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By Ron Hiraki
With the start of a new year, some of you may be working in a new assignment. This could be in another station, on another shift, in a staff or day-shift assignment, or in a special program or project area. You may become the leader of a new work group. That work group can include firefighters and civilian fire department members. In addition to the people that you may directly lead and support, your new assignment may require you to work with different company officers and different chief officers. Perhaps the new assignment does not involve a new or different group or people but leadership of a new program/project.
You don’t have to be a company officer or a chief officer to consider how you interact with a new or different group of people or affect a program/project. Anyone can contribute to (or distract) other people in the group or enhance (or impede) a program/project.
Following are some concepts and experiences you may wish to consider.
History: Learn how things were done in the past, and why. Learn how they are currently done, and why. Learn how your predecessor did things, and why. It’s possible that one of the things you would like to do may have already been tried and may have failed. Talk to people who did the work in the past and those who are now doing it. Look at past records and files without bias. Learn the historical facts first. Then see what you can learn from that history.
Make Expectations Known: Whether the expectation is following a fire department rule or respecting your work space, clearly make that known from the start. This does not mean you have to “bark orders” to initiate discipline. If you see something awry, address it in an appropriate manner quickly. Sometimes new members in a group will “let it go” to “avoid making waves.” If you wait for a few shifts or few months to pass before you address a problem, people will wonder why it “just now” became an issue.
Observe: Unless there is an issue that must be addressed immediately, take the time to observe. Depending on the situation, you may wait a few shifts, a few months, or a few meetings.
Example: A deputy chief was hired from another fire department to lead operations and the nine battalion chiefs. The deputy chief made decisions as necessary, but was committed to observe and learn for the first few months. One battalion chief “told” the deputy chief how “things are” and teased the deputy chief about his “newness” to the fire department and the city. The battalion chief’s behavior during this observation period provided the deputy chief with some valuable information.
Remain Neutral: People will tell you information about other people in the work group and about your predecessor. The information may or may not be negative or petty. The information is often shared with you respectfully or tactfully to help you with your new responsibilities. Listen, and thank the person for the information, but do not express your agreement or disagreement with the information. Expressing your opinion may come back to haunt you. You need to learn the whole story before forming your opinion.
Example: A new assistant chief heard a number of comments about her predecessor. None of the comments were really negative, but simply described her predecessor as very busy, distracted, not very people-oriented, and not as an energetic or energizing leader. Naturally, the new assistant chief was not going to say anything negative about her predecessor. In fact, she spent the first year defending her predecessor or explaining why he did or did not do something. The members thought they were just “getting more of the same.” The new assistant chief found out for herself that the comments were true. By defending her predecessor, she actually hurt her credibility with the members and created some resistance to the good things she was trying to implement.
No Competition: Don’t compete with your predecessor or other members. Each of us has different qualifications, strengths, and weaknesses. Competition in this setting is counterproductive to teamwork. Besides, most other people won’t really care who is the “best.” They just want effective coworkers.
Example: With just seven years in the fire service, the last two in the fire prevention bureau, the brand new lieutenant was happy to be promoted and assigned to a station. The lieutenant was replacing a veteran officer who retired with more than 30 years of service. The firefighters on the lieutenant’s crew had at least 20 years of service. Fortunately, the lieutenant saw this as an opportunity to learn from them. The lieutenant took responsibility, made decisions, and asked the crew questions in such a way that they felt respected and valued. The crew was glad to work with the new lieutenant.
Your Contributions: Add your strengths and talents to the new work group or program/project. Your strengths and talents are probably things you’re good at and like to do. Use your strengths and talents to enhance the work group or program/project. People will see your contributions and your value. Remember that your exceptional strengths and talents do not excuse you from performing satisfactorily (at least) in all other areas. Allow your strengths and talents to propel you, but if there are some areas you know you can work on, do so!
Example #1: A lieutenant was an exceptional instructor and coach. He could research and organize almost any topic to present a class or drill that everyone liked. However, he wasn’t the most confident member on the fireground when given a new or challenging assignment. Therefore, the battalion chief tried to give him assignments to help him develop his experience and confidence without a grave risk. The lieutenant improved his fireground performance.
Example #2: A division chief had a background in finance and was a real asset to the fire department in creating spreadsheets, organizing the budget, and forecasting revenue. However, his interpersonal communication skills and public speaking skills were less that desirable. Consequently, the division chief avoided conflict with people, did not resolve issues, and never really communicated well or built a rapport with members. His communication skills remained weak.
Change: Change is inevitable, but ask others about possible changes and consider them carefully. What makes sense to you may not make sense to others, and may not even work.
Example: A veteran captain was transferred to a fire station that had been operating well for about 12 years. Within a few shifts, the captain rearranged the furniture in the front office where the firefighters greeted and conducted business with the public. Although the lieutenants and firefighters respected the captain’s prerogative to rearrange the furniture, they respectfully questioned the captain and even complained. The captain said that the new furniture arrangement presented a more professional image. A few shifts later, the furniture was back in the original arrangement. It became obvious that the past and current station members had figured out the best arrangement for the furniture.
Moving Forward: You may be fortunate to move into a great work group. If so, all you have to do is maintain it. That is a challenge, because we have all seen a new person come in and mess things up. However, maintenance is not moving forward. Even if you do a great job maintaining things, other members, the fire department, and even the world, will eventually pass you by.
Ask yourself these questions as you prepare to join the work group or program/project:
1. What are the work group or program/project strengths?
2. What are the work group or program/project weaknesses?
3. What are your personal qualifications (e.g., experience, education)? How will your qualifications contribute to (or detract from) the work group or program/project?
4. What are your personal qualities (e.g., organized good listener, negotiator)? How will your personal qualities contribute to (or detract from) the work group or program/project?
5. What changes and improvements will you make
a. Immediately?
b. Short term (four to six months)?
c. Long term?
6. What would be a sign or measurement of the work group or program/project moving forward as a result of your being a member?
Good luck with your new assignment!
Ron Hiraki began his career as a firefighter in the Seattle (WA) Fire Department, working in a variety of operational and administrative positions leading to his final assignment as Assistant Chief of Employee Development. Completing his career as an assistant chief for a small combination fire department, Hiraki has nearly 30 years of fire service experience in urban and suburban settings. He holds a Master of Science degree in human resources development and is a consultant to a number of public safety agencies for their selection and performance evaluation programs.
