Leadership

Should someone who is appointed, or elected, to a position be required to earn the respect that they expect? Over the last several months, I have been sort of mentally cataloguing some instances of individuals in my life that are supposed to be leaders. Although I should focus on those in my life that I feel are excellent leaders, I am drawn to the study of people who are not good leaders, what makes them bad leaders and why they do not accept that that are in fact poor leaders that probably shouldn't be filling their position.

The majority of leaders who are in my life these days are part of the fire department for which I spend so many hours working. Whether they are volunteer or paid leaders, there is no argument that leadership should be something that is sacredly protected for those who are genuinely interested in the best for their respective organizations.

I am specifically discouraged by one individual in the department that has taken a position for which I do not feel he is well-suited. I am equally disappointed in the individual that appointed him. I feel very strongly that in most every field that technical ability is not nearly as important as applied leadership ability. And when I speak of applied leadership ability, I want to make it clear that it is important to understand and have experienced the trials and tribulations of your subordinates But just because you are the best in say, firefighting, does not necessarily mean that you are going to be the best Fire Chief. A Fire Chief should have technical knowledge that allows him or her to make effective decisions. He should not be required to be the best firefighter, whatever that means. Because if he is the best, he should be on the front lines with other operational members, not in his office budgeting for the next fiscal year. I feel as though many will disagree with this assumption, but I feel as though all too often people are promoted based on their technical ability and not on their management and leadership expertise and experience.

Certainly exceptional leaders are not people who have solely studied leadership in textbooks. However, I do think that scientific studies that have attempted to explain why some leaders are more effective than others is something from which we could easily learn and we shouldn't ignore the vast amount of work available. The shame of the human race is that we continue to make the same mistakes throughout history, even though sufficient experience is communicated through literary and word-of-mouth vectors. We have learned as a race that a quality college education in addition to sufficient field experience will ensure our managers and supervisors are able to provide effective leadership to those in the field. This is why it is so difficult for me to understand why this individual was promoted.

I think I am most upset because there were individuals in the Department that would have provided the highest quality leadership without a terribly difficult break in period. I never thought it would be possible that someone who did not do their job before would be invited to take on more responsibility. To be responsible for the operations of an approximately 65 member Fire/Rescue Department should take more education than a high school diploma. If that person were to read this blog, and I doubt he will, I would encourage him to seek more leadership training, read more, and try to know his people as well as he can. Only you can make yourself into a great leader of the Department.