FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE June 2017 8 T he fire service is such a prestigious profession that offers a person a tremendous amount of gratitude in return. As fire service leaders, we are charged with molding a variety of people from different walks of life and sharing views on many complex topics with future successful leaders. Most of us are up for the challenge; however, what happens to the professional development of our future leaders if senior fire service leaders don’t develop the future leaders? This thought should frighten most of us and clearly illustrate what is at stake for future leadership in the fire service. Over the years, I have attended numerous classes and seminars describing leadership styles and organizational behaviors that influence employees’ performances within that organization. Like most organizations, we hire “new open-minded” firefighters to join the ranks, only to place them into an already formed organizational culture. This is where that development process begins. Think about it for a minute; who is developing and molding these new employees? One might ask, are our soaring eagles assigned with the new recruits, or are there certain obstacles that prevent organizations from picking the top performers to spend quality time developing the first-year probationary firefighter? What we find happens all too often, is that many organizations are bound by contractual articles of station bids and other constraints that prevent this continuity process from routinely occurring. However, there are always exceptions and as leaders we must pay attention to these options when presented. The stark fact is that formed organizational behaviors are then conveyed to our employees from the start and that is how the organizational behavior and culture is passed along. If there is one consistent lesson to share, it should be to surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team to achieve success in the fire service. If we pay close attention to organizational behaviors we will be more likely to curb some of the less desirable norms, and instill more preferable modified behaviors and values for the success of the organization. What are the core values of your organization? Most all fire departments have honor, respect and the duty to act, as well as a written mission statement, but how many review these and really drive the desired organizational values. I feel the art of leading people is to always apply the “golden rule”: treat someone how you would like to be treated in return, regardless of the rank they possess. Think of the results that would be generated from an organization that establishes empathy, a genuine concern for its members, and applies the “golden rule”. The generational transition underway in the workplace is very complex. We have three different generations working side-by-side in the fire service today. I believe these challenges can be easily overcome if leaders keep an open mind and realize what the different generations represent and consider personality testing to mesh the right dynamics. As senior leaders of today, we must find the formula and ingredients to blend our differences to form one cohesive team. I feel this is a fundamental trait so often forgotten, evident by statistics indicating the increased amount of conflict in the workplace today. How much time do organizations spend dealing with conflict resolution? In closing, we must prepare our future leaders to be able to continue the success and rich traditions of the fire service. The fire service is seeing record numbers of retiring “baby boomers” which currently hold many high-level leadership positions. As senior fire officers and leaders, have we shared our knowledge and developed a true succession plan that arms the junior officers waiting to step up with the necessary skills to be successful? I leave you with that thought, and truly feel blessed and honored to be part of such a great profession. Shared Leadership Lessons in the Fire Service “Generational Transition” By Steve Hudson, Deputy Chief of Operations, Monroe County Fire Rescue