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I remember when I first tried to get promoted to company officer in 2011. I studied hard. I knew the material. I knew how to study. At least, I thought I did. Needless to say, I didn’t get promoted. I remember the disappointment. I remember the embarrassment of failing. So from...

What is goal-setting? Why is it important for us as firefighters? Yogi Berra gave the classic answer, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up someplace else.” As firefighters we should always have personal and professional goals that lead to our moral, mental and...

Dealing with difficult firefighters involves communicating effectively, setting expectations early, and mentoring at all levels. Sometimes, the firefighter being mentored needs guidance if he or she fails to live up to the stated expectations and standards. This is where coaching...

Handling difficult firefighters and situations begins with being an effective communicator. The next step is to set the expectations. This is the most important part of the process. Tip #2 – Setting The Expectations Setting the expectations starts with the indoctrination...

The fire service is a huge family, but sometimes we have to deal with difficult people more often than we would like to. As an instructor, the two most frequently asked questions about leadership to fire officers and firefighters are: “Why is it so hard dealing with difficult...

In the final segment of the top 5 leadership tools for the officer it should come as no surprise that passion is a key tool for today’s fire officer. Noted author and speaker John Maxwell stated, “Leaders must bring their vision and the aspirations of the people they...

Being an officer takes effort and this effort is required every day. One of the key ingredients for successful leadership is possessing and maintaining a positive mental attitude. Leadership Tool #3 – Maintain A Positive Mental Attitude There is little doubt that officers...

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” — Michael Jordan The officer’s leadership influence depends upon self-confidence, creativity, flexibility, and the ability to take responsibility for the future. Without these traits...

Leadership Tip #3 – Be Supportive & Appreciative As leaders in the volunteer fire service we have the unique challenge of managing our community of volunteers to do a job most people would never consider doing. We ask them to leave family functions, make training, and...

Consistency is a very important of solid functional leadership. However, without good solid communication nobody will know if we are being consistent or not, and even if we are the membership may be getting the wrong message. #2 – Communicate Communicate, and communicate...