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The Right Stuff

I have been following with interest the discussion of a National Firefighter Code of Ethics. The other day I saw that Ken Willette, the Public Fire Protection Division Manager at NFPA, blogged about the one written by the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association this past year. Being obtuse, like I often am, I had actually never gone to the FirefighterBehavior.com blog although I have seen some of the well-written articles that have come from posts on there. Nothing like going to the source, huh? Well, if you haven't done it, you need to go yourself, and when you are through, being the fire service leaders I sense you are, send your people there as well.

But this doesn't stop at the fire service. In fact, as I have said many times before, there are lessons to be learned from a brotherhood of individuals who, as recently as a decade before, were considered to be the last bastion of integrity, honor, and valor in a society in which those values have been eroding daily. The ever-decaying values in the fire service are an excellent case study, and many questions can come from how we went from where we were to where we are today.

And I am not suggesting that the entire fire service lacks these ideals; we just have not been very good at removing the elements from our midst who do not embrace those same values. Well, our profession (and for the uninitiated, this refers to both career and volunteer professionals in the emergency services business) has been challenged by a number of external forces that, to the casual observer, seem to have affected the type of person we are getting to replace those who have gone on to other places.

Emergency response, paid or not, is very much a value-driven occupation. Just because you show up and put out a fire or lug someone to the hospital, is irrelevant, despite the arguments that we are not customer oriented. If anything, our business is all about the customer, because frankly, we tell people all the time that we can replace their material objects, but we can't replace the people. We say this is the reason we rescue first and not salvage first. But ironically, we have many of the same people saying that we shouldn't consult with our community in the spirit of partnership, or that we know better than they do what they need, or even more cynically, that their observations regarding our service and the way we do it doesn't even matter.

Therefore, there is a profound need to make sure the people we bring in not only have read and signed a memo telling them what our ethics happen to be, but that they LIVE these ethics. That they BREATHE these ethics. That they BELIEVE in these ethics and that they are proud to associate with others, a brotherhood of others, who feel the same way.

A while back, I happened upon a rollover in another jurisdiction while off-duty, and stopped to see if they needed any help. The driver was already on the way to the hospital, and the crews were just picking up debris, but I know a lot of firefighters in that jurisdiction, so I was really just chatting before heading on. In the corner of my eye, I saw a firefighter pick up a phone on the ground.

I don't know about you, but my cell phone wasn't cheap, and they aren't indestructible either. Plus, even if it is just damaged, you could still get the contacts off of it, etc. But the firefighter opened up the phone, laughed to himself, and THREW the phone into the damaged car. Not gently, mind you, but enough that it broke. Since it wasn't my jurisdiction, but everyone there knew me, I walked over and picked up the now damaged phone, then handed it to a trooper. I glared at the guy on the way by, but I didn't say anything. But I let him know that this was unacceptable, at least in my department.

I won't say that we don't have any of those types in our organization, but as Capt. Tom and I were saying the other day, the balance has been strongly tipped in favor of the "good guys" for a while now, and we continue to drum our organizational culture into those who don't get it. But these values don't come naturally to some and frankly, do you even want to take the chance of trying to drag a member to that place, or should we look first for those with the right stuff, and then TEACH them to be a firefighter?

If I were advertising, I would say that if you revel in someone's misfortunes, or if you like the power of being a uniformed public official, or if driving in total disregard of others appeals to you because you have lights and siren, you probably shouldn't apply. There's nothing at all wrong with chasing the adrenaline, but it certainly needs to be kept in the perspective that you will take on a challenge to help others, not to wish it on people so you can get your fix.

If we really believe in our brotherhood, our profession, as a calling rather than just a job, we need to take a look at who we introduce to the team. So long as we continue to permit those who are among us to soil our ranks because they fill a spot, we will continue to tarnish the image we used to be proud of. I, for one, prefer that when I go to see my kids at school, they consider firefighters to be worthy of admiration, rather than another person they can't trust. There's a lot of that going around lately, let's not let it happen to us.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on February 4, 2012 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, customer service, leadership • Tagged: association, behavior, change, chief, coaching, conditions, conflict, counseling, Cumberland Valley Fire, customer service, development, disaster, discipline, education, ego, EMS, environment, ethics, evaluation, failure, FHZ, fire, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, FirefighterBehavior.com, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, integrity, Ken Willette, leadership, management, mentoring, Mick Mayers, motivation, NFPA, officer, planning, positive, prevention, proactive, professionalism, progression, project, rescue, South Carolina, Task Force 1, Training, understanding, values, vision, zen, zen zone

A Waste Of Time

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I fell asleep at my computer last night.

I am working on a project that has pretty much occupied all of my time over the course of the last three shifts. I think, in retrospect, that the reason that I am having to embark on this dreaded project is simply that a great number of people failed to understand that their actions or inaction created a mess that someday would have to be unraveled.

The mess doesn't even go back a short while. When I say a great number, I am talking about numbers probably nearing a hundred. Anyone close to this project that knows that I am talking in circles and understands the scope of this project might disagree with me, but I see the failure in my own interface with the situation, and I see the failures in many others who permitted the condition to occur, knowingly or not.

In a microscope, closely examining one piece of the puzzle, you might not even notice the problem exists. But when you step back and look at the larger picture, you can see it is definitely crooked. There are warning signs printed all over this and frankly, they were ignored. But they are insignificant when you step back even farther and realize that any problems we face today could have been avoided had individuals assumed some responsibility and did the right thing early on.

One of the principals in this project called out everyone else on the team and with good reason. I say that because he is absolutely right; the system failed us. Or to be clear, we failed the system, because it wasn't all to be blamed on the way we manage these situations. Instead, key stakeholders ignored critical information. They felt like status quo was acceptable. Or perhaps they felt inadequate to address the most pressing challenges. I told this individual that while the historical aspect of how we got to this place is important, just to put the picture in perspective, who to blame is irrelevant. The situation is what it is and you can't unring a bell. We must look forward.

Those of you reading this might assume you know what I am referring to, but I am suggesting to you that you re-read it and ask yourself, "What am I doing that is creating this same situation today?" Because if you are honest with yourself, there are any number of issues I have to deal with that follow this chain of events and I am sure I am not alone.

I have quoted my father on any number of occasions in this regard, probably the quote that will stick with me for the rest of my life: "Do it right the first time." Had we addressed the issues when they were small, had we fixed the leak, had we prevented the spark, had we communicated the concerns, if we had done any of these things, would they have corrected the problem before we got to this disaster we now embrace?

Let go of your concerns for a moment and realize that a drop of water contributes to the flood that sweeps away your home. Everything affects everything else and that ripple becomes a wave, given the right conditions to grow. Don't be part of the problem; solve the issues before they become a nightmare to untangle.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on January 28, 2012 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, leadership, Training & Development • Tagged: behavior, change, chief, coaching, conditions, conflict, counseling, customer service, development, disaster, discipline, education, ego, EMS, environment, evaluation, failure, FHZ, fire, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, integrity, leadership, management, mentoring, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, planning, positive, prevention, proactive, professionalism, progression, project, rescue, South Carolina, Task Force 1, Training, understanding, values, vision, zen, zen zone

Belief At The Point of A Gun

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I was, as is frequently the case when driving for more than a half-hour, listening to the Bob Edwards Show. He was interviewing Jeff Sharlet, the author of the book Sweet Heaven When I Die, which as he puts it, is about "belief, unbelief, and the country in between". Mr. Sharlet told a story which put some context into a situation where a gunman, supposedly "possessed by demons", opened fire inside of a church in North Carolina.

As he describes it, Sharlet was interviewing the sheriff in the county in which this event occurred and as I take it, was struggling with understanding, or believing, in how demonic possession was even being seriously discussed in this day and age. Apparently, the sheriff reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a gun, which he pointed at Mr. Sherlet. After explaining that the gun was actually a toy, the Sheriff related that if the reverse had happened, any respectable law enforcement officer would have shot you. Things may not be real, he shared, but just because they're not real doesn't mean they can't hurt you.

Here at Firehouse Zen we spend a pretty good amount of time discussing context and perspective, if anything, because it sits at the heart of many miscommunications and misunderstandings. Leaders have to contend with these issues daily and while some of the issues may not even be real issues, but instead, gossip, rumors, and innuendo, the issues still must be dealt with. In the eyes of those who don't have the facts to begin with, any fact is more concrete than no fact.

Leaders must get ahead of that curve and educate their people. They must build a relationship of trust and they must understand that while there are people in their organization who thrive on "stirring the pot", the enlightened leader must stay ahead of the game and insure total transparency to avoid those kinds of issues. And even then, like happens in our organization, you can be as transparent as possible and still have to endure the few shit-stirrers.

People believe what they want to believe. If you were an organization who strives for excellence, considers every issue carefully and logically to ensure maximum accountability for every fiscal decision, follows policies to the "T", and seeks alternative funding sources and resource sharing to ease the burden on the taxpayers, you would still have the fringe out there taking shots at you. And that hurts, but especially in this day and age when anonymity protects cowards and weasels on the internet, it continues to be a fact of life and a serious downside to leading.

Not only are you at the top when you lead, but you are also the most vulnerable to being taken out. Ask the families and friends of every leader who tried to make serious change, and you will find them to be able to relate all avenues of retaliation, humility, anger, and other hostile emotions having been directed at those individuals, and not excluding physical harm and even assassination.

Being a leader isn't just lonely, sometimes, it is harmful to your health. Belief is a strong emotion and whatever people believe has got to be addressed in one form or another. But the safest way to manage the beliefs of others is through honesty, transparency, and honorable values. Setting a positive example through ethical actions will tend to win out in the end, or at least it does in the movies.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on November 2, 2011 • Filed under: leadership • Tagged: anger, boat, context, cowards, EMS, error, fact, FHZ, fire, FireEMSBlogs, Firehouse Zen, gossip, Hilton Head Island, internet, irresponsible, issue, lies, media, Mick Mayers, perspective, politicians, poor, retaliation, rumor, South Carolina, taxes, tea party, transparency, trolls, voter, vulnerable, weak, weasels

Steve Jobs: What Impact Do You Have On Your World?

