Culture has been a hot topic for quite a while now as we try to figure out the next step in an ever-evolving fire service. As the mission expands, we must diversify our actions while simultaneously working to preserve the important traditions of our past. In a time where our identity is becoming blurred, developing men and women who can blend where we have been, where we are, and where we are going has never been so critical.
Our attempts to tackle this tall order have widely been centered around the idea that more “leadership” is needed within our organizations. This quest is where our favorite misnomer "everyone is a leader" was born, which hopefully by now we have realized just isn't true. This is also the type of mindset that has eroded our chain of command in my opinion, and pushed us into cultures where followership is not only absent, but discredited as well. Ironically, our push for leadership is often the crux of our cultural debacles as we miss the mark when it comes to understanding how management, supervision, and leadership not only differ but must also come together in building a successful culture. What these words actually mean matters, especially if we are going to turn the tide on the expectations we set for those charged with running our crews and our departments.
If we are to overcome our “leadership” woes, we cannot continue to use these terms interchangeably despite the differences in their meaning. Management is the act and art of controlling or directing, supervision is the practice of watching and overseeing how work is carried out, and leadership is act of using influence to guide people where they need to go (not always where they want to go). So, in essence we can be great managers and shitty leaders, good supervisors but poor managers, or incredible leaders that fail to direct or oversee. Ineffective management causes us to miss deadlines, benchmarks, and goals. A lack of oversight leads to ineffective planning or execution of labor with the same outcomes. The best direction and oversight will only achieve the minimum without the leadership to motivate those under our command to pursue these objectives. We must recognize these skills are not always synonymous with one another, are of equal importance to the bigger picture, and all necessary to true success. Without acknowledging these similarities and differences, we will continue to seek some commercialized view of leadership that generates the appearance of progress while ignoring the need for bosses who invest in all of these areas rather than pretend they are all the same.
Next, we have done a disservice to those taking on the responsibility of running a company, division, or program within our departments by defining such roles as “leadership positions” as if calling them what they really are, management or supervisory positions, is some type of slight or disparagement. To me, this simple (but likely well intended) oversight is actually the root of the “us vs. them” mentalities that plague our departments. There is a negative connotation attached to being called a manager or supervisor while the term leader is universally embraced, even when and individual's qualities and actions do not match their title. This is because we have unrealistic expectations for what those serving in these capacities should be doing, while ignoring what these positions actually require.
If we are ready to be honest with ourselves, can we just admit our infatuation with “leadership” is really part of the problem? How many times have we seen a higher up have their credibility challenged because we didn't get our way, were held accountable, or expected the boss to ignore their own responsibilities to “help” us accomplish ours? This is far cry from leadership, in fact it is quite the opposite. Please don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the Chief of the Department help load some hose, work a tour so someone can have the holiday off with their family, or get after the annual PT test in gear, but let’s be honest if that is what they did every day we wouldn’t have the personnel, equipment, resources, or funding to do any of it! We have allowed these snapshots of true leaders taking the opportunity to set the example and send a message that they remember where they come from to become every day expectations and it really demonstrates our complete lack of understanding for the importance of management and supervision skills in running a successful organization. A far better expectation of our bosses is to understand that just because they DON’T have to do something, doesn’t mean they WON’T do something. Taking this approach to a supervisory or management position keeps us connected to where we came from, but recognizes that as our role changes so does the image of our work which is much more in line with the leadership we keep demanding.
Finally, we should be far more invested in finding, training, and grooming those who possess the drive, knowledge, and humility to fill these roles. We need people whose actions match their guidance, appreciating that individuals who hold themselves to the same standard as those they command are usually the same people who grasp the importance of exercising sound management and supervision in the application of their leadership. We need people who understand that each position has its own unique roles and responsibilities, but the quality of their work can and should still be the same. It’s okay to want to work for the BC who misses crawling halls (and sometimes will train to do so to keep up with the very actions they are asking others to do) if we understand it is far more important to have a BC who can run the incident just as well as the engine stretches or the ladder throws. So, by all means create an environment where operations and administration compliment each other. Make the time to break bread or share a cup of joe in the bay regularly. But at the end of the day we should want an administrative staff that is far better at knocking out a budget than they are at forcing a door…
If you take anything away from this piece, I hope it is that we spend too much time and energy griping about what we think others should be doing instead of focusing on what the department actually tasks them with doing. Cultures do not become toxic by the actions (or inactions) of one or two individuals, they become toxic by our failure to come together and regulate our expectations as a whole. The fire service needs to grow up and stop villainizing the terms management and supervisor as if such titles alone describe someone who doesn’t care about their people. We must also stop glamourizing the term leadership because a great leader can steer people to their demise just as easily as they can success. What we really need is to seek and build bosses who can apply all three concepts because accountability is ultimately what drives success. It really can be as simple as letting the mission define our direction, monitoring and correcting the quality of the work, and guiding others to the desired outcome. Beyond that, things like expertise, enthusiasm, drive, and charisma are intangibles the separate a good boss from a great one. So, in other words what we should be asking of our bosses is for them to manage with purpose, supervise with scrutiny, and lead by example. That is the combination necessary to truly unlock our cultures!
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