Fire-Rescue International 2025: Chief Brycen Garrison will present “Strategic Leadership and Visionary Planning” and “Strategic Leadership — How to Create an Amazing Culture” on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and Thursday, Aug. 14, respectively, at FRI 2025 in Orlando, Florida. Learn more about the show and register to attend.
The value of monetary assets fluctuate — sometimes in ways that make you question your financial decisions. But what about people? The truth is that attitudes shift just like asset values. Some days, a person’s enthusiasm is through the roof, ready to make a difference. Other days, pessimism creeps in, dragging engagement down like a bad stock pick.
As leaders, our job is to recognize these shifts and manage them wisely. It might seem odd to talk about people and equipment in the same discussion, but at the end of the day, our role is to add value — to our organization, our community, our families and anywhere else we have influence.
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Now, let’s be real, everyone has off days. No big deal. But when someone starts stringing together a long history of bad attitudes like an undefeated losing streak, that’s a different story. At some point, we must ask: Is this someone we should continue investing in?
Think about the equipment assets we purchase for the department. Will they hold their value? Will they depreciate? Will they have ups and downs? Take our organization, for example. We’ve been around for 135 years; that’s a long-term strategy. Some of the properties we’ve acquired might not always seem useful at the moment, but over time, they help us bridge gaps and build for the future. These long-term assets appreciate, providing a return on investment that continues to grow.
On the flip side, there’s the “shiny object” problem. Some things look flashy when they’re brand new but start gathering dust in the corner almost immediately — like that exercise equipment you swore you’d use. These depreciating assets lose value fast, and while they might be fun to have, they don’t necessarily contribute to the long-term success of the organization.
Let’s be clear: Tools and equipment always depreciate. People, however, can grow — if we invest in them the right way. The key factor? Attitude. It can shift for many reasons, but when you take a long-term investment strategy with the right people — those who bring energy, engagement and a drive to improve — you create a compounding return that benefits the entire organization.
Your job as a leader is to identify and invest in assets that will appreciate over time, whether that’s equipment, property or, most importantly, people. That also means making tough calls. Cutting things from the budget that are “nice to have” but don’t contribute to long-term success is part of responsible leadership. The same goes for managing attitudes; some can be nurtured back to a healthy state, but others can become toxic, and sometimes the only remedy is to cut them out before they spread.
At the end of the day, attitudes — just like assets — can make or break an organization. The best leaders recognize this, invest wisely and create a culture where people feel valued, engaged and motivated to suck less than yesterday — because that’s how we get better, one day at a time.