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I didn't know the man, personally, or professionally, really. I own a few Apple products and I like them, I even love them. But while I recognize Steve Jobs as being an amazing individual, I hadn't really followed his career, or read any articles about him, or anything like that. But I recognize greatness when I see it and his impact on our world as we know it has been substantial.

When I listened to some of the testimonials about Steve Jobs this morning, I realize what a loss our generation has experienced, but not probably from the aspect you might think. This individual was truly visionary. He created from what was a dream, an empire. He was an inventor, a creator, a manager, a huckster, and summing it all up, a true leader. He applied his vision to create a reality. He used his vast array of abilities to translate vision into action.

What impact do you have on the world around you? You don't have to invent the next best thing to aspire to greatness. In fact, some of the simplest things you can do will break you out as an inspirational and amazing leader. By using your skills of motivating others, setting positive examples, working hard, demonstrating integrity, and caring for others, you can be a leader that others flock to.

Charisma goes a long way, but being true to yourself and leading from the heart will carry you the full distance. It takes real belief in self to achieve greatness. Do good things for others and be a person of vision and action. There is a big difference between "support" and "activism". If you believe in something, make it happen.

God bless you, Steve Jobs. You made a significant impact on our world throughout your life. We can only hope to achieve a fraction of that kind of effort, but in doing so, we can achieve excellence.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on October 6, 2011 • Filed under: leadership, News • Tagged: activism, apple, change, charisma, EMS, fire, fire rescue topics, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, Hilton Head Island, impact, inventor, iPad, iPhone, iPod, leadership, Mac, management, manager, marketing, Mick Mayers, motivation, opportunity, positive, rescue, resources, sales, South Carolina, Steve Jobs, supporter, values, vision

Okay, Let’s Try This Again

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In June 2009, I blogged about spontaneous bystander response, or rather, the difference between that and a bunch of people jumping into their Fire SUV and driving to say, Bastrop, Texas, only to be turned away from the action. I don't expect civilians to understand. On the face of it, it looks like the Feds are turning away perfectly acceptable resources. The response community, however, obviously needs a big-ass brick dropped on their head with a note wrapped around it that says: "Don't go if you aren't invited."

Let's put some perspective on the issue AGAIN. I've been dealing with disaster response for a very long time. When I need additional resources, I have found that there is an electronic device in most response apparatus that I can use it to call for help. In case you are wondering, this would be the radio. In these days, however, a cell phone, e-mail or any other number of methods may be employed (in case you didn't know).

We are not discussing the desire for people to help their neighbors by bringing clothing, money, food, water, labor, etc. We are talking about bringing yourself (and usually not much more) and saying, "I can fight fire". We are talking about popping a sleeping bag in the car and going for a road trip, thinking that in a lot of these situations, it is going to be like camping, sans Kumbaya and S'mores, but with an extra helping of excitement.

As I and countless others have said, time after time after time:

The main problem faced by those of us in the disaster community when it comes to spontaneous response, is the fact that as the designated adult supervision at these events, we have a responsibility to insure not only mitigation (or depending on the complexity and scope, control) of the incident, but the safety of those who were not necessarily part of the problem before, but now are.

My whole reason for saying this is that while most of us in the response community can certainly appreciate the altruism in bystander response to an emergency, there are cases upon cases in every aspect of disaster and technical rescue response where the spontaneous bystander response in and of itself became an additional rescue mission for us on our arrival. If anyone wants to be bored to death, I can cite example after example, and even put you in touch with others who can do the same. This has not changed for any emergency in decades.

You may say, "Hey, these guys were calling for help and nobody came." That is YOUR perspective on the situation. The reality is not that there is a true lack of resources. At Katrina, for example, there were plenty of resources. There was just a little problem of certain parties not knowing the plan for getting those resources, or not knowing how to deliver them, or sending them to the wrong places. There isn't a lack of resources, there is a lack of knowledge on how to put them in place and make the work.

This is where the Feds come in, believe it or not. Because the Feds have a few things going for them that in a lot of cases, the locals, the counties, and the state don't have. Principally, that would be money and coordination.

Having been involved intimately with a few of these little dances, I have witnessed firsthand the dialogue going on in the command post with some of these elected officials:

Fire Chief: "Okay, we have fourteen houses burning over on XYZ Circle, but we don't have the engine companies necessary to cover that area. I need to have the authority to call the state and have them declare a state of emergency."

Mayor: "Well, that's your job, dammit! Hell no, I don't want a bunch of people from Capital City over here telling us how to do things their way! Don't you have a plan? Why don't you just use those guys with the pickup trucks who showed up this morning? Doesn't the state have a bunch of those thing-a-ma-jigs they can send over? You know, strike forces, or task teams or something?"

Fire Chief: "Strike teams and task forces. Yes, but this is the representative from the State here. They are offering their help, but since this hasn't been declared a disaster by the Governor yet, before I agree to sign this Memorandum of Understanding, I needed to let you know this is going to cost us money…"

Mayor: "Is that all you are waiting on? Dammit, sign whatever you need to sign!"

Fire Chief: "By ordinance, I am required to get your permission before creating a liability for the city over $100,000."

Mayor: "WHAT? How much are we talking about here?"

Fire Chief: "I don't know, but more than that. So this guy says we can have the Governor declare a state of emergency…"

Mayor: "I don't want those a#$%$@*s from the Capital down here telling us what to do. Just see what you can do for a little while."

Fire Chief: "Ohhhh-kay…"

Now, I have no idea if that's what is going on in this situation. I would actually doubt it, because they declared a state of emergency pretty quickly. But most localities are pretty reluctant to declare that they need help, because to them it is a loss of control, and when faced with that breakover point (where they can't control it, but don't want to release it), that's when the chaos thickens. I actually wrote a paper a number of years ago on why local fire departments won't develop plans or call for help when they need it.

So let's cut to the chase. Feel free to read the earlier article. Feel free to hunt down any other number of articles I have written on the subject. But while the dates have changed, the situation has not. The system for deploying emergency response assets around the country, while not perfect, is better than it used to be. And the situation is improving. But if you are just dying to go somewhere and help out, instead of piling into the family roadster and hiking out for the unknown, instead, determine what equipment and apparatus you can send somewhere, decide who you will send, identify their capability using relatively well-known recommendations out there, and get with your state to find out where you can list your resource through mutual aid agreements. Do this ahead of time and when the time comes, if your services are needed, they will call you.

Or even better, establish "sister community" arrangements in advance: work with other agencies and communities out there on a special agreement that if your community is impacted, you will call them and likewise, they will call you. Do this with communities who are in other regions or states that permit you to get assets no one else is likely to be drafting from.

The short story is this though: Although the sentiment is appreciated, drama is not something the locals need when chaos has come to call. They need coordinated assistance of the right kind. And they need an asset, not a liability. If you are going to help, go to help, not to add to the problem. And you may not like to hear that, but it's the truth.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on September 14, 2011 • Filed under: leadership • Tagged: angry, asset, Bastrop, brush fire, bystander, change, conflict, credentialing, disaster, education, FEMA, FHZ, fire rescue topics, fire service, Fire SUV, FireEMSBlogs, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, incident command, incident management, leadership, Mick Mayers, NIMS, planning, politics, resources, responder, SC-TF1, South Carolina, TX, TX-TF1, US&R, vision

Here’s Something To Be Mad About

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For all of you who scream insanely when a firefighter is missing his gloves on a Dave Statter video, why don't you get mad about this? This is a paragraph from an AP article featured on FirefighterNation.com.

"Despite the lives at stake, the recommendation to improve radio interoperability for first responders has stalled because of a political fight over whether to allocate 10 MHz of radio spectrum … directly to public safety for a nationwide network, or auction it off to a commercial wireless bidder who would then be required to provide priority access on its network dedicated to public safety during emergencies," says the report, whose authors include 9/11 Commission chairmen Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean.

I distinctly recall the shouts of support from the American public for firefighters everywhere after the Towers fell, and how shocked people were when we let them know that one of our biggest problems is communications interoperability. Then, in 2005, when Katrina blew through, the politicians were adamant that we needed the tools to combat this problem of communications interoperability. And here we are, in 2011 and the politicians still will tell us one thing and do another.

Congress seems to find the time and support to help out their fat cat buddies when times are tough. Banks and corporations get bailed out and corporate big-wigs continue to get record bonuses. In the meanwhile, public servants I work with get lacerated over getting a miniscule pay raises over the last three years, like these firefighters, cops, EMTs, teachers, and city administrators are sitting at home, counting the dough in their offshore accounts and laughing maniacally. Really? And many other people, not just our brothers, are losing benefits, taking furloughs, or worse, losing their jobs altogether.

It makes me sick when I see our politicians sucking up to the ones who shout the loudest on the right or the left while forgetting there are many more of us out here in the middle who are just trying to get by. These are the same individuals with the nerve to take government pensions, government health care, and government paychecks, the whole while saying "government is bloated".

This proposal was meant to make our job safer, to improve our ability to save lives, and to combat disaster in our communities, but instead, our politicians want to continue to discuss the possibility of awarding the block to a commercial wireless company who, of course, stands to make billions off our first responders and probably still give us communications that suck.

If you really want to get mad about something, find a battle worth fighting over. I'm throwing you the ball now, you are supposed to swing at it. Here's one: Call your representatives today and tell them what you think of their continued stalling and their greedy tactics. We need support. This would be the support the politiicans continually promise us when the news cameras are on them and they're hawking their platform on the graves of firefighters, cops and EMTs. It's the same support, of course, that is quickly forgotten when the lobbyists show up and when the big money is up for grabs.

If you don't know who represents you, try this link: ContactingtheCongress.org. It makes it easy for you; there are phone numbers and comment links. Put your money where your mouth is. Or better yet, get some balls and tell your representatives what you think. Your representatives are supposed to be representing you. Instead of taking a few minutes away from your valuable Facebook time posting an anonymous rant against a brother who had a lapse in judgement caught on video, try venting against the real enemies: the political hacks who tell you they support you but can't work together to fund necessary things like fire departments, fire education, and firefighters. Here's a message you can send them: If they want that photo op with dirt on their face, shovel in hand, and helmet on their head, tell 'em they have to earn it first. Support the brotherhood. FTM.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on September 2, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, government, leadership, politics • Tagged: 9-11, AP, change, Commission, communications, congress, customer service, D-Block, education, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, interoperability, Katrina, leadership, management, marketing, Mick Mayers, motivation, opportunity, politics, representative, US&R

Mick’s Maxims: Rules You Can Live By

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"When planning any prank, it is considered a bad idea if the event involves explosives, flammables or combustibles of any form including gases, liquids, or solids, oxidizers, poisons, radioactives, corrosives, or other regulated materials. Keep to materials that don't have a requirement for a material safety data sheet and you should be okay."

