Listening to be persuaded
I remember hearing a story years ago about a couple of firefighters who arrived on scene to help a man lying in the street. The man was of Asian descent and in his mid-40s. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak any English. After the usual round of talking louder and adding a strange accent on the end of every word, the firefighters realized they needed another approach to diagnosing the issue.
An Asian woman happened to be walking by. Assuming she spoke the same language, they asked her for help. They asked the woman if she could ask the man what was wrong with him. She looked at the gentleman and turned back to the firefighters. In her broken English, she said, “I’m Chinese; he’s Vietnamese.” The firefighters responded, “Ma’am, we are professionals; we know what we are doing. Could you please just ask the gentleman what’s wrong with him?” Again, she tried to explain to the firefighters (pointing to herself): “I’m Chinese, he’s Vietnamese.” “I understand,” said the firefighter, “but would you please just ask him what’s wrong with him?” To that, the woman shook her head, rolled her eyes, turned to the gentleman lying on the ground, and shouted, “What’s wrong with you?” It’s a funny story that has a correlation with stories many of us have to tell. The firefighters believed that their knowledge gave them all the information they needed and that they didn’t need to listen to the woman.
Researchers at Stanford University performed a study to determine if people are more or less willing to change their minds when given the facts of a situation. The results showed that even in the face of overwhelming evidence that a wrong decision had been made, people were unlikely to change their position. Many other studies have shown the same results.1
Most recently, Nyhan and Reifler studied this phenomenon at Dartmouth College. Their findings suggest that we will deny newly presented facts because they pose a threat to our self-concept or worldview—a situation similar to that above. As leaders and professionals, we need to recognize this inherent human flaw and be open to new ideas and suggestions from our firefighters.2
Secretary of Defense General (Ret.) James Mattis, U.S. Marine Corps, said in an interview at the University of California, “We need leaders that are not just willing to listen to other people’s ideas but willing to be persuaded by those ideas.”3 Many times, as we promote through the ranks, we believe our knowledge and experience give us all of the information we need to make a decision. After all, our knowledge and experience got us promoted; we have become biased by our self-concept, or worldview, as suggested by Nyhan and Reifler. Sometimes, this is called the “I am; therefore, I know” syndrome. However, the higher you promote, the more you need to listen to those below you and be willing to be persuaded by them. They are the ones in the trenches performing the work; no one knows what they need to get the job done better than they do.
One of the problems is not that when you promote you forget where you came from but that when you promote you don’t forget where you came from. Within one year of any promotion, things have changed from the previous level. If you have moved to an administration position, things have definitely changed from when you were on shift. The pace with which things are changing in the fire service is unprecedented. Technology is changing the way we operate daily. Every year, new regulations that affect firefighters are enacted at the local, state, and national levels. National Fire Protection Association standards are continually changing to make our operations safer. The National Institute for Standards and Technology and Underwriters Laboratories scientific studies are changing the way we operate at fires. New studies are showing how susceptible we are to cancer and cardiovascular events, leading to changes in firefighting tactics, overhaul operations, and station life.4 You don’t have to take my word for it; just compare the current IFTSA Essentials of Firefighting manual to the one from which you originally learned. On top of all that, fire administrations enact a host of policy changes every year; my department alone enacted almost 20 policy changes in the past year. The stress and daily operations of a firefighter are increasing all the time.
Firefighters need their leaders to listen now more than ever. It is virtually impossible to conceive every unintended consequence that can occur from a new policy, procedure, or system while sitting behind a desk. When designing a new policy, system, or process, be sure to ask the end users (the firefighters) what they need from the system, and design it to suit their needs also. After a new policy, system, or process hits the streets and your firefighters are telling you it doesn’t work, stop the process and regroup! Don’t let your worldview create a personal bias. Listen to their ideas, and be willing to be persuaded. If mistakes were made, admit it and enlist the end users in fixing the issues.
Another problem occurs when a leader makes a critical error and won’t back down when things aren’t working as intended. This is called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias causes us to stop taking in new information or facts when the evidence gathered confirms the views we would like to be true. We then reject and ignore all other information that is in direct contrast to our beliefs. To fight confirmation bias, always look for evidence that your ideas may be wrong. If your idea isn’t received well by the firefighters, don’t take it personally. It’s okay to be passionate and stand up for your ideas, but you also need to know when to compromise. “The company leader doesn’t need to win—the best idea does.”5 The best way to avoid this situation is to lead without ego. This is possibly the truest definition of self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to look for evidence that pleases your ego.6 Always do what’s best for the citizens, the firefighters, and the organization. Put your personal agenda aside and listen to your firefighters’ needs and desires. If you take care of them, they will take care of the citizens.
How do you know if you have been making these critical errors? I always say, “There’s a problem when your people aren’t coming to you with problems.” There is no shortage of problems in any fire department, and yours is no exception. If you aren’t hearing about problems from your people, they have learned that you aren’t listening to them. This is a bad place to be in because you have possibly lost trust and credibility with your firefighters. The best action to take in this instance is to admit your past mistakes to the firefighters, ask them what they need from you, and do your best to act on those recommendations. Admitting that you have been a bad listener is not a sign of weakness; it’s a step toward rebuilding trust and credibility. Always be open to ideas and opinions. Don’t ask the firefighters for an opinion when your mind is already set. Listen to be persuaded.
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