BY TIM HYDEN
It Is becoming more and more evident that the fire service needs to conduct its business more efficiently. We may have to disrupt our comfort zones as we search for new and better ways to secure our future, and there may be some concern about the possible loss of organizational pride and tradition if we radically change our thinking or direction. However, the reality is that radical change is occurring before our eyes and, in many of those cases, the U.S. fire service is not the least bit in control.
In his book Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds, the late U.S. Air Force (USAF) Brigadier General (1922-2007) tells of the various assignments he held during his 30-year military career. As a young officer, and with little training in the specifics of management as we know it today, Olds was able to achieve order and improve morale among his troops when faced with the toughest of assignments, and he did it time after time.
On being assigned as chief of the regional Weapons Proficiency Center at Wheelus Air Base, Libya, in the mid-1950s, Olds looked around and asked himself:
| What’s here? What needs doing? Whom have I got working for me? How have things been organized? What is the relationship of my organization with the base wing? Where do I go to get materials, funding, tools for my ground crews and flight gear, housing, etc. for my pilots? And how do I gain a modicum of control over scheduling on the practice range? |
In reality, Olds was following the basic steps in the management process that would be later taught in many business colleges: determining solutions to problems based on the issues that need to be resolved—what we might refer to today as “shooting from the hip.” Olds’ management (and resulting leadership) abilities proved successful not only on the ground but also in the air. He was one of the most respected USAF commanders in the post-World War II era, achieving the status of triple ace (16 enemy aircraft shot down) during his flying career.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Management is not a one-person job but rather a process in which multiple contact points are often needed to receive accurate and timely input from the field. A management team must be assembled to provide adequate communication both up and down the organizational ladder. It is the senior administrator’s responsibility to determine the personnel who are qualified to serve in these important roles. They should be dedicated members who understand the significance of upholding the ethical and moral values of the organization and who can be entrusted to communicate accurately and truthfully regarding their assigned areas. These personnel will be the “project managers” who will oversee their assigned responsibilities and then report back as a member of the management team.
Once the team is in place, the management process can begin.
MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Management as it applies to the everyday activities of the typical emergency service organization is basically the same as the process taught in management and administration courses in that it consists of four components: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Today’s application, however, may be different. One example is multitasking. Tracking each step in the process as it applies to each task, project, or individual in charge is necessary if we are to keep abreast of multiple projects underway simultaneously. Incorporating a tracking system to integrate and monitor each task or project makes it much easier for the multitasking manager to keep everything in order until all tasks are completed.
Planning
Early in this stage, determine if your organization’s mission and vision statements are up to date. Mission statements, if written correctly in the first place, typically do not change. Vision statements, on the other hand, should be reviewed periodically and updated if necessary. The vision statement can become outdated and, in many cases, worthless, leaving members to lose sight of its value and the organization to suffer a loss of direction.
To assess your vision statement, subject it to the following questions. The answer to each question should be “yes.”
- Is it appropriate for the organization and the times?
- Does it set standards of excellence?
- Does it clarify purpose and direction?
- Does it inspire enthusiasm and encourage commitment?
- Is it well-articulated and easily understood?
Determine if the project will involve operational planning that affects matters that require immediate, short-term results; tactical planning, those process or procedural changes that can affect an organization on a periodic or occasional basis over the midterm; or strategic planning, matters with far-reaching influence that will likely affect the entire organization on a long-term or directional basis.
Goals for each selected level of planning should be set using the SMART method: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
Strategic planning is the second indicator of organizational direction; the vision statement is the first. Strategic planning uses the “what if” approach to determine organizational goals, as in, “What if we organized a citizen’s fire academy for our area?” Some ideas may sound unrealistic at first, but many can become realities after discussion and continued refinement, sometimes at minimal or no cost to the organization. Strategic planning encourages new ideas while sustaining organizational momentum and direction. Encourage it at all times. Some projects—particularly smaller matters, ongoing issues, or areas that are the sole responsibility of the project manager—may be more easily managed by using the project life cycle. This cycle has four stages—definition, planning, execution, and closing. The process used to write this article is an example of that process.
Organization
Once you have defined what you want to accomplish, look at the resources available to achieve your goals. Organization could be considered a type of resource management. It involves taking inventory of your resources, including personnel (assessment of their capabilities), so you can begin assigning tasks. The responsibility for knowing personnel strengths and weaknesses, for example, lies with the supervisor in charge of a particular group of individuals. From the members’ perspective, it is vital that they all know where they fit within the organizational structure (chain of command) and where the limits of their authority lie.
When determining human resource needs, an accurate and updated job description for each position in your organization will help determine those members best suited for a particular assignment. This, again, is also where a manager’s knowledge of subordinates’ abilities—a process that should begin to evolve, when possible, during the hiring process—comes into play.
Human resource management involves a wide and varied field of issues, each of which can have a significant effect on the performance level of an organization’s employees and, ultimately, the organization’s culture. Labor relations, new employee orientation, initial and ongoing training, performance appraisals, incentives, and upward or lateral promotional opportunities are all important to consider when determining the ease with which you will be able to effect change within your organization.