"Requirements for any individual to expose a body part in order to do something in your station activities is probably not something you want to be around when the planning or implementation is underway. In fact, anything that could be considered 'criminal conspiracy' should be avoided at all costs."

"When advising civilians on how to thank firefighters, the best advice is baked goods. I suspect there are very few departments out there who approve of tipping, providing tickets to sporting events, or special considerations like that. Food is always good and baked food is even better. And dessert is the best."

"No matter how much that Junior wants you to hang out with them, any interaction between an adult male and a juvenile of either sex that doesn't involve mentoring, coaching, or training is likely to involve jail time."

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on August 28, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, professionalism • Tagged: customer service, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, government, Mick Mayers, Mick's Maxims, motivation, politics, pranks, probie, professionalism, thanks, thought

Crying For Help

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Over the past few days I have seen some news items that really point out the need for more comprehensive mental health assistance. Between the situations with the firefighter threatening his co-workers in Kansas City and the police standoff with ex-Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown at his home near South Bend, the subject seems to come up again and again.

Without a doubt, issues of mental health seem to have always been one of those sensitive issues that no one would talk about. However, there was an article in Sports Illustrated this past week about the Miami Dolphins' Brandon Marshall in which he has been candid about his mental health challenges. His bravery in discussing the subject openly has been refreshing, as it is a message to others who have issues that they are not alone, and that seeking help is not a sign of weakness.

Any admission of mental incapacity is traditionally stigmatized but it really shouldn't be. Mental health problems originate from a number of different sources, but especially now in our nation, everyone is subject to being overwhelmed. The stress that I can personally sense with a number of people I know is higher than I have ever known it to be and I'm positive that anyone reading this probably knows their share of individuals who are struggling as well. Between the roller coaster ride our economy is on, the overwhelming number of jobless, foreclosures, environmental disasters, terrorism, and other world wide concerns, even if you are normally pretty stable, in these times pretty much anything could be the final straw.

We spoke of inordinate stress reactions before in this forum, like back with the massacre in Arizona where a firefighter failed to respond to this incident. There were plenty of people who were quick to judge but had no idea what the basic issues were. I don't even know that we still have all the answers. But while today you may feel like you have a grip on things, tomorrow could be the beginning of the end of your current world. I heard a figure the other day that said that one out of every seven Americans right now is on the food stamp program. I'm watching Dateline NBC as I am writing this, where Lester Holt is doing a piece on three women in Millen, GA and the effect the economic recession is having on this small town.

It's easy to be smug about how good your life is when things are going well. It's easy to think that someone who is having a major crisis should just suck it up, because really, how bad can it be? Well, it is a testament to the maturity level of some of the trolls who prowl the web as to how quick they question someone's integrity because, say, they aren't half the Superman they happen to be. Frankly, I have met some of the individuals who make statements that parallel the "We fight what you fear" mentality and you know, I question their sanity and their ability to fight fire more than anyone who has the courage to admit they need some help.

There is a dividing line between those who need institutional care and those who are in the midst of a crisis. And while the grand arena is "mental health" and I am in no way qualified or knowledgeable to discuss the differences, there is an obvious need for people to be compassionate and understanding, because today's bad day could be tomorrow's nightmare. Don't be so quick to make statements that question someone's dignity just because they have hit a wall. I hope to never face those challenges myself and I hope you don't ever have to either. If you need help, get help. And if you know someone who needs help, be a real leader and do what you can do to compassionately point them in the right direction.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on August 15, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, leadership • Tagged: Arizona, conflict, crisis, customer service, disaster, EMS, FHZ, Fire Critic, Fire Daily, fire rescue topics, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, firefighter, Firefighter Nation, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, Giffords, government, Hilton Head Island, leadership, management, maturity, media, mental health, Mick Mayers, motivation, news, politics, professionalism, refusal, South Carolina, tuscon

An Atmosphere of Growth

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One of my best friends (who happens to be my "B" Shift counterpart) came back from his NFPA Committee meeting (mine was in Baltimore and his was in St. Louis. I'm thinking we need to start doing these in Hawaii). He was telling me that during his travels, he happened to be having a discussion with an airline pilot. I guess the conversation came to the subject of safety and near-miss procedures.

According to this pilot, Chief H said, when there is a landing that isn't perfect, there is a culture of not pointing fingers that encourages the flight crew to report the event, discuss the factors, and to come up with methods to improve their performance. Sounds a lot like a near-miss policy to me, but the difference is that apparently, there is absolutely no resistance to reporting these issues because there is no threat of repercussion.

Now we have the Secret List and the Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System, and in our organization at least, we discuss standard operating guidelines in post-event critiques, but I don't know that those concepts even go as far as what Chief H was suggesting they do in this airline program. To me, it sounds a lot like common sense: instead of focusing on the situation that has already occurred, focus on the events we can fix or those we can grow to recognize and solve, and move forward.

But there is no way this kind of concept can evolve on many of these blogs. Hell, if anything is seen, like a glove missing or God forbid, someone isn't wearing their SCBA, it becomes a litany of what a dumbass the individuals are and how is it that these people are even still fighting fire.

Now while our department is very strict about the use of safety equipment and insuring best practices are followed, it is hardly a slamfest out there. If we see you don't have something, we suggest (pretty strongly) for you to go get it and wear it. This happens pretty rarely because we have squared away people who have been doing this stuff fairly often (with the exception of some of the rookies, of course). But really, we do make mistakes and there's a lot of times we laugh about it because once pointed out, everyone is pretty good about doing the right thing.

I'd hate, however, for someone to take a photograph of us when we rolled up on a scene, however, and someone just so happened to have missed putting a glove on. In the case of a recent fire we had, there was significantly enough fire on the outside to cause the arriving officer to order a transitional attack. His company deployed two lines to the exterior to knock down the rapidly extending fire, which they did without donning masks.

The next due engine stretched an attack line to the front door and using proper PPE, made the knock on the inside. Confined to the two rooms we found burning when we got there, nobody hurt. Nobody was coughing or hacking and honestly, the most difficult part of the evolution was dealing with the mosquitoes. But just on the chance there was a picture taken of those first few seconds, we'd have heard cries of "sissy" and "outdoor firefighter" from half the crowd and angry accustations of unsafe activity and amateurism from the other half.

Instead of showing the world you are the resident expert on firefighting (which I suspect half of the trolls would run crying at the sight of a real fire), why not use what you see on the blogs and posts to learn something from it and instead of sharing your incredible insight with us all, perhaps make some intelligent observations that could help others remember not to make those mistakes. I doubt any of the haters are reading this, so I doubt it will have much impact, but perhaps, maybe it will.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on August 12, 2011 • Filed under: leadership, professionalism, safety • Tagged: airline, best practices, change, customer service, education, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, Hilton Head Island, injury, leadership, management, Mick Mayers, motivation, MVA, MVC, observation, opportunity, pilot, professionalism, research, resources, risk reduction, rules, safety, science, South Carolina, Training, vehicle operation

It’s Official- Our Government Is Broken

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The events of last week have finally spurred my commentary on our political scene. I guess I should say that it wasn't necessarily the events, per se, but the fact that while waiting for my wife to get out of the grocery store after Mass, my 10-year old daughter was asking questions and voicing her frustrations with our elected officials. I'm not pointing fingers; there's plenty of that to go around. But when a fifth grader can perceive the gravity of how flawed our political process is these days, we have major, major problems.

One of the most telling things she pointed out to me as I listened in awe, was that she could realize that we have "leaders" who are more interested in their ability to get re-elected than they are about running our government. I asked Emma where she was getting all this and she indicated that she has been watching the news and overhearing conversations, and it was pretty plain to her that while our representatives are supposed to be working to keep our country great, they instead are spending their days and hours accusing each other of who screwed this mess up.

Here's news for you: you all screwed it up. WE screwed it up. We allowed special interests, the media, and most of all, zealots on both sides of the aisle, to hijack our government. I was listening to something the other day that stated that the Federal Election Commission, which is made up of six individuals appointed by the President and with the "advice and consent of the U.S. Senate", has been pretty much limited to people from either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party for a long time. I tried to look this up to see if I could find if that were true, but did not see it anywhere. However, it isn't surprising to me that it, like so much of our government these days, is about whether you are a Republican or a Democrat.

Likewise, if you want to run for anything more than a local council seat these days, you need to be either a Republican or a Democrat, or plan on coming up with the money yourself. While that might sound like an okay idea, these days, the support for a run at political office requires funding that is grossly out of control. Media gets their cut, through advertising. There are consultants and poll interpreters, and people are needed to print signs and to make phone calls and to chat voters up on the Internet. Since that money has to come from somewhere, there is a certain amount of leverage that donors can exert in order to help a candidate get elected, and anyone who suggests that to be anything else but true is simply delusional.

And if that isn't enough, We, the People, aren't represented by people like us anymore. We are represented by career politicians, ones who have no idea what the cost of a gallon of milk is, or have never had to sweat out their bills themselves. They have people to do these things for them. The amazing healthcare and retirement benefits these federally elected officials get are way out of our league, which is ironic, because these are the same people who have been voting down insurance reform and banking reform. And who is getting stuck in the long run? Us.

Emma pointed out to me a big problem: "Dad," she asked, "So why won't they do the right thing and try to work together?" And I indicated that if they did, they'd likely alienate the people who voted them in there in the first place, and when they went up for re-election they would likely lose. She thought about that a while and said, "I thought you told me that leaders are supposed to make hard decisions sometimes, even if people don't like them afterwards. I thought you told me that leaders have to be brave and try to do what is right for everyone, even if it means that they have to sacrifice?"

