Fire & EMS Leader Pro The job of old firefighters is to teach young firefighters how to become old firefighters!
By: William Hux, Chief Fire Marshal, Va. State Fire Marshals Office, Va. Fire Marshal Academy
Note From Chief Avsec: Another great post from my Guest Blogger, William Hux! Buckle up ’cause it’s gonna be a heck of ride!
Don’t pretend control is the same thing as leadership, it’s not. In the fire service, the strongest leaders aren’t the ones clinging to every decision like their ego depends on it. The strongest leaders are the ones who know when to give away the decisions to those in the trenches. The ones the decisions affect the most.
Company Officers, it starts with you. You are their frontline shield. The buffer between the upper management that is inadequate at their job and the success of your people. You don’t get to hide behind “I’m just doing what I was told.” You do get to stand beside “I did what was right for my people, even when it was hard”. Your job is to build up your people, nothing less. Translate the foreign language from the top, and never forget, you get the opportunity to set the tone for everyone at the bottom.
Don’t trust your people? That’s a YOU problem. Allowing “leadership” from above destroy your culture? Thats a YOU problem. Do you want loyalty? Give them a reason to be loyal. Stop sitting back sipping coffee and watching your department get destroyed. Stop micromanaging them because you’re afraid of the egotistical repercussions above you. Start letting your people lead from where they stand. If you don’t, no one else will.
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Chiefs, if you see yourself as the smartest person in the room, congratulations. You have built nothing less than a department full of frustration and resentment from the bottom up. YOU are the reason your good people stop giving a damn.
Don’t trust your Company Officers? Get out of the office long enough to solicit solutions to the problem at hand. The Fire Service doesn’t need more Chiefs quoting policy, they know where to find it. We need Chiefs who remember what it feels like to ride backwards. We need Chiefs who remember what it feels like to sit around the kitchen table frustrated because of the lack of clear communication. We need Chiefs who remember what empowerment without fear of retaliation feels like.
As a leader in your department, do you really want buy-in? Pride in the department? Want to set a precedence for what a positive culture looks like? Then stop holding onto every decision like your self-worth relies on it. Start mentoring. Start trusting. Start building leaders at EVERY level.
Empowerment allows the space for your people to step up, speak up, and take ownership, even when they make mistakes. Empowering your people means letting go of the wheel just enough to let them drive, while still being close enough to grab the emergency brake if needed. It’s not you showing weakness, it’s you showing strategy without them even realizing it.
And if you can’t do that? Retire, and get the hell out of their way.
About My Guest Author
William “Billy” Hux currently serves as the Chief State Fire Marshal in Virginia, overseeing the Budget and Operations of the Virginia State Fire Marshals Office and the Virginia Fire Marshal Academy. Billy began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 16 in Chesterfield County, Virginia, eventually taking a part-time position within the department.
Hux began his career with the State Fire Marshals Office as Deputy State Fire Marshal-I and has progressed through the ranks, serving in every position within the agency prior to becoming the Chief State Fire Marshal. Billy is driven by common sense leadership principles, not becoming stagnant, and he is truly passionate about the individual success of his staff – at all levels.
In his off-duty life he enjoys making memories over coffee with his wife – no matter the city or museum–nerf battles with their four children, and all things music.