Each organization has its own “culture”—the shared beliefs and values that develop within an organization and guide the behavior of its members. To view it another way, it is the “personality” of the organization. Being tuned in to your organization’s cultural beliefs is important, since members’ responses to various issues or attempts at policy change will likely be based on that personality.
The fire service inherently uses decentralized authority to allow middle managers (company officers) to make necessary decisions at the station level or on the emergency scene. Centralized authority remains primarily locked in the upper levels of administration and often involves budgetary or policy-making issues that support the primary mission of the fire department. Decentralized authority is important to the fire service in that it allows the on-scene officer to make decisions as needed while still functioning under the higher authority of the shift commander or fire chief or more directly the preestablished operating guidelines or protocols. Here again, each agency will likely have its own variation of this policy.
PERSONNEL NEEDS
Change within an organization, as many of us have experienced, can be difficult for many to accept, especially with current-day threats of cutbacks and layoffs. Fear or suspicion of the unknown is likely to cause additional difficulty in convincing personnel to go along with a new organizational approach. When considering the potential impact change can have on your organization, take into account the four basic needs of most personnel: job security, job satisfaction, recognition, and compensation. If any of these four needs is or could be perceived as being affected by an impending change, communication is paramount to ensure that the correct message is transmitted to and received by all personnel. Lack of communication at this point in the process can derail your future efforts.
The truth is that today, more than ever, we need to be proactive in making necessary changes within our organizations to comply with what, in some cases, may be the inevitable. You must decide whether you want to play offense (proactive) or defense (reactive) when it comes to these issues. The days of simple adaptive change may need to give way to more innovative or radical methods of protecting an organization from the numerous threats it faces daily.
Social psychologist Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) theorized that organizational change can be viewed as a three-step process: (1) the unfreezing stage, which involves encouraging the release of current attitudes and behaviors, thus dismantling the current mindset; (2) the changing stage, during which the actual change occurs (which is many times accompanied by confusion and periods of transition); and (3) the freezing or crystallizing stage, where new methods are accepted and comfort levels return to normal.
Address innovation during the organizational process. Assess the level of innovation that exists to see if it is enough to create a positive environment for presenting the change for consideration. The economic distractions in today’s fire service might cause personnel to become despondent and feel as though it is useless to pursue innovation. Welcoming new ideas derived through an individual process or a standing committee will help combat negativism and low morale.
Leading
Leading a team, or encouraging the members to do what you want them to do, is complex in that it usually involves heavy interaction with your personnel and understanding their inner feelings. Examine your organizational roster and ask yourself if each member is intrinsically (internally) or extrinsically (externally) motivated. Some may have little to no motivation.
Then, use the same roster to rate each individual on adaptability and enthusiasm. Use a 1-2-3 rating system: Assign “1” to an employee who is top notch and rarely has to be told what to do; “2” to employees who are not necessarily unwilling but who need to be led or pushed; and “3” to those you feel might impede progress. This is a key step in recognizing the best people for specific tasks.
As Olds recommended:
| Know the mission, what is expected of you and your people. Get to know those people, their attitudes and expectations. Visit all the shops and sections, asking questions without being shy. Learn what each does, how the parts fit into the whole. Find out what workers need, to what officer each reports. Does that officer really know the people under him (or her) and aware of their needs, their training? Don’t be untruthful with the troops, but make sure they know the buck stops with you and that you’ll shoulder the blame when things go wrong. Correct without revenge or anger. Recognize accomplishment, and reward accordingly. Foster spirit through self-pride, not slogans, and never at the expense of another unit. Respect the talents of your people, having the courage to delegate responsibility and give the authority to go with it. It won’t take long, but only your genuine interest and concern—plus follow-up on your promises will earn you respect. Out of that you gain loyalty and obedience. Your unit will be a standout. |
Olds went on to oversee the development and execution of “Operation Bolo” in 1967, one of the most innovative and successful airstrikes against the enemy during the Vietnam War.
Perhaps one of the best historical examples of leadership as part of the management process was exhibited 150 years ago as President Abraham Lincoln demonstrated his solid values and beliefs during a time when the country was on the brink of social and economic collapse. The manner in which he worked with both the members of the Union Army and his fellow citizens during the Civil War not only enabled a Union victory but also ushered in a more palatable recovery from one of the darkest chapters in the history of the United States.
In Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times, Donald Phillips shares Lincoln’s unwavering ability to make great strides when many certainly would have given up. Phillips reviews four distinct areas within which Lincoln excelled: “people, character, endeavoring to succeed, and communication.”
When it came to his people, Lincoln believed in getting out of the office and circulating among the troops. How often do fire service senior staff members get out from behind their desks and visit their stations? This should be done at least monthly. Strong contact with your people is a prerequisite for showing them that you care. As a part of this demonstrated leadership, concentrate on persuading rather than coercing when it comes to compliance with your wishes. As a leader, your efforts to succeed should never wane. Be decisive, encourage innovation, and prove your willingness to listen to your people’s ideas.