I smiled a little, but since I'm not trying to raise a cynic, I explained to her that sometimes people get sidetracked, and even though they may have the best intents, sometimes the decisions are very, very hard. And I told her we need to pray that our leaders make decisions not based on what they gain out of the decision, but based on what is good for the Nation. But I also reminded her that we don't always know what is best, so we have to hope we remain open-minded and willing to work cooperatively, rather than to fight with everyone.

She seemed to like that answer and she was quiet for a while. But while I was putting on a brave face, inside I was wondering, what has become of our government? Why would supposedly mature individuals choose to take our nation to the brink of insolvency, then once done, stand around and point fingers at one another instead of working harder to try to fix this mess? I heard conservative political heads talking this morning about how this situation is President Obama's fault, and I remember (I guess that is a long time ago and hard to remember) that the recession started when President Bush was in office. Back when we had all the problems with the banks and insurance companies, I heard lots of blame going around, but my memory is that the fat cats have been getting fatter for not one, not two, not three, but at least four presidents ago when so much of the financial industry was deregulated. And likewise, there is plenty of pork going around and plenty of waste, but the things that get threatened for cuts are programs like Medicare and Social Security, but I don't hear suggestions like "stop funding for other countries, especially ones who hate us", or "cut funding to try to win the hearts and minds of those who would rather see us dead". Or maybe, "stop providing corporate welfare and get the big businesses to pay their taxes just like small businesses have to".

Our priorities have gone out the window. We, the People, are more interested in who wins "American Idol" than who our elected officials are going to be. The public is so under-informed about what our elected officials actually stand for and they could care less. It's too much trouble to click on individuals than to vote a straight party line because really, what difference is my one vote? If any of you can't see where we are going, we can go ahead and put it into perspective for you. Take the time to write your elected officials and make a suggestion for something you think is important, or in support of legislation that you think will improve our country. The test is actually that I'd be willing to bet that a significant percentage don't even know who their elected officials are.

If you REALLY are a patriot and REALLY care about this country, skip flying the flag on your car and do something really meaningful. Get to know your elected officials and make sure they are actually representing YOU, whatever political party or preference you happen to be. And by know them, I mean, be a total pain in their ass until they realize that they don't represent Acme Chemicals or whomever is hosting that huge fundraiser this weekend, but you, your spouse, and your kids. And call them and e-mail them frequently. If enough people do this, perhaps, just maybe, our officials will finally understand what their jobs are: to act like adults and work together to keep our Nation the greatest in the world.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on August 9, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, leadership, politics, rebellion • Tagged: anonymous, Bush, change, conflict, congress, debt, editor, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, idiot, leadership, letters, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, moron, motivation, nation, Obama, opportunity, politics, professionalism, representative, senate, vision

Not Lovin’ It

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Believe it or not, this post started out a lot longer, but I radically chopped it up and got to the point. And lest you think this blog has gone to the evaluation of restaurants, this is actually a discussion on customer service. So just keep reading and you can catch up later.

By the way, as a quick aside, this photo is of a "Gino's Giant". That has no bearing on the article except that Gino's isn't either of the two Fast Food Joints discussed here. And, of course, as a matter of disclosure, I worked for the Gino's corporation back in high school. But I digress…

There's this giant megacorporation I'll call Fast Food Joint "M". There's another Fast Food Joint we'll refer to as "C". Last week I went into "M"; Between eight people on duty, not a single one, not even the cashier, even acknowledged my existence. They made eye contact, but there was no effort to recognize that a customer was waiting alone at the counter. Ultimately, the cashier shuffled over to the register and looked up; not a "Thanks for coming, what's your order?" or even a grunt. Made my order, which required repeating twice. Then upon getting the order, of course, it was wrong. Returning to the counter, there was one person ahead of me. They were also getting the same treatment, but it was taking even longer. I stood there with my bag, hoping that just one of all of these people would realize, "Hey, we must have made a mistake, let me see what is going on", nope, nothing.

At "C", the place was packed; yet there are five employees. Everyone is hustling, taking orders and turning orders around. The manager is even involved and as customers come up to ask for refills, she is also covering those as well. I am spoken to by several of the employees, asked about my order, and thanked when the order is processed. But it takes a little longer than expected, as it appears they are training one of the people in back. The bag comes and it is correct, but I get an apology anyway.

Fast food management doesn't seem to encounter anything like this level of service at any "M" I have ever been to. At almost every "C" I have visited, however, I sense that they have a higher purpose and they pride themselves on what is turned out. At "M", there is plenty of hype from the corporate HQ and there are expensive promos and new restaurant styles. At "C", the store is nice enough, but the focus is on polite manners, courteous service, and good food. Personally, the experience at "C" is much more enjoyable.

I have gone to visit fire stations and when I walked in, other firefighters have stared at me like I was from Mars, but none ever took the time to ask me what they could help me with, or why I was there, or even to just say "Hi". I have been in some memorable houses where I have been given gold plated tours of the facilities, coffee, offered dinner, and all before I even identified myself as a firefighter. I realize that this last situation is pretty unreasonable, but I don't even expect that; I just ask that you address my being there, ask if there is anything you can help me with, and engage me if I happen to show an interest or have a question.

The "M" experience is not one I would ever tolerate in any of my stations. The "C" experience is more like it. The last time I checked the news, we, that is, the collective fire service, have a problem with getting the things we need to do our jobs. Our staffs are being cut, stations and companies are being closed, and funding chopped. Actually, the only thing that seems to be increasing for municipal fire departments is taxpayer frustration at what is considered an overfunded concept, coupled with what is perceived as having no tangible benefit.

Based on my consumer comparison between "M" and "C", if these were fire departments, which of these do you think I might choose to fund? The surly, uncooperative, and overstaffed "M"? Or the pleasant, courteous, and efficient "C"? You can polish your image all day long with fancy marketing and spiffy stores, but ultimately, if your own people don't get the concept, you are wasting your time and effort. As leaders, we need to focus on improving the attitude of our people. The culture of your organization, if you want to survive these lean times, should be focused on improving attitudes and making "service with a smile" the norm, not the exception.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on August 6, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, Command & Leadership, Funding & Staffing, leadership, Training & Development • Tagged: change, complacent, conflict, customer service, economy, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, FireRescue1.com, Gino's, Gino's Giant, government, Hilton Head Island, I'm Lovin' It, leadership, management, marketing, Mick Mayers, motivation, municipal funding, opportunity, planning, politics, privatization, professionalism, resources, restaurant, South Carolina, tea party, vigilance, vision

The Middle Way

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"Reforming public education, cutting property taxes, fixing adult and child protective services and funding our budget can all occur when Democrats and Republicans engage in consensus and cooperation – not cynicism and combat." - Gov. Rick Perry

I never thought I'd find myself quoting Gov. Perry, but it reflects the idea of The Middle Way, especially in this time of conflict and anger. There are many ideas that we can all agree upon and that we all hold sacred; ideas that should bond us, unite us, and cause us to realize that while we are individuals, we are also one people, and we should be working together to promote peace and prosperity, not for ourselves alone, but for all.

Finding consensus does not call upon us to abandon our values and our beliefs, but to see the issues as affecting more than just our own little world and working together to coexist. I observe with little humor the anger with zealots and terrorists in this world, finding it contradictory that our own leaders can't see that zealotry in their own positions. The unwillingness by many to consider alternative views on the world's problems are simply hypocritical. I have written many times before about the need for understanding, and even appreciation, of the culture of the adversary. This isn't a call for leaders to embrace the ideas of the opposition. It is a call for leaders to be willing to understand that their approach to solving the problems of today may not be the only approach, nor might that approach be what is best for society as a whole.

Understanding that our personal values are not exclusive to the needs of the many is an important step toward making grown-up decisions and not simply drawing a line in the sand and saying "I've got mine". Even when dealing with something that some people hold as unapproachable, like religious beliefs, must be qualified by realizing that at some point in our existence, perhaps before our own lives, but certainly in the history of Mankind, our own beliefs were likely considered heresy or blasphemy. We must realize that at some point, our beliefs were cause for persecution somewhere on this globe. And somehow, somewhere, we or our ancestors had to make hard decisions about standing for what was right and what was wrong, and learning how to live with others to continue forward. Learning how to live with others requires the decision to accept what we can and cannot change, and create equalibrium so we can tolerate that existence, or begin to find a way to create separation so that our existence is tolerable.

Unless you have all the power to force change in the hearts and minds of others (and you don't), you will have to understand that consensus and acceptance is necessary for peace. That understanding is required for both sides of every issue, unless the issue is incompatible with existence, such as at the point of a gun. In that case, you may see outward expressions of acceptance, but don't be surprised when the pot boils over later.

Understanding consensus is an important part of leading. If you can't help others to understand that and to bring them together on serious issues, and you continue to refuse any efforts toward working together, you can reassure your position to be under attack the moment you let your guard down. As any good tactician will point out for you, while you may not immediately have the resources to combat your opposition, when the center of gravity changes and the opportunity presents itself, to not attack is folly. So to be a leader who thinks that he was able to shove change down someone's throat and to not expect retaliation is to be entirely delusional.

If you really want peace and understanding, work toward those efforts and help to educate those who oppose you, while understanding their beliefs and appreciating those values as well. We may not always agree, but we can be respectful and we can work toward living together and sharing the things we do hold important together.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on August 3, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, leadership, Training & Development • Tagged: acceptance, appreciative inquiry, change, conflict, consensus, culture, education, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, government, Hilton Head Island, immigration, international, Joint Forces Quarterly, law, leadership, listening, management, marketing, Mick Mayers, Montgomery McFate, motivation, opportunity, personality, politics, relations, Rick Perry

Giving As Much As We Have

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"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." – Arthur Ashe

The facts are not in yet from Asheville, yet I can say this with certainty. A man, just like any of us, woke up the other morning and got ready to go to work. He probably went through his morning routine like we all do, kissed the wife and kids, drove to work, and reported in. He likely threw his gear on the rig and checked out his equipment, without a thought that in a few hours he would be gone.

