Everyone knew Sandy was a rising star on the fire department, so it was really no surprise that with only five years on the job, and at age 26, Sandy was promoted to company officer. What Sandy wasn’t prepared for was the reality of suddenly having to supervise crew members who were more than 20 years older. “I felt confident about my technical skills,” said Sandy. “But I wasn’t ready for being in charge of people who were old enough to be my parents. There was some discomfort on both sides.”
Many issues can arise when the person in charge is also the youngest person on the crew. Older crew members may discount that person’s ability to lead or make decisions. The young officer may feel insecure and react by either abdicating leadership to the group or by coming on too strong. Communications may be a problem. There may be differences in setting priorities. It might be difficult for the group to really come together as a team.
As career firefighters and drivers age, it is inevitable that the officers in charge of the crews that include them will be younger and younger. This situation does not have to be a problem. Age diversity on fire crews can be a good thing. People of different ages have had different experiences and know a variety of things.
Advisers and mentors
Older crew members can act as advisers or even mentors to a new officer, and the younger officer can bring a fresh approach and new energy to a crew that might have become set in its ways.
But there are also challenges. It can be a little intimidating to be in charge of people who are older than your parents. Many people are raised to defer to their elders — a respectful practice that may not always be appropriate in the workplace.
For example, imagine that Sandy, the new officer, has a firefighter on the crew who routinely shows up for work a few minutes late. When Sandy speaks to the firefighter about the situation, he shrugs it off, saying that it’s no big deal and the rest of the crew doesn’t have a problem with it. In fact, another crew member reinforces what the firefighter says, stating, “We cover for each other in this station. That’s the way it’s always been.”
It might be tempting for Sandy to defer to the veteran firefighters in the station and allow the tardiness to continue, even though the practice is in opposition to departmental policies. However, avoiding these kinds of problems will only undermine Sandy’s leadership in the long run. If Sandy does choose to exert authority in this situation, it should be done mindfully rather than in a reactionary way.
Key to success
Good communication is the key to any successful team building effort. Any new officer, young or old, should spend time listening to the members of the crew who have been in the station for a while. When asked in a respectful way, incumbent firefighters usually have plenty to say about station practices, district challenges, and what they see as priorities in their jobs. It is also a good idea to quietly observe others at work — how they organize their day and use their time.
Beyond such observation, all officers have an obligation to themselves and their crews to set out clear expectations. Crews of any age expect officers to take this kind of leadership role, and will not respect an officer who defers too much to the crew. Officers also have an obligation to step up and correct bad practice, no matter how attached their crews might be to the status quo.
When the officer is also the “new kid,” the manner in which corrective action is taken makes all the difference. In Sandy’s situation, it would just alienate people and polarize the crew to come on strong and write up the firefighter the first time he comes in late to work.
Instead, Sandy could say, “I understand that you frequently come in a few minutes late, and that others in the station have been okay with this. But it is my expectation that all members of the crew will be here on time every shift and ready to start work at shift change. If there is some reason why you cannot make it to work right at shift change, please let me know, and I will try to work with you to resolve the problem. But it is important that we are all here together at the same time to start the work day.”
Making a joke
In this example, the firefighter might try to undermine the younger officer’s authority by making a joke of the situation or implying that the officer did not understand how things best worked in the station. When faced with such opposition, it is better for the officer to avoid argument or rationalization, and simply restate the clear expectation and the consequences that will occur if that expectation is not met.
It is critical that expectations be reasonable and consistent with the mission and the culture of the organization. If Sandy works for a department where officers and their crews are commonly on a first name basis, it would be counterproductive to insist on being called “captain” all the time. Likewise, segregating oneself from the crew as a way of defining authority is usually misguided.
Still, officers are in charge, and younger officers need to step up to that role the same as anyone else. It’s okay to be who you are, and to acknowledge what you don’t know.
Acting like you know it all at age 26 is as dangerous as letting the older crew take over as informal leaders. There is a balance point between these two extremes, and it comes from experience, respect, and the willingness to be the leader your crew expects and needs you to be.
