Many of these changes are modeled after Florida Statute 112.18, referred to as the “Heart and Lung Bill.”
The Heart and Lung Bill reflected a culture change at a scale never before seen in the fire service. Although the movement toward a smoke-free fire service in Florida began as a resolution several years prior, the complete change took place in fewer than five years. Before the smoke-free resolution, one fire department in Florida required that new firefighters be nonsmokers. Fourteen departments have since added this requirement. In 1989, the Professional Fire Fighters of Florida were instrumental in getting a landmark bill passed that stipulated that new firefighters be nonusers of tobacco for at least one year before applying for the position. (abstract).7
Education
Education is critical in the fire service. Everything from getting hired to promoting or even maintaining certifications necessitates that the firefighters continue their education. The journey of a firefighter begins with preemployment in the fire academy and often includes some form of emergency medical training. Once hired, the firefighter is often expected to continue medical training by going through paramedic school. If the firefighter has any intentions of promoting to the rank of driver/operator, he will likely need to attend a state-recognized driver course. Any promotions past that point necessitate officer courses. These requirements are in addition to any formal college degrees the given agency may stipulate.
The New Generation of Firefighters
Producing leaders from the very beginning of a firefighter’s career will create firefighters who are ready for a supervisory role. Even if they do not take a supervisory role later in their careers, they will have gained a better understanding of the relationship between leaders and followers. To some degree, everyone in the fire service takes on a leadership role: Senior supervisors lead other managers and supervisors, company officers lead drivers and firefighters, and rookie firefighters likely will be placed in a leadership role because of the influence they may have on peers or other rookies. Additionally, rookie firefighters will be in a position to influence student volunteers.
Educating the newer generation of firefighters involves a proactive vs. a reactive decision. As Kastros relates, “We were taught to be reactive. As firefighters, we do not get too excited unless something is bleeding or burning.” (4) The reactive approach is to train an individual for a supervisory position later in his career, not until staffing dictates the need for a new supervisor. A proactive decision would be to train the employees earlier and create a pool of leaders from which to draw in a time of need.
Levels of Leadership
John Maxwell’s five levels of leadership have been directly applied to the private business sector. The concepts could be useful in influencing the cultural direction of leadership in the fire service. These principles separate leadership and management and redirect the focus toward the influential benefit of an effective leader. They can also be used to self-assess one’s leadership abilities.8
Level 1: Position. Individuals will follow a leader because they have to. In the fire service, this is the equivalent of following a ranking officer’s command simply because he is a ranking officer. The follower is never truly inspired to follow.
Level 2: Permission. People will follow because they want to. In this step, relationship is the determining factor for the effectiveness of leadership. A company officer who picks his crew through a station bid process may have excellent followers in his subordinates, but this is only because his followers were handpicked. The officer has devoted followers only because he has had a previously established relationship with them. The officer still has not managed to completely inspire a following.
Level 3: Production. People will follow because of what the leader has done for the organization. In this case, the leader begins to inspire. The leader has established credibility based on his accomplishments and draws a following for that reason.
Level 4: People development. People follow because of what the leader has done for them. This level emerges through a personal relationship between the company officer and the firefighter. If the officer takes the firefighters aside and trains them in areas in which they may be deficient, making them better at their job, the firefighters will tend to follow.
Level 5: Pinnacle. This represents the highest form of leadership. People will follow this person based on who he is and what he represents. A firefighter who has climbed his way to the top of the fire service, has been employed in all ranks in between, has always bid to work at the busiest stations, and dedicates himself to developing the fire service will truly inspire a mass following. Other firefighters will emulate the accomplishments of this individual and give credibility to his work.
The fire service is sculpted by the individuals who take on leadership roles. Given that the element of leadership can be found within any rank of the fire department hierarchy, the argument that anyone is capable of being highly influential could be made. With this fact comes the possibility for positive and negative attributes. Those who influence must ensure that they are doing so in a positive direction. If there is no strong effort toward effective leadership, influence can take the organization in a negative direction. Influence is inevitable; whether it will produce a positive outcome will depend on the conscious effort put into making it positive.
Leaders are effective only when they are open to change and willing to accept new concepts that will advance their organization. Consciously setting a blockade in front of innovation cripples an organization.
The remedy lies in education. Those entering the fire service must be introduced to leadership in its purest form, the act of inspiration. If the newest generation enters the field with this mindset, culture will begin to slowly evolve in a direction that will produce effective leaders. Senior supervisors, rookies, and every rank in between need to be enlightened on the attributes of a leader and why they are important.
References
1. “Leadership 101,” In The Complete 101 Collection: What Every Leader Needs to Know. Maxwell, JC. (2002). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., 199, 151-224.
2. Kotter, JP. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business Press, 161.
3. Burns, JM, “Charismatic and transformational leadership.” In Effective Leadership, Achua, CF & Lussier, RN. (2010). Mason, Ohio: South-Western; London: Cengage Learning (dist.).
4. Kastros, A. (2014). “The American Fire Service Leadership Pandemic.” Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://emberly.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-167/issue-4/features/the-american-fire-service-leadership-pandemic.html.
5. “The Book of Five Rings,” M. Musashi. In Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings, Tokitsu, K & Kohn, SC. (2004). Shambhala Publications, 217, 224.
6. Kotter, JP. (2012) The Perils of Confusing Management and Leadership. Kotter International. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz8AiOQEQmk.
7. Gerace, TA. (1990). “Road to a smoke-free fire service for Florida: Policies and Progress,” Journal of Public Health Policy, 206-217.
8. Maxwell, JC. (2011). The Five Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential. New York: Center Street.
JOHN HUSTOLES is an active member of the fire and emergency medical services (EMS) community. As a battalion chief with Titusville (FL) Fire and Emergency Services (TFES), he is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing in-service programs for all TFES personnel in areas associated with EMS and training. In addition, he is a lead EMS instructor for Eastern Florida State College. Throughout his career, he has held the positions of paramedic, firefighter, driver/operator, and battalion chief. He has an associate degree in EMS and a B.S. degree in fire science/emergency services from the University of Florida and is working toward an M.A. degree in organizational leadership from the University of Alabama.
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