As the Bible says, we do not know the day nor the hour. We need to prepare as if every day were the day. But our choice to serve isn't for the money or the fame or the worship as heroes. We know these things aren't the reason we do the job. And as Chief Croker said, the greatest act of heroism is when we don that badge; after that, it is what we are expected to do. Hopefully we are never called to sacrifice our lives in the line of duty, but God fobid, if that event occurs, we should make that sacrifice only to save another.

Continue to reach out to these folks and to the families and friends of our other departed brethren and keep them in your prayers.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 30, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, News • Tagged: death, EMS, FHZ, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, government, leadership, lessons, LODD, management, Mick Mayers

Zen Zone #12

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The dichotomy of being "part of the gang" and being the leader the other day reminded me of a story: A student sought a teacher to instruct on the path to enlightenment. When the teacher agreed and indicated a meeting time, the student informed the teacher that he had a conflict, as he had another appointment with another teacher on that day.

The teacher then told the student he could not instruct him. "If you are hunting rabbits", the master told him, "and chase two, you can be sure to catch none."

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 27, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, leadership • Tagged: backlash, boss, bravery, buddy, career, change, clown, conflict, customer service, economy, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, hypocrisy, integrity, leadership, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, opportunity, planning, politics, professionalism, public trust, resources, South Carolina, virtue, vision, volunteer, voter

Stopping the Loss

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I stopped at an article on NPR.com to see if the article on "An Unrepentant Charlie Sheen" would bear fruit, in regard to a fresh idea. While his behavior has become like watching a train wreck in progress, I think there are lessons to learn from the leadership side of things, especially in dealing with difficult employees.

Lo and behold, a quote from the author, Linda Holmes, describing the actions of the management team for Two and A Half Men. From the article: "They [the management team] voluntarily ripped a key piece of machinery out of one of the most successful money factories on television. Things actually got that bad."

That's not "#winning" folks. That's stopping the hemorrhage. At what point in your wildly successful organization does the presence of a key individual become so dysfunctional that you just have to say, "Enough"? Conversely, I know people who say they would work for any psychopath Chief if the money were right. But there comes a time when a line must be drawn, as has allegedly occurred in Weirton, WV, according to a post by FireGeezer.com.

It's tragic that there are people who are "in charge" who exhibit this kind of behavior. While this individual may have some other issues we don't know about yet, I know of ex-chiefs of departments who have fought employees, threatened them, or just acted like total sociopaths. I know business "leaders" who act similarly to their employees. Years ago, I had the opportunity to work for one of those psychopaths I refer to and frankly, I took the inconsistent, hypercritical, hypocritical direction for a period of time, then ultimately, parted ways. I have always been considered a pretty decent employee, if I say so myself, but this guy made no sense to me whatsoever and I knew I could do a better job for someone who was a little more balanced. So I left. Ultimately, so did he, but that's a story for another time.

I tell you all the time about leadership and mentoring. I am positive that even as a buck recruit you can influence and impress others where you can in fact, be considered a leader through positive contributions. But there are just some people who happen to rise to power and are either corrupted on the way, or didn't have a good sense of values to begin with, who should simply not be in a leadership position.

And forgive me for saying so, but there are people who may have all the right intentions, but simply don't have the chops: they may lack command presence, or conversely, may be too overbearing. But I can work with someone if they are pointed in the right direction and are willing to allow me to help them go in that direction. But if we are diametrically opposed in our vision and our values, someone is going to have to change or go. Unfortunately, in some cases, it might be the forces on the side of "good" having to leave because they can not positively influence the direction the organization is going in. And no amount of money, fame, or awards will change that.

When you have just started out somewhere, it may be immediately apparent that this isn't the place for you and cutting your losses can be a little easier. But aside from the investment you have made in an organization, when you have been in the business long enough that you have built up some chips and got your resume positioned correctly, it makes the decision tougher because you really do believe you can turn things around, if you happen to get the chance.

Successful warriors are so because they choose their battles wisely. They seek advantage in terrain, timing, and resources. They attack when they see weakness and they withdraw when they sense resistance. Just as a skilled butcher doesn't chop through the bones lest he damage his knife, he finds the joints and cuts through those at the weakest points, making the job easier and extending the life of his blade. So should we seek our opportunities to advance and withdraw, to put forth ideas to improve the service we provide, or back off until the timing is right, or we have the right analysis of our idea, or we have the resources to fund the concept. But when those elements aren't ever made available, a decision has to be made.

As I asked earlier, at what point in your wildly successful organization do things become so dysfunctional that you just have to say, "Enough"?

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 21, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, leadership, Training & Development • Tagged: anger, article, CBS, change, Charlie Sheen, chief, Chuck Lorre, conflict, consideration, customer service, education, empathy, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, idiot, inconsiderate, inconsistent, leadership, Linda Holmes, Lionsgate, management, marketing, Mick Mayers, moron, motivation, NPR, officer, opportunity, politics, professionalism, risk reduction, South Carolina, Training, Two and A Half Men, understanding, winning

Zen Zone #8

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I could make a case for purchasing snow removal equipment for our community based upon the "Blizzard of 1989". We had six inches of snowfall on sunny Hilton Head Island over the Christmas weekend. I could put chains on our apparatus. I could even purchase a snow blower for my home. Realistically, though, we never had such a significant snowfall before that day, nor have we seen it in over twenty years since.

We have to carefully balance risk versus the likelihood of occurrence. Of course, if it snows and I calculated that we didn't need snow removal gear, some will be quick to point out that I have no idea of what I'm doing. If I buy snow removal gear, those same individuals will be quick to point out again that I have no idea what I am doing. There are those who understand and there are those who do not. If you are going to be the Chief, it helps to have thick skin. But in the long run, do what is best for your customers; making decisions based on observation and experience is the key.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 19, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, leadership • Tagged: backlash, boss, bravery, career, change, chief, conflict, customer service, decision, economy, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, hypocrisy, integrity, leadership, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, opportunity, planning, politics, professionalism, public trust, resources, risk, risk management, snow, South Carolina, thick skin, virtue, vision, voter, zen zone

Buddy or Boss?

3 comments

Occasionally in a new batch of officers, that dilemma is brought up. "How can I be that officer I always looked up to, yet not alienate my friends?" Well, here's the down and dirty; It can never be the same again. A friendship is built upon a foundation of equality and trust. And depending on the level of leadership you happen to be in, there are differences between the leader and the follower that transcend the ability to appreciate strategic vs. tactical decision making. On a day to day basis, this relationship may not be an issue. In the long run, however, I can guarantee you that you will be required to make a decision in the best interest of the whole that isn't going to sit well with a particular outlook, and that friendship will undergo some serious challenges.

I have heard all the arguments. While you may be saying, "I'm currently friends with my supervisor and everything is fine", my response is that if this is the case, you are doing well. Many bosses say they can remain objective, and fail miserably. If your "friend/boss" would still call you in the office and read you the riot act just like he or she would to anyone else when you deserve it, then perhaps you are onto something. And if you have that kind of relationship with your officer, I think it is great. But it's like I have alluded to in a number of posts, these three simple rules of supervisor/subordinate relations must come to bear:

I am your boss.
If we can maintain that relationship and we can both be objective when it comes time to be, great, I'll be your friend too.
If not, see Rule 1.

If you are the informal leader of a group and suddenly, you are the boss, it is going to put an amazing strain on your relationships with these individuals unless you are willing to stand back from the emotion and do your job.

Let's go back to a little comparison and contrast. Think about being a parent of young children. You can be a parent and make the occasionally tough decisions that leave your children angry with you and while it hurts, you know you are doing the right thing. But you can't be their friend and do that: friends are equals, contemporaries, peers. If you were to approach a sticky issue with your child as a friend, do you really believe for a second that they will respect your authority?

If you are a truly enlightened leader, the whole point in having authority is to use it to lead, coach, educate, and direct others. If you don't believe that to be true then maybe you should take a long look at your relationships in that regard. That's not to say, again, that you can't be a friend to your child. As individuals mature emotionally, they recognize logic and the difference between right and wrong. They have experiences that permit you to engage them and they can learn on their own. But in dealing with those who are ambivalent about the difference, or have immature tendencies, or simply lack experience in understanding the difference, if you act as a friend rather than as a parent, don't be overly surprised if your children make the wrong choices because you were overly permissive in the attempt to be their friend.

I have myself been guilty of allowing a friendly relationship to cloud my view of how an individual is performing, or in some cases, even in how I respond to their actions when I give them news they don't care to hear, or challenge them with a task they think is objectionable. I have a tremendous amount of respect for team cohesion and I understand and encourage cohesion as a force multiplier. But there is a delicate balancing point between cohesion and fraternization. In an emotionally mature adult, the lines can blur a little more because individuals can process the logic. In the less mature adult, sometimes what seems to be logical is instead addressed with a great deal of emotion.

As a boss, you will have to make decisions that are occasionally not well recieved by the troops, especially if you are the one who is pushing for change in organizational culture. As we have also said repeatedly, change is not something that comes easily in a lot of cases. If it were, it would happen all the time and without resistance. Consider the fact that you can be an honest, fair, and educated boss that people like to work with, have a lot of respect for, and consider a "friend". But ultimately, when the hard part of the job comes into view, part of having integrity as a leader is reaffirming to the troops that you will always act in the best interest not of the organization or the personnel, but in the interest of the customers you serve. If you can do that, no decision you make will be wrong, and people may disagree, but will have to do so respectfully, because service to the customers is the ultimate objective.

Do yourself a favor as well as your subordinates. Choose what is best to serve the customers you are charged with providing for.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 16, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, Command & Leadership, leadership • Tagged: backlash, boss, bravery, buddy, career, change, clown, conflict, customer service, economy, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, fun, government, Hilton Head Island, hypocrisy, integrity, leadership, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, opportunity, planning, politics, professionalism, public trust, resources, South Carolina, virtue, vision, volunteer, voter

It Is So Smoky That…

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This has certainly been a summer of smoke. While the Western and Southwestern parts of our nation seem to always have a number of big wildland fires going on, I don't know for sure what their lingering smoke issues might be. Here in the Southeast, the smoke from smoldering fires in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina seems to settle in overnight then disappear when the wind shifts.

