I'm doing research for a new training that I'm doing...Please read and help out if you can!

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Permalink Reply by Mark Wadsworth on August 5, 2011 at 1:39pm

Justin,

I am sure you could find many well written articles on this site and others about being and affective leader.  Being a leader is not necessarily based on your rank.  Leadership comes from experience and as you promote in the fire service so does your responsibility to pass on that experience.  As I have come up through the fire service I remember well those that have influenced me by their leadership.  You take all of the advice and guidence of those before you and become a leader or mentor to someone else. It is a big circle, and is your responsibility ultimately to be that person others look up to and are influenced by. Everyone has to start somewhere with their knowledge and experience in this job but people who choose to lead have the responsibility to teach or influence by example.  That is the biggest thing for me at this point in my career. People are going to be positively or negatively influenced by your actions so take the high road and lead by positive example.  Don't ask others to do what you would not do yourself.  Good luck to you.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Lewis on August 5, 2011 at 10:18pm

Thanks for the comment Mark...Between this thread and a couple others...I've gotten a ton of info for this new training...still not sure how it will play out in the end.  It may completely change.  It may end up in a different training all together.  But that's why we have these conversations!  Thanks to all who have engaged in the discussion!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Dombroski on August 11, 2011 at 5:10pm

Hi Justin

Leadership is an extremely interesting and complicated subject.  As I have been promoted I have gone to a considerable amount of effort to try and become a good leader.  It's not that easy because there are so many definitions and ideas about what that means.  Our Fire Service has been including "management" training and qualifications for some time with a fair degree of success.  However leadership and management are two different things and leadership is the key to motivating and influencing staff to achieve the goals of the organisation.  Managament will set the goals and measure the success.

I spent some time as a recruit trainer and while doing so met a civilian employee who was in the training and education department.  She seemed to be able to influence dramatic change (for the better) in training methods and material.  She did this despite not holding any rank.  I asked her about how she achieved such results while working within a "para-military" organisation with a rank structure.  She said "I have no rank at all.  I don't even wear a uniform.  I don't need to.  It's not my style.  I lead by influencing the people I need to.  You should try it, it's extremely effective".  I never forgot it and it has helped me tremedously along the way.

Another very wise respected senior military man who is now a senior lecturer gave me some great advice as well.  I was on a leadership course and was delighted that a man with such integrity and seniority was teaching me.  He summed up leadership in a simple sentence, and again it has helped me emmensly.  He said "leadership is enabling those whom you lead to succeed, however you do it".  I went away and defined "success" in terms of my operational crew and those I'm responsible for.  The organisation determines most of that, but I had some expectations as well.  I now consider my leadership role as enabling that success.  It's such an intersting subject.

Thanks for your posts by the way.

 

MD

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