Communicate with all of your personnel in a simple, unassuming tone; be sincerely interested in their well-being. Keep the focus on your vision for the organization to help fuel members’ enthusiasm.
Controlling
Like most activities intended to have wide organizational effect, some type of monitoring and control is needed to ensure compliance and alignment with the stated goals. The basic process involves the following:
- a) Establish standards.
- b) Measure performance.
- c) Compare performance to standards.
- d) Determine if corrective action is required. If it is not, continue work progress. If it is, take corrective action and review/revise standards.
This process can be aligned with the three managerial levels (operational, tactical, and strategic). The objective is to ensure that a constant awareness is generated so you can determine if a given project is progressing toward success or slipping toward failure. It is ultimately up to senior administrators to determine the means for monitoring and controlling the action plan.
EXAMPLE SCENARIO
Let’s look at how the steps of the management process can work to achieve organizational goals in a typical department while ensuring that management is staying in touch with personnel and the public.
Department: A six-station, 65-person department with a tax base suitable to support the mission. This department has not endured any significant financial difficulties, though prudent spending is certainly an ongoing concern. The response area has many businesses and schools. Numerous public activities are held. The department’s staff is young, with an average firefighter age of 30.
Scenario 1
The challenge is to determine an organizational direction regarding special-operations skills for the department. Several of the younger personnel have indicated an interest in pursuing training/certification in special operations (swift water, extrication, collapse, trench rescue, hazardous materials) and have requested that approval be given.
Planning (Tactical)
- This subject matter should without question fall under the mission statement; however, is it a direction, as defined by the vision statement, which your organization should pursue? Is the vision statement up to date?
- Costs for any specialized field of certification or training can often involve money outside of the budget. What is the per-person cost? The total cost for related equipment? Is this something that will likely require approval for next year’s budget, or are the funds there now?
- How many personnel should be considered for certification (one per shift, for example)?
- Can a train-the-trainer course be provided for those who are certified? Can these personnel provide awareness-level training to other personnel (particularly if costs prohibit certifying the full number of personnel wanting certification)?
Organizing
- Ask those who indicated their interest in this area to submit a written summary of the need/benefit analysis for the organization. Have them explain the details of the program. You may already have a good idea, but let them put it in their own words.
- When considering those who’ve indicated an interest, look at any past history of similar training efforts that may or may not have gone as planned. If the number of participants needs to be cut before the plan can be implemented, you’ll need to retain those who exhibit the motivation needed to stick with the program.
- Determine who the team leaders will be (which show the strongest leadership qualities). You’ll likely need them later to keep the group motivated for further training after the team is organized and functioning.
- Determine where any required equipment will be stored or carried. What kind of response will be expected? Since there will need to be at least one team representative on each shift, would shift reassignments be needed? If so, will participants be receptive to a shift change?
Leading
- If the initial training that the participants will be undertaking is local, consider attending one of the sessions. This will show your interest in and support for the program. Also, periodic encouraging comments will show members that you care.
- When training is completed, recognize those who attended an organizational meeting (staff meeting, commission meeting, and so on). Post a departmentwide message stating, again, your support for the program and recognizing participants for their dedication.
Monitoring
- Hopefully, you’ve either developed or have available standard operating guidelines relating to the specific type of extra skills your people recently acquired. Using these guidelines to implement your program will get things moving.
- Assuming that your department shouldered the majority of the cost for this new direction you’ve decided to take, monitoring the progress of the program is important for generating a cost/benefit analysis, if you are asked for one. Not having a positive return on the investment will likely diminish your chances of being granted administration approval for future requests. Make sure you can justify the department’s investment.
- If the program is not ensured success, members may not be willing to put effort into a similar type of program in the future. If they don’t sense that you are on top of the follow-up, making sure that things stick to the original plan, you’ll lose credibility.
Fire service management need not be a difficult process. Make it easy on yourself. If you are hesitant about where and how to begin, take inventory of your personal abilities and qualities as well as those of your organization and personnel. Once you have a good idea of the tools you have to work with, create a spreadsheet or two along with checklists as needed to track the progress of the various projects you may be juggling. Force yourself to put your thoughts on paper to clarify your thinking. Have a trusted coworker read over what you’ve done; ask for his input.
References
1. Kinicki, Angelo; Williams, Brian. Management: A Practical Application. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2003.
2. Olds, Christina; Rasimus, Ed. Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds. New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, 2010.
3. Martin, Douglas http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/us/20olds.html?ex=1339992000&en=a31ab8ff0cd866e3&ei=5088 2007.
4. Phillips, Donald, Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times. New York, N.Y.: Time-Warner Book Group, 1993.
TIM HYDEN is the training and safety officer for East Manatee (FL) Fire Rescue and a 19-year veteran of the Florida fire service. He has an associate degree in fire science and an advanced technical certificate in fire science administration and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration. He is a graduate of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association Emergency Services Leadership Institute. He has several state certifications through the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards and Training; is a contributing writer to Florida Fire Service and Fire Engineering magazines; and speaks on leadership, motivation, officer development, risk management, and marketing.