It is so smoky that:

Upon arrival at a cardiac call the other day, the first arriving company announced "smoke showing".
The osprey have found that they enjoy the taste of smoked fish.
My children have learned how to blow smoke rings.
We can do smoke drills in the bay; just need to open up the bay doors.
Mowing the lawn constitutes work in the IDLH and requires two-in two-out.
I had a crew exit a working fire and had to re-don their SCBA to go into REHAB.

It could be worse: it could smell like Jakarta. But the good news is that this is NOT auto exhaust and smog, or the smell of burning garbage, or even better, roast tire. So if you have your own observation, feel free to share. Otherwise, have a great day and thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 11, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, humor • Tagged: brush, brushfire, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, Florida, Georgia, Hilton Head Island, humor, map, Mick Mayers, NOAA, North Carolina, smoke, South Carolina, vacation, weather, wildfire, wildland fire

The Prankster As Leader – It Doesn’t Work

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As a follow up to some issues I discussed on my last post, I submit to you this case study: I have never called our Dispatch to have anyone sent to a false alarm. Years ago, however, I was prompted about the crew on one of our medic units at another station complaining all day about being the next on rotation for any out-of-town transports. When I called the station to ask a question on another matter, the officer asked me to call back and inform the medic crew that one of these transports were getting ready to go. Ultimately, when the prank was revealed, everyone had a good laugh.

A few shifts later, we did end up with one of these transports and the same crew was back on rotation. I called the station to let the crew know what was going on. I hung up from that and went back to my computer. After a few minutes, I still hadn't heard the medic unit check in on the radio. When I called the station to find out what was going on, I'll bet you know what the answer was. That day I learned a lesson the hard way. The lesson: Don't give someone an order and then, when something unusual comes up, expect your orders to be followed without question.

Individuals who become supervisors, and subsequently leaders, must understand that when they play pranks like that, the result is that people don't see you as credible. I do have examples of officers who have been able to be pranksters and be credible, but they are VERY far and few between. In retrospect, a friend and colleague who I consider one of the best officers I have ever worked with was one of those. But my observation is that he had the ability to pull off pranks that didn't require his active involvement. And while never calling attention to his ability to pull a fast one, he wasn't the class clown either.

Conversely, there are those who when they pull off the joke, they have to be in the middle of it. This obviously detracts from their respectability. They are not seen as credible. The crew just sees them as an extension of themselves, with some added paperwork responsibilities. When it comes to playtime, these characters are right there in the mix, setting someone up for a "bunny tail", throwing someone else's car keys into a bowl of water bound for the freezer, or throwing a bucket of cold water over top of the shower door on some unsuspecting boot. And what's even worse is that when the officer engages in this behavior, it also means that to be a good sport, you must be okay with being the mark in some of the practical jokes. Otherwise, the argument is that you can dish it out, but can't take it, and depending on how you react, you may very well end up looking foolish, which certainly isn't going to do anything for your respect.

There are ways to not be a prankster and not be seen as a tight-ass either. We have a long standing "tradition" of wetting individuals with ice cold buckets of water when they get promoted. The day I got the official letter, I overheard some of the crew debating the wisdom of wetting me, since I don't engage in that nonsense. But when all the work was done that day, I finished up a report, walked out into the kitchen and said, "Okay, if you're going to do this, let's do it and get it over with."

Each of the other six guys at Station 6 that day got a shot at pouring ice water on a newly minted chief officer (see the picture). I'll admit it was cold and that it took my breath away. But I sat there and when they exhausted their last bucket and they were all standing around, I shook the ice off my shirt and stood up. I then asked, "You guys done?" They all acknowledged that they were, I simply said "Thank You", went inside to my rack and changed into a dry uniform. Then I went back to my office to finish up my evening reports with a smile and a business as usual attitude.

Likewise, if you have that kind of attitude and someone does take a chance to pull one over on you, the best bet is to maintain a sense of humor about it, but remind the entire crew that it isn't smart to prank the chief. I've said something like, "Are you sure turning the heater on high in the chief's car is a good career move?", which gets some light laughter, but everyone gets the point. Later you can take the individual aside and actually use it to discuss this very same lesson here with them, so that perhaps they learn from it for when they become an officer.

When you are a leader, it requires you to not take yourself too seriously. But if you are busy dreaming up new practical jokes rather than dreaming up new training scenarios, the likelihood that you will be given the respect you desire as an officer is going to be slim. Officers who engage in practical joking with their subordinates are only asking for reciprocation; the biggest downside is that reaction may come at the time you least want it to. Best to leave the funny stuff to the kids and stick to being the responsible adult.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 5, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, leadership, News, Training & Development • Tagged: backlash, bravery, career, change, clown, Command & Leadership, conflict, customer service, economy, education, EMS, EMS Topics, FHZ, fire rescue topics, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, fun, Funding & Staffing, government, Hilton Head Island, leadership, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, news, officer, opportunity, planning, politics, professionalism, public trust, resources, risk reduction, South Carolina, Training & Development, vision, volunteer, voter

Grow Up

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Let me begin by saying, I am the number one fan of Animal House. I would never do anything to disparage the film or any of its characters. And I am not being Dean Wormer here. But it's time to put that little part of our lives behind us for a moment, although it is a part of me I can never quite leave behind. So here's a little test.

Consider the events in Holyoke, MA over the past week or so. If the action you are about to take would cause undue embarrassment to you or your organization, or your family and loved ones, would you still do it? If your action was the cause of something that makes the front page, or the national news, and it's not something you are proud of, would you do it? If the action you are about to take would invoke criminal or civil penalties against you, would you still do it?

What happened here was a very innocent practical joke on the part of an interim chief. I feel badly for him and I really don't believe this chief to be an idiot (as some have stated) or a criminal (as others have), or even a bad guy. I don't even know the man. But what he did, especially in the anti-public servant climate within which we are currently suffering, was not exercising good judgment.

There is nothing about this incident that suggests that anything happened here other than an attempt at a little levity, albeit at the expense of violating the laws about calling in false alarms. Am I judging the man or his actions? No. I don't know all the facts, although they seem pretty apparent on their face. Do I understand the mentality? Yes. I have moved a fire engine parked at the supermarket to the other side of the parking lot along with a few other practical jokes. But the next blog post will be all about THAT angle regarding leadership, so stay tuned. I don't believe anything other than that this was a practical joke gone wrong.

But in light of this incident, maybe instead of testing someone's physical fitness, their aptitude for reading a sentence, or the many other things we should be testing and aren't, maybe we should put at the top of the priority list, a test for maturity. Because other than the only test that seems to be important in some departments these days – that would be the ability to fog a mirror – we insist on knowing all these important things about how much someone can lift, or how fast they can run stairs, or how fast can they calculate 2+2 and we miss out on what seems to be the heart of our industry's problem. If you haven't picked up on it, that would be a test for whether or not the individual we are about to hire or promote is capable of objectively separating their inner teenager from the responsibilities of adulthood.

Again, lest you think this is all about pranksterism, there are actually many examples of where a certain level of maturity is important, and why it's not a good idea to have people associate with us that think it is okay to video someone lighting fireworks out of your ass. The public perception these days is swinging toward the "bunch of overgrown kids pretending to be important" side and away from the "upstanding citizen who is here to keep us safe" side. While some of our colleagues might not see that as being important, the public, when choosing to spend their hard earned dollars, are really not interested in sending money in the direction of waste and frivolous behavior. They want to be reassured that the individuals to whom they are entrusting their tax dollars are responsible, thoughtful, and perceptive. People who are making the news wire for setting fires, calling in prank false alarms, stealing from treasuries, and any other number of violations of society, are NOT considered as being responsible, thoughtful or perceptive. In fact, if this is news to you, haven't you probably ALSO been the ones complaining because the public doesn't love you anymore? Acting like you are still a member of Delta Tau Chi is not okay when you pin bugles on your collar (and I am the number one Animal House fan, remember?) Sophomoric behavior is best left to sophomores.

There are a number of us who are frustrated with the eroding public trust that comes about when certain participants in our field act like a bunch of day care refugees. The failure for some to consider the ripple effect their actions have on others is incredible. We are in a real struggle to define the fire and emergency services. There are daily reports of communities downsizing departments, "renting" them out (that would be privatizing them), or simply reallocating funds that would have been spent on fire and emergency services to other competing interests. We are at war here for our very existence, and every negative report is used against us, implicitly or not, to give rationale as to why we (fire and emergency services) shouldn't get the support we need.

There is no need to comment that I'm sucking the fun out of the job. Right now, we need to be working harder than ever to save our standing in the community, be it as a career or volunteer professional. We definitely don't need our own people shooting our efforts in the feet. Fun is when we can come out of a good worker safely, with a smile on our face because we did a good job; or high-fiving in the nurse's lounge because we just pulled an asystolic patient out of their nose-dive and they are sitting up talking in Bed 2. Fun is when we are on the training ground joking around with each other while resting after a particularly challenging evolution.

Grow up. Fun doesn't come unless you earn it. It's not fun being a loser. You can have fun all day long, but in the end, if you haven't accomplished anything, you're just one more clown among many. When you are truly professional, you can work hard and have fun at it too.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on July 2, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, leadership, News, Training & Development, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: animal house, backlash, bravery, career, change, clown, conflict, customer service, economy, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, fun, government, Hilton Head Island, hypocrisy, leadership, loser, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, opportunity, planning, politics, professionalism, public trust, resources, risk reduction, South Carolina, virtue, vision, volunteer, voter

You Can Quote Me On That (Before 2010)

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I was driving down the road the other day and thinking, you know, I too could have a list of quotes, just like the real writers have. So in the interest of filling up a page of useless knowledge, I went back to FHZ from September of 2008 to December of 2009 and I also threw in a few notable statements I made way back on the old Firehouse Forums as a member of the IACOJ, before some of you were born, I think.

Now, I do read a lot and listen to podcasts, etc. and I will check my quotes with a deep internet search to make sure I haven't stolen someone else's ideas, but I'm pretty sure I said this stuff at one time or another. I also left off anything I paraphrased (I hope) and added some stuff that exists in unpublished posts (there are a few dozen of those). Believe it or not, we here at FHZ have standards. They are low, but we do have standards.

