The start of a new year traditionally brings resolutions, with many people resolving to eat better, exercise more or spend more time with family. For fire service leaders, New Year’s resolutions might include being more effective in their positions, as good leaders know that no matter how well they are doing, there is always room for improvement.
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One useful model of effective leadership is what is known as self-determination theory. This model includes three components that are simple, yet deep. For people to feel engaged and committed to their work long term, they need to feel:
- Competent and have autonomy in what they do.
- Authentic in their lives.
- Connected to others.
Achieving competency and autonomy
Feeling competent in what you do is more than just mastering skills. Of course, technical training is critical in firefighting and should be an ongoing commitment at all levels of the organization. But feeling competent is different than being competent. Someone may be one of the most knowledgeable people on the crew, but if they lack self-confidence to utilize their skills and knowledge, much of the training they have received will not be used in the best way possible.
People must not only have knowledge and skills but also a sense of autonomy in applying that knowledge. This goes to experience — and firefighters are usually the first to complain about someone who may be “book smart” but lacks experience in putting that knowledge to use in real-world situations.
The only way to gain experience is to actually step up to a challenge and do hands-on work to resolve it. Such experience comes not only from following orders — a necessary ability on any crew — but also having the confidence and autonomy to make decisions and be responsible for them.
Leaders must train crews and then genuinely delegate tasks to those crewmembers, trusting they will make the best decisions possible given any circumstance. This is hard for some people to do, often because they feel responsible and possibly fear repercussions for any bad outcomes. They may try to micromanage everything their team members do, which is not only unworkable from a scene management standpoint, but also a way to alienate otherwise good and committed workers.
Being authentic on the job
Allowing people to feel authentic in their lives means accepting people for who they are and developing the unique skills and perspectives that each individual brings to the job. This kind of acceptance can only happen if leaders truly know the people they work with, more than just superficially or strictly within the context of the job.
This sometimes does not happen within the fire station environment, especially if there is an established crew that a new person joins. The standing crew will have its own practices, inside jokes, slang and member knowledge that the new person may not know. In that case, it is often easier for a new person to just go along to get along — not a bad strategy in the moment, but if that is the only basis for relationship, it can wear thin over time. Not making the effort to really know others you work with can also lead to overlooking important skills and experiences that individuals bring.
The human need for connection
The need to feel connected to others is something that all human beings have and on its best days, the fire service provides that sense of community in ways that other jobs simply cannot. You work together under difficult and dangerous conditions, you spend down time together in a small space, you often eat meals together and sleep in the same room. Fire service friendships are some of the deepest and longest lasting any person could hope to have.
But not everyone experiences this sense of community in the same way. It is natural in any group that some people may be more outgoing and easily accepted while others may be more introverted or feel less accepted for any number of reasons. However, it is the officer’s job to make sure that every crewmember has equal opportunity to be part of the community of the crew or the station. This may require some focused effort on the part of the leader — to initiate group activities that include everyone, to rotate assignments so people are not pigeon-holed early in their careers, to make the effort to get to know every crewmember as an individual and convey that they are all valued members of the team.
Key for long-term department goals
Self-determination theory goes to intrinsic motivation, the kind of motivation that keeps people engaged and committed in the long term. Extrinsic motivation — tangible rewards or punishments — is also effective and important for short-term goals but is not sustainable if internal motivation is not present. Fostering competency, authenticity and connectedness among a team is an essential leadership function that pays back far above any effort that is put toward it.
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