PROMOTION COMMOTION

PROMOTION COMMOTION

VOLUNTEERS CORNER

HENRY FORD ONCE said, “The question ‘Who ought to be boss’ is like asking ‘Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously, the man who can sing tenor.” That statement certainly can apply to the promotion and selection of officers in the fire service, whether in a career, volunteer, or combination department.

If only it were that simple; if only the criteria for being “boss” were as easy to define and measure as those for singing tenor. Unfortunately, selecting an officer is not simple: Officers require multiple skills, anti “bosses” at different levels need different qualifications. These factors can complicate the choice for promotion.

The object of promotion is to select the person who will most likely become the best officer. Exercise caution, though, when promoting: While a mistake in hiring can be costly, a promotional mistake will be even more damaging because the individual promoted to a decision-making position will directly affect more of the department and its personnel. As the individual rises higher in the department, the consequences of his decisions become greater. Obviously, the wrong person can negatively affect the whole department.

METHODS OF PROMOTION

Who makes the decision to promote? It varies front one department to the next. Volunteer or on-call departments generally are not restricted by labor agreements or other preestablished procedures and therefore are free to establish their own methods of selection. In these departments, promotions may be by an election of the members or by an appointment of the chief. Or, fire boards may determine the promotional procedure. Each department may establish prerequisites or minimum qualifications for personnel interested in promotion. Regardless, two basic methods of promotion within volunteer and on-call departments are used: election and some predetermined selection process.

Choosing officers by election has its advantages and disadvantages. Department politics, individual popularity, and the frequency of elections (causing rapid turnover) may work against your ability to select the best candidate. An officer can be negatively influenced in his decision making if he worries about not being reelected.

The biggest advantage to electing officers is that it places the responsibility of selecting the appropriate leader on the entire department. Generally people want to better the department. If they fail to make an educated choice, everbody suffers. An educated, intelligent voter is one who knows the job description of the position as well as the attributes of each candidate and concentrates on the issues rather than the popularity of the candidates. He doesn’t give in to peer pressure.

Some departments use the election process with success, but a better method is to develop a sound promotional procedure and allow the fire chief or board to administer it. Include in this procedure established prerequisites for each position and some type of an evaluation system, which may include interviews and written and/or oral examinations conducted at the fire station, assessment center, or other suitable location.

CONDUCTING A JOB ANALYSIS

The first step in a promotional procedure is examining each officer’s position and conducting a job analysis. Determine exactly what the position entails and what technical knowledge, skill levels, and other experience are required. Depending on the position, you may also need to evaluate leadership, management, and administrative skills. These are not easy to measure and require some subjective evaluation. Consider an individual’s potential to do the job. Some say there are born leaders and others believe such qualities can be learned. Both are true: If someone shows potential, training, education, and guidance may sharpen his leadership skills.

The proper job analysis can identify the best candidates for the job. Keep in mind that all officer positions are not the same. The chief of a larger department can focus more on administrative, management, and communication tasks and less on firefighting duties (unless the department requires the chief to be a jack-of-all-trades).

Consider the future as well as the current abilities of candidates. If you promote a firefighter who is doing a good job, he might not necessarily be capable of performing his new job well.

Identifying the skills, knowledge, and abilities required for a particular position also gives each candidate a clear idea of what the job entails. I have seen candidates for promotion who could not discern between the various ranks within their own department and what the individual job responsibilities were. They thought that all jobs were equal — an indication that the organization did not properly define the job description for each officer position.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Any promotional procedure must be consistent and be perceived as fair by all department members. For example, a written examination will favor certain individuals—some people test better than others. Ask yourself whether specific methods give an undue advantage to certain individuals.

One way to reduce the singular impact of a method is to use as many measuring tools as possible to evaluate the candidates. Assigning some type of numerical scoring system will help. This can include scores for written and oral examinations, seniority, and work record.

Some departments have established promotional procedures that allow everyone to become an officer given enough time on the job. Obviously this is not a good practice, as not everyone is suited to be an officer. Reevaluate any method that makes promotions auto« matic. While it benefits individuals because they know exactly when they will be promoted, it is unfair to the organization.

Automatic promotions can stymie growth and severely restrict selection* of the most highly qualified individuals, while decreasing individual motivation and initiative. In addition, individuals lacking the necessary skills to do the job will get promoted. Yes, seniority has its merits, but not as the sole criterion. ⅜

Interpersonal skills are very important, so carefully evaluate candidates with weaknesses in this area. The de-¶ partment must work as a team, and if people are unable or unwilling to work together, it could have a negative impact on the organization. This is one area where subjective analysis is un-‘ avoidable.

Sometimes departments must seek help from chiefs or officers from other departments to conduct oral interviews, provide a different perspective, and be perceived as impartial and fair. Outside4 help can prove beneficial but should not be used to relieve the chief of his responsibility. The chief and chief offi-1 cers of the department should accept the responsibility of promoting and should have as much input into the* process as possible, ultimately making the final decision. Who should know more about the department and its personnel than its chief and chief officers?

Placing the best person in the proper position can be very complicated. How-‘ ever, with an established procedure and careful scrutiny of each candidate, you can cast your “tenor.”

Rick Lasky, Scott Thompson, Curtis Birt, and John Salka

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