So here you are, from the beginning of FHZ, some of the more memorable ones:

"When I give you an order, I want to see it done, or your dead body where you died trying to do it."
"Never eat more than your mask can hold."
"I am not your friend, I am your boss. If you want to be friends, that's okay, but that doesn't change the fact that I am your boss first."
"The company officer is the designated adult supervision in the station. Act like it."
"There won't be a group hug at the end of this. I don't do Kumbaya."
"When I call for a resource I'm gonna give you type and kind. If I call for a Lincoln-ful of Panamanians, I don't care where you got it, just give me the closest one."
"Let's put this in terms you can understand: Confined space rescue is nothing more than HAZMAT on a rope."
"Being a truckie requires resourcefulness. You are presented with a problem no one else knows how to fix and you fix it with what you brought to the party or what you can swipe. After that, it's all magic."
"Individuals have given themselves the freedom to make poor decisions, then be let off the hook because we 'shouldn't judge them', or because their mommy didn't hug them as a child, or whatever the victim story is this week." (Okay, I just used that one again the other day).
"The base cause of indignity is usually the result of inconsiderate behavior." (Oh, and that one is new. But I liked it).
"Conflict in life is inevitable. Conflict escalation and intractability is not." (Alright, that one is new as well. Back to the old stuff).
"There's enough ugly going on around us right now without our own people bringing it down on us."
"Each of us should be serving as a positive example of how to do the job, volunteer or career, and without acting like a bunch of amateurs and whackers."
"The important part in our lives, really, isn't necessarily what we can fill up our minds with at every moment, but about creating space to let more in."
"There are a few things that you should raise the stakes for, like your faith, your family, and your country. But when faced with an unwinnable scenario and a profound lack of resources, sometimes it is best to save what you can save and live to fight on another day."
"Where t = tempo, r = resources and f = frustration: increasing t multiplied by decreasing r = exponential increase in f."
"The taxpayers in your community ultimately decide what level of service they want. If they are insistent that giving you no resources is okay, then they have to be educated to what extent that investment will reap disaster. Risk is proportionate to return."
"There are other sides to every argument that get squashed by the rush of the ADD crowd to comment. Don't fall into the trap of the unenlightened. Think before you post."
"I can think of no rational society that thinks it is okay to screw the disadvantaged for the benefit of the privileged. Taking advantage of the less fortunate is simply bullying."
"When we use the phrase 'customer service", if that's not appealing to you, try saying it like this: 'doing what is right for our neighbors and the people who visit and work in our community'. That should be a little more pleasant."
"Successful coaches match schemes to personnel, not vice-versa."
"If you are going to successfully implement change in your organizational culture, there should be a reluctance to be where you were and a desire to get where you are going."
"I'm pretty sure that when my ticket , I'm not going to be quoted saying something profound, poetic, or heroic. It is likely going to be something that can't be repeated around children or the faint-hearted."
"If we really want our industry to recognized as professional, it requires consistent conduct that is professional."
'Legitimate power, in the sense of leading others, is limited to the amount of leverage the followers will permit."
"Tansformative leadership requires commitment, honesty to self, and an understanding of the world. It's yours if you can embrace change, open yourself up to it, and set the example to others."
"Our business is too dangerous to leave the teaching to amateurs."
"Perhaps if you guys are going to fight fire like you are in the '70's, you should be paid like we were then too."
"If as a team, you can't agree on the destination, someone needs to get out of the car. Ultimately, getting to the destination requires assessment, negotiation, understanding, cooperation, and ends with commitment."
"More often than I care to, my 'command presence' comes out at inopportune times, like when I am talking to my wife (she doesn't like it), my kids (they're not crazy about it either), or my colleagues (they probably think I'm insufferable anyway)."
"If you fail to illustrate a clear picture of who is in charge, someone else will come in and fill that drawing in for you."
"Sometimes the best we can do is to pin it down to the neighborhood of origin, if that's what was burning when we got there."

Since at some point perhaps I'll add another page of these for the next years, if one of the sentences I uttered strikes a chord with you, point it out to me and I'll add it. I'm all about customer service. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on June 29, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, Command & Leadership, customer service, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Safety & Health, Fires, Funding & Staffing, leadership, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, motivation, officership, planning, politics, rebellion, Rescues, revolution, Special Operations, Training & Development • Tagged: change, conflict, credentialing, customer service, disaster, economy, education, EMS, FEMA, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Forums, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, IACOJ, incident command, incident management, kind, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, NIMS, officer, opportunity, politics, professionalism, quotes, resources, risk reduction, safety, South Carolina, team, Training, type, vision

The Antidote To Road Rage

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Being a reader of FHZ requires you to maintain an open mind. Even if you don't agree with both sides of the issues here, understanding the contrary view permits perspective and in some cases, deeper understanding of the root causes of things we consider trouble. For an example, consider the recent road rage incident that seems to have piqued a considerable amount of interest. While I in no way sanction what was done, nor think it was a mature or acceptable way to handle the situation, realize that in many cases, feelings of frustration manifest themselves in angry, retaliatory behavior.

Who among us has not experienced anger at the inconsiderate moron who fails to pull to the right when we are well behind them, permitting us a free lane on the way to some emergency? Even in your personal automobile, how about the idiot who not only signals they are going to take a right turn, but then shoots across to two lanes of traffic to make a left? Like he couldn't just make the wrong turn, make a u-turn, and make things right?

Individuals have given themselves the freedom to make poor decisions, then be let off the hook because we shouldn't "judge" them, or because their mommy didn't hug them as a child, or whatever victim story they happen to choose this week. The reality is that while reacting negatively to those who act in error is not acceptable, neither is the act that sparked the reaction in the first place. Perhaps if our nation's law enforcement would start hauling off people who run red lights; who make erratic and unanticipated turns without use of a signal; those who drive too slowly in the passing lane, who fly down the shoulder to cut to the head of a merging line, or those who fail to pull to the right when an emergency vehicle is asking for the right of way, perhaps you might see a considerable decrease in road rage.

The base cause of indignity is usually the result of inconsiderate behavior. Someone flaunts the rules and disregards the normal values of society, and the enraged individual is angry at the injustice of the situation. I would be willing to bet that if anyone could write a ticket (not that I am an advocate of that), you'd see a lot less road rage.

Why? Because if there were a non-violent method of resolving the conflict, I would be willing to bet that people would take that option. The problem is that there is no resolution. The enraged individual feels as if there is no way the situation will be resolved, they feel the injustice of the situation, and they act out in frustration, sometimes regardless of the consequences.

Now let's take this a step further. Think of a non-driving situation in which you were pushed to the edge…Was this reaction a result of powerlessness, of frustration evolved from conflict in which you were victimized and felt no method to resolve your issue? Perhaps it was an automatron manning the phone at your credit card company, or the cashier at Wally World, or the cable guy who doesn't show up when he says he will. You percieve a lack of power to change the situation and that lack of control becomes overwhelming. Over time, you may even be willing to act on it, in such a possibility, even inappropriately.

So what is the solution for our version of road rage? Education? Humorous attempts to enlighten the inconsiderate sometimes work, as in this fine example from the Tuscaloosa Fire Department. Other attempts like this one from Eugene, Oregon and this one from an agency I can't read on their final slide aren't as memorable (IMHO) but still get the message across.

But the more in-depth solution would be for individuals to maintain less distrations in their vehicles (phones, texting, and radios come to mind), and more overall awareness (simply paying attention to the fact that you SHARE the road with others). And likewise, the way for you to avoid conflict that cascades into an intractable situation would be to step back for a second and understand the other person's perspective, and recognize that your escalation of the incident, although it may very well be warranted, is pushing you and the other party toward a battle that someone is going to lose.

Conflict in life is inevitable. Conflict escalation and intractability is not. Be one of the first on your block to be the voice of sanity and work to understand, not to react.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on June 26, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, Command & Leadership, customer service, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Nation, leadership, Media Relations, motivation, politics, professionalism, rebellion, safety, Training & Development, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: anger, change, conflict, consideration, customer service, Dave Statter, driving, education, empathy, EMS, eugene, FHZ, finger, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, go right, government, Hilton Head Island, idiot, inconsiderate, leadership, management, marketing, Mick Mayers, moron, motivation, officer, opportunity, politics, professionalism, red lights, risk reduction, road rage, safety, South Carolina, STAT911, tips, Training, tuscaloosa, understanding

A Belated Father’s Day Tribute

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I probably could have posted this on Father's Day, but after the events I experienced this week, it's really good to see it in context. I continue to believe that being a father is a very difficult situation to be in sometimes. The other day, after being challenged by my daughter Caroline’s afternoon (and evening) at the ER, I was dealing with that and put the other two out on the deck to play. We have a large kiddie pool, since I don’t have the time, money, or patience to deal with a real pool. At one point, I noticed my oldest daughter Emma walking around with one of two Blackberry phones that were on our kitchen counter. These were phones previously used by my wife's company, and she wanted me to extract the data from them, especially pictures she had on one of them. Seeing this, I told Emma that they weren’t toys and to put them back, but being a little distracted dealing with Caroline, didn’t follow up on things.

Later that evening, while tucking the girls into bed, my wife found the second of the two Blackberries in my youngest daughter Honora’s bed. The screen was waterlogged and upon opening the battery door, it was full of water. In short order we found the other Blackberry similarly waterlogged. The good news is that the children are still alive. Hopefully we are not out $750 worth of phones and a whole bunch of important work pictures. The phones will be sitting in rice for a few days and the culprits sitting in room restriction for a few days as well.

All children get into mischief and I weigh the situation against the likelihood that it wasn’t intentional and maybe someday soon we will laugh about it. But the issue is that a certain amount of discipline must be leveraged to provide an effective and memorable lesson. The discipline must be appropriate for the situation, and of course, past infractions have to be counted. They haven’t been very cooperative lately, so this really upped the ante. And while a spank on the rear might handle a quick tantrum or something like that, punishment for an event like this must deliver a life message and spanking won't cut it. So room restriction it is, and while they are there, we want the rooms spotless.

But as a parent, in this case, the effort is difficult. My wife is going out of town for the weekend and I had some fun things I wanted to do with the girls. I could easily change the discipline but what message would that send? I want badly to go into their rooms and hug them and tell them that there’s a good chance I can resurrect the data, but after having specifically telling them the phones were off-limits, they disobeyed the order and everything ISN’T just okay. Smiling and making nicey-nice is not going to help things any, except in the immediate moment. Failing to listen to an order must bear repercussions.

