By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Senior Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Officers at fire departments should take the “newspaper test” to ensure their actions are always correct, a session at FDIC in Indianapolis was told Wednesday.
“Ask yourself, ‘If what I am about to do appears on the front page of the National Post, would I be proud or embarrassed?’” Deputy Chief Steve Kraft, of the Richmond Hill Fire Department, Ontario, Canada, said.
“I know if you ask yourself this question, you will get it right 100 percent of the time.”
During the presentation entitled “Be a leader, not just a position,” Chief Kraft said the key to being a good leader comes down to credibility.
“We must be able to believe in our leaders, must believe they can be trusted,” he said.
“Leaders need to practice what they preach. They need to walk the walk. They follow through on their promises.”
Chief Kraft told the session that empty promises can be the downfall of an officer and impact morale among department members
“How many times has someone told you they are going to do something and then they don’t do it?” he said.
“I am a big believer that if you tell someone you’re going to do something and really want to earn their respect, do it even quicker.”
The audience was told of the 10 steps to follow to become a great officer:
- Be a coach
- Take responsibility
- Don’t sh*t up
- Learn from your mistakes
- Lead by example
- Appreciate your people
- Make yourself better
- Get to know your people
- Be a change agent
- Attitude is everything
The officer’s job is to empower people, to teach, according to Chief Kraft.
“I think a lot of us have forgotten how to teach or we don’t want to teach,” he said.
“How are the young firefighters going to learn how to fight fires if we are not going to teach them?”
When on the training ground, Chief Kraft said officers should:
- Tell your people what you want them to do
- Show them what good performance looks like
- Let them do it
Officers need to observe the training sessions themselves rather than leave it to senior firefighters to monitor, Chief Kraft told the session.
“If you’re not observing, how are you going to praise or redirect their efforts?” he said.