FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE May 2017 22 H ave you ever been guilty of having desk vision? I know I have, probably more than I would like to admit. What is desk vision you might ask? Desk vision is when your only clear view on how things are going is the one from your desk chair across the top of your desk to the far edge, or from someone else who has the same type of view. Things can look pretty good from this point of view. New policies, procedures, directives and delegated matters can look very successful from this view. Station conditions and apparatus reliability can also look good. And they might well be, but it is also the place where things can drop off the edge of the desk never to be seen or heard of again, be miscommunicated, go undone, or come right back across that same desk in the form of a document of one kind or another from the labor representative. I’m sure you too have wondered how something that appeared to be so well defined and straightforward as it went across your desk could end up being so complicated and cumbersome in actual execution. I have found that of the programs or initiatives that did not seem to get well implemented some part of it could be traced back to desk vision, if not the view from my desk then from someone else’s who was involved in the process. Was it a problem with the plan? Did it not resolve or address the right problem? Did it create a new one? Was the significance not properly communicated? One thing for sure sure that I can usually count on, is that at some level part of the problem is the lack of communication. This is not to say that conversations and meetings did not take place, or that precise instructions were not given. Only that sometimes the results aren’t what we hoped for or expected and the feedback is little to none. Desk vision can begin innocently enough as an internet search. All the material is right at your fingertips. Once all the relevant information has been collected, a policy is created or a decision is made. Right? Maybe not. The way desk vision becomes acceptable is to rarely get out from behind the desk to change the view and see what is actually going on, and the results of what has been implemented. Most of which is happening just beyond the edge of that desk. Yes, I know as chief officers we are busy and there are countless matters that require our attention. There never seems to be enough time in the day, much less the week, and so on. What if, though, the key to more successful implementations of change, improved communications, the gathering of important feedback, and the fostering of relationships is just past the edge of that desk? What if at the same time, you could enhance your impromptu speaking and presentation skills while improving your ability to think on your feet? All the while building a stronger rapport with people with whom you rarely interact, but who are responsible for carrying out the direction set by a chief officer. Would that be worth the effort and time commitment? I thought so. I believe the first time I heard the term “Transformational Leadership”, I was in an Executive Fire Officer (EFO) course at the National Fire Academy. After learning more about this leadership model, I decided that it fit well into my personal vision statement and I would make becoming a transformational leader a priority goal. Which for me meant committing to By Gene Prince, Fire Chief, Cocoa Fire Department