Leadership Lesson #1- Circumstances +or- Attitude = Character

As leaders, how we respond to circumstances is determined by our attitude and is a direct reflection of our character. Put another way, attitude is the bridge between our circumstances and our character. That bridge can be well built with a good attitude or awaiting catastrophic failure with a bad one. 

We should make every attempt to avoid letting our circumstances dictate our attitude.This is easier said than done. Often times, there is nothing you can do about the trials that come your way.  We make a choice to have a good or bad attitude about our circumstances and sometimes we make the wrong choice, allowing our ego to take over. The best thing to do when that happens is to own it and move on. Our crews don't expect us to be perfect, they expect us to be human and not to pretend we are someone that we aren't.

How our attitude is ultimately effects our character and how we are viewed by others. Whether we truly are how others view us or not, inside the fire service perception is often reality and can be just as damaging to our ability to lead others successfully.