People often remark about how good our children are and we take a lot of pride in that. But they see the result of lots of second-guessing, mistakes and heartbreak, because that’s what being a parent is like if you are doing your job. You struggle between doing what’s best to positively reinforce good behavior and what’s best to discourage bad behavior. And bad behavior, regardless of fun plans and the desire to kiss and make up, must have consequences. To not have consequences invites repeated poor performance.

Honestly, I have it easier than some people have it, because my kids are pretty good. But it’s a continual cycle; they are good, and they make it easier to provide positive experiences. When they are bad, we struggle with wanting to continue to be affectionate and supportive, even though we know that to act like everything is okay would not send the right message.

Caring leaders endure the same exact experiences. If you choose, re-read what I just wrote and insert “leader” in the context every time you see “dad”. As a command officer, I make decisions that on occasion, must be followed regardless of what those who are recieving end want to do, or feel like doing. They may even want to question my decision. In this case, there must be repercussions to disobeying a direct order.

Making discipline mean something is required to elevate the attention level of the subject. Some people can be reached with something as simple as a look. Some require the equivalent of a 2×4 across the head. And enforcing discipline hurts for us sometimes as well because those decisions are based on experience and understanding of a particular situation, but those decisions are contrary to the desires of the "children". Sometimes, despite insisting that what we say is right, our children disobey us, and discipline is invoked, in order to reinforce a message. Likewise with our subordinates.

I try to support positive behavior through positive reinforcement. And when I have to administer discipline, I struggle with doing so, because, as a good leader, I probably care more than I should. But I also know that I am fortunate to have good people who, given the chance, will make good decisions, and I like to think that is a continual cycle.

Consider this when you lead. You are responsible for the welfare of the people who you supervise. If you are the designated leader, you have to be proactive, and provide opportunities for success. But when things don’t go right, it is not time to be everyone’s best friend. It is time to do what is right and that involves, more often than not, making hard decisions that benefit all involved. As I say often to my children, "I am not your friend, I am your father. If we get along we can be friends, but I am your father first." Feel free to insert "boss" in lieu of "father" in that statement as well.

My children will survive this event and live to tell about it, as will we. But hopefully we will now have further understanding as to what is expected and the consequences of failure. And in the same respect, when you have that moment with your charges, they should too.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on June 23, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, Command & Leadership, Firefighting Operations, leadership, motivation, officership, professionalism, Training & Development • Tagged: change, children, command, conflict, customer service, discipline, education, EMS, father, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, Hilton Head Island, leadership, management, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, opportunity, politics, professionalism, resources, risk reduction, safety, South Carolina, team, Training, understanding, vision, welfare

How Can You Know What Is “Better”?

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One of the best parts about my job is the view. On "A" shift mornings, I leave my home and drive to Hilton Head Island Fire & Rescue's Station 7 where the Line Battalion Chief's office is located. Since I live near the beach, I actually head to work opposite the commuter traffic, but at that time, traffic is still pretty light. My route takes me over the Cross Island Bridge traversing Broad Creek, a long, wide tidal creek and pristine salt marsh that comes within a 100 yards of splitting the Island in two.

At a little after 0600 most of the year, the sun is coming up in the East over Broad Creek at the exact same time as I cross the bridge. The result is a collection of some of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen. Almost every morning, the view is a little different in the sky, but with the lighting of the tidal marsh on that angle, as well as a marina and some other landmarks, it is a glorious sight.

One morning as I crossed the bridge, a car was stopped on the bike lane, the driver taking a picture. While this is pretty common, I remember the sunrise wasn't the most spectactular I had seen in a while and I thought, "Wow. He thinks that's a great sunrise and it's probably one of the least amazing of the year."

But in thinking about that idea, it occurred to me that while I got to see this great sunrise almost every morning, I knew that this wasn't a "keeper". For this poor guy it was one of the highlights of his trip, but because he might have been from somewhere that doesn't have these kinds of views, or for any number of reasons, he didn't know what he was missing.

Your own organization can be much the same way. You could be "the best". Your department could be a shining example of excellence in your area. But really, how do you know if you are doing anything significant, or innovative, or even RIGHT if you don't benchmark against other comparable organizations?

But similarly, what if you are choosing the wrong benchmarks? There are more than a few methods to measure your organization that can give you the snapshot you need for continual improvement. And there are those who provide no meaningful yardstick to measure against, especially since some of them have been used to prop up organizations who can meet their "standards" yet fail to achieve even the slightest dent in what is considered a modern emergency service organization.

When someone inquires about accreditation and wonders what an organization can possibly gain from such recognition, in many cases, it is not necessarily the acknowledgement of having met those standards, but the effort the people of the organization make in getting there. Members of an accredited organization that participate in the process find that they understand the strengths as well as the weaknesses of their organization much better than those who do not. The knowledge aquired about the organization isn't the most important benefit, though. More important is the process of examining the facets of running the department and understanding how each part is integral to the workings of the whole.

The challenge of seeking the perfect sunrise requires research to know when and where to find it. A little experimentation is necessary to see that sunrise from different vantage points and to understand the desired qualities. Some luck helps in that sometimes the solutions fall right into our laps and we just happen to be in the right place at the right time. But ultimately, we can't just look at one sunrise and say, "That's the best one", unless of course, it's the only one you ever see.

Stretch a little. Go out and see what you can see. Ask questions and open your mind. Learn and understand the nature of quality and how it presents itself in the efforts you make. And when you have seen more, you can see that your way might not be the only way, and likewise, someone else might see what you see and they might be enlightened as well.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, change, education, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, leadership • Tagged: accreditation, broad creek, CFAI, change, conflict, credentialing, Cross Island, customer service, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, ISO, leadership, management, marketing, Mick Mayers, motivation, officer, open minded, opportunity, organization, planning, politics, professionalism, research, resources, South Carolina, standards, sunrise, team, understanding, vision

Scary Rhetoric and Hypocrisy

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I can't imagine that there are much louder events than the crashing noise a meteor makes when it is hitting a planetary object. To look at a crater made by a meteoric impact leads me to assume it is a horrible train wreck of an event. So when the high and mighty go to ground, the noise seems to be equally stunning, especially if you believe in the individual beforehand.

People love to hate hypocrites. When a person or a group allows their reputation to be portrayed as one of honor and good, and then that trust is betrayed, then their actions can be seen as patently hypocritical. Those are the people who do things like run on a platform of family values, only to be shacking up in South America on taxpayer funds. Or doggedly pursuing impeachment of a President for being adulterous while engaging in their own adulterous affair. Or the religious who rail about the wrongs of homosexuality, only to be having a few of those relationships on their own. One of my least favorite college football coaches, who has led under the premise of being forthright and wholesome after his claims that he knew nothing; Well, maybe he knew a little more than nothing. And of course, there is this Weiner saga that continues to keep playing.

Since the firefighter is held to be an example of virtue, bravery, and service in the name of the community good, when one of us fails, we can expect it to get serious play. And in this day and age where so many people are looking for heroes, when we get it wrong, we get it wrong in a big way. The backlash continues to flow as it seems like from one day to the next, one or more of our own pulls a new rabbit out of the hat and ends up with their mug shot splashed across the front page.

I also like to read the comments in the stories as Statter and Firegeezer where a number of our brethren sanctimoniously proclaim the fallen as garbage and a disgrace to the uniform. But really, here's where it really gets ugly. Check out the comments on this article from the Las Vegas Sun. You can also check out the whole story there as well, but one look at the comments and you can see that the idea of the public singing our praises as "heroes" has been replaced by angry, bitter tirades against what we do not only while not running alarms, but even while providing our service. And I don't even know what it is that these guys may or may not have done to draw this kind of fire. I don't know that they did anything wrong or they have just found themselves poorly positioned in the center of a taxpayer backlash against spending.

Just yesterday, my own organization happened to be fighting a decent sized brush fire in a residential area. With all of the coverage of the devastation in the Arizona wildfires you'd think citizens would be praising a fast, aggressive response; instead, at least one TV news report (not the one cited) pointed out the "inconvenience" of residents not being allowed to their homes until the fire was declared under control, and I corresponded and talked with a few people with very similar complaints. Fortunately, all of my interactions were positive and once explained, the individuals were at least a little more grateful. But what we have always taken for granted (that the citizens see us as positive, upstanding members of the community), has been replaced in many jurisdictions as our being selfish, lazy, and out-of-control.

There's enough ugly to go around right now without our own people bringing it down upon us. It is up to each and every one of us to weed out those who continue to give emergency service a bad name with their negative attitudes, their arrogant behavior, and their me-first mentalities. The good name and the "hero" portrait of emergency service, like it or not, came about because we put it on the line for our neighbors, we genuinely cared about our community and serving others, and because we were always seen as hard-working, blue collar people. When a firefighter said something, they shot straight, but it was said with concern and compassion. We have always been about getting the job done, no matter what, no matter how dirty or dangerous, but without bitching or complaining or pointing out each others' faults. This is not how we work today.

Let the politicians, TV preachers, Wall Street CEOs and the other scumbags be the hypocrites and punching bags. Each of us should be serving as a positive example of how to do this job, volunteer or career, and without acting like a bunch or amateurs and whackers. Man up (that includes our sister firefighters as well) and do the job, and while you need to educate the public in what we do and how they interact with us to provide a team approach, don't call attention to yourself for doing it. Just do the right thing and we'll all be fine.

Posted by Michael "Mick" Mayers on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, leadership, News, Wildland • Tagged: Arizona, backlash, bravery, change, conflict, customer service, Dave Statter, economy, education, EMS, FHZ, fire service, FireEMSBlogs, Firefighter Nation, Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, government, Hilton Head Island, hypocrisy, Jim Tressel, Las Vegas Sun, leadership, management, marketing, media, Mick Mayers, motivation, Newt Gingrich, North Las Vegas, officer, opportunity, planning, politics, professionalism, risk reduction, Sanford, South Carolina, virtue, vision, voter, Weiner, wildfire

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