Crossroads
This episode opens with Captain Winters doing what great leaders do...leading from the front. Winters is promoted to the role of Executive Officer for the battalion, and the rest of the episode follows him as he transitions from a field tactician to an executive officer. As part of that process, he must learn to let go...to let go of the direct leadership style he is used to and learn how to operate in a new role. This transition demonstrates to us that:
Leaders Must Adapt
One thing that has proven to be true time and time again...change is a big part of growth. Ask anyone in the fire service that has promoted to any position; they will all say...things change. Responsibilities change. Roles change. Perspectives change. In fact...if your perspective doesn't change, some may say that you aren't growing or learning anything new. As an example, if you are looking for the captain on the fire-ground and you find them on the nozzle...there is a problem!
Discussion questions to consider...
- How has your perspective changed over the course of your career?
- In what ways may a company officer's perspective be different than a firefighter's?
- How can leaders stay connected when they transition to new roles?
- In what ways have you had to adapt in your career, and how have you managed change?
Change in perspective has come in a multitude of ways over my career. In my early years here I wish I knew then what I know now about leadership in all ranks. I wish I knew better about positive influence. As I look back now I rely on how I was and some I have worked with to know what not to be. I learned a lot about the stressors of this job and the impact it can have on me and those around me. Today my perspective is to be more recognized as a man of thought than a man of words. I work constantly to have a positive influence and care for those around me.
ReplyDeleteThe Company Officers perspective to me is service before self. My first thought is always about others needs before mine. As a firefighter the perspective is usually a lower altitude or task level. A firefighters perspective is to get the job assigned to completed and work as a team.
Connection while moving into new roles comes with interaction. As a Company Officer this is leading from the front. Staying connected to the crew with interaction allows for the Company Officer to know the needs and desires of their personnel. Attitude, behaviors, passions and struggles can all be seen and encouraged or mitigated with connection.
I didn’t do a very good job when it came time to manage my own personnel change years back. Mostly because I didn’t truly recognize it until it was too late. Im grateful for the lessons learned and Im in a better place now than I have been in a very long time. That change came with vulnerability and acceptance of a lot of things. Personal stressors and triggers are now managed by the acceptance of change and the ability to work through it much quicker than before. My mental wellbeing is where I have adapted the most. I felt myself sinking into dark places but had no idea how to get out of it until I asked for help. Now I am able to adapt and overcome so many situations that I before wouldn’t have had much success (if any) doing.
Good leaders not only need to be situationally aware, they also need to be self aware. Often, the single greatest barrier to growth is our own pride. In order to truly learn and grow, we must first be open to recognizing our own flaws, which can be very unsettling. It helps to have people in your life come alongside that are willing to tell you the truth...this speaks to the vulnerability you mentioned. Thanks for your insights, Kyle.
DeleteMy perspective has changed through maturity as well as from being in different positions. Specifically leadership positions. For me, as a FF/PM my perspective was to do my job well and seek to excel. I did not have the perspective of teamwork that I have today. Many things caused that, one of which was my desire to learn a lot and be the best I could be so that I could "measure up" to those that I held in high esteem. I would rather that I sought to do well to make the team better.
ReplyDeleteHolding a leadership position now my perspective is more on the team and the individuals that make up the team. I still take my job seriously and strive to do well, however its for different reasons now. There is something to having achieved what I worked hard for over many years. I don't have the sense or drive to prove myself. I find that my main concern is the well being of the crew; the goals of each individual; my crew being knit together and interested in help each other become better; being a blessing and not a burden to my BC.
Years ago at Montebello Fire I had the opportunity to be on a newly developed Training Cadre that was tasked at creating and implementing
standards for new hose deployment & ladder evolutions as well as creating a manual with step by step instructions. This was a great opportunity for me. I definitely grew through this process and that also revealed weaknesses. It also revealed my motives! I faced some stiff reality. Was I really doing this to better the department? I'll tell you that I was not as humble as I should have been. That lack of humility hindered my opportunities to teach and instruct some new hires and veterans. This in turn hindered some relationships from being what they could have been.
Part of the blessing/benefit for me being able to come to CVFD was to start with a clean slate. Although there are some mistakes I've made here at CVFD I feel that I was finally able to wrangle myself and capture the benefits of opportunities I've had here. Looking at the mistakes I've made over the years most of them have a common thread. That being my focus or priority being me over others. That is not a good leadership trait.
My wife and those I've become close with here have helped me to make changes to keep becoming the leader that I want to be. Honest conversations, the kind when you hear things about yourself that you don't realize or don't want to believe, are what has had the most impact on me. I'm grateful for those hard conversations.
Others before self. This is the foundation of Servant Leadership. This is a concept that is often misunderstood, but most people recognize the value when they experience it. We will take a closer look at Servant Leadership in the next episode...
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