Strong Values and Leadership Traits of a Fire Officer

Strong Values and Leadership Traits of a Fire Officer are the key to success in your fire service career, or any career for that matter.

Good communication and presentation skills are also important to improve for your fire service career. Great communication is the key to great leadership. Think of any great leader in modern time: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr, and John F. Kennedy come to mind immediately. They were powerful leaders because they could inspire people to follow them. It was their ability to articulate their vision that made them successful in achieving their goals. A Fire Chief must also have the skills and passion to articulate the fire department’s mission and values.

In your fire department you must be the leader who inspires the team to great heights. To get them to follow you, be sure they are listening to your values and your vision, and then establish the right environment for them to thrive and grow. Do you have a personal mission statement?

Values

When I mention values, everyone nods their heads as if of course, that’s obvious we all know what values are. But, often when meeting with fellow Fire Officers, I find the last time they discussed their values, personal or professional, with their team, was often in the interview before their people were even hired.

You must clearly know your personal values and your organization values to lead effectively. Learn your values by asking yourself these questions:

Personally:

1. What do you stand for?

2. What is most important to you?

3. What would you like your life to demonstrate?

4. What is your personal mission in life?

Professionally:

1. What do you stand for?

2. What are you willing to do to develop strong values within your department?

3. What are you not willing to do?

4. Do you have a professional mission statement?

Quality fire service leaders don’t change their values over time or to achieve short-term success. Consistent core organizational value develop a strong foundation for long-term success.

A simple definition is that your values are the rules by which you play the game. A well-defined value system makes all decisions easier and encourages your team to go where you lead.

Vision

It’s easy to say you have a vision for your Department or your crew. It’s your lifeblood. You know it inside out. Writing it down is the next step. Sharing it widely with your team is imperative too. Even more importantly, your vision for the Department must provide a unifying picture so that everyone on the team – regardless of their rank, – can see exactly where you’re going and the importance of their role in getting there. Therefore, the clearer the concept and the clearer (i.e., short and simple) the message is, the more likely you, and your team, can achieve the goal. Your vision needs to answer three questions. And it must answer those three questions for everyone on the team.

1. What do we do?

2. How do we do it.

3. For whom do we do it?

As Jim Collins proved in his book, From Good to Great, this is not a 30 minute, one meeting exercise. This requires 100% participation. It can’t be a top-down decision. It must be iterative and inclusive.

Leadership Skills

1. Communication – Be a strong communicator both verbally and through written communication. Learn these skills early and always strive to improve them.
2. Lead by example – We hear this all the time, but do you actually do it. Do you actively participate in fire training? Do you meet timelines? Do you strive to improve yourself?
3. Strong public speaker – This one is tough for most of us but it can truly make the difference from a good leader to great leader. Learn to be comfortable in public speaking. Take classes to improve your public speaking skills. Join an organization like Toastmasters to help improve your skills.

Environment

Andrew Carnegie said: “You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best.” When you understand what is at the core of your department, you can serve them and allow them to reach their full potential. Value their uniqueness. Your team members are your internal customers. You must treat them at least as well as your external customers. This is the highest level of customer service.

Shape the right work environment and you’ll have loyal team members to lead. That means, you have to create a work environment that respects each person, appreciates them and rewards their effort, and encourages an openness to change. Make it a safe environment, one which encourages trying new ideas. When you unleash personal creativity, each team member has a stake in the outcome. It’s an environment that promotes growth at all levels. Combine all three elements and you have a formula for inspiring greatness and leading to Strong Values and Leadership Traits of a Fire Officer..