Having been a fire chief for more than 17 years, and focusing on leadership development much of that time, I get many requests from friends and/or colleagues for assistance on becoming a fire chief. My first emotion is one of excitement. The fire chief role is a fulfilling and challenging position that allows the realization of personal goals and the individual’s full potential.
However, oftentimes my excitement subsides, because as we talk more, I realize that the person who came to me for advice about applying for a fire chief position actually has more reasons not to apply than to do so. They are basically using me as a sounding board to justify their decision to pass up the opportunity.
Thus, over the years I have captured the top 10 excuses not to promote to fire chief.
- I’d have to work days.
- I’d have to give up overtime/side job.
- I’d have to move (closer or into the area).
- It’s too political.
- My kids are too young, and I am too involved in their lives.
- I don’t want to give up [fill in the blank: Operations, Training, Prevention, etc.].
- I’ll have to go back to school.
- It’s more than I want to work (right now).
- I would be an “at-will employee.”
- I like it just where I am. (Note: This is often not true.)
Do any of these reasons resonate with you? Have you heard others use them to justify not pursuing the fire chief position?
A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy
Now, of course some of the above reasons are in fact good reasons not to pursue a chief position. But I find that if you dig deeper, the excuses are less about real problems the individual has with the fire chief job, and more about perceived inadequacies: They believe they’re not worthy of the position. They start with all of the reasons why not to take the job, instead of why to take it.
There were many reasons why we couldn’t go to the moon, start the invasion of Normandy, or seek equality for all Americans, but Kennedy, Eisenhower and King didn’t focus on what couldn’t be done. They focused on the end results, working to overcome supposedly insurmountable obstacles.
In many of these conversations, I remind the individual that they would not allow similar rationale and/or excuses from their subordinates and/or children. I try to encourage and sell them on the idea. I also ask them to look back–because looking back sometimes makes it easier to go forward.
Specifically, why did they want to become a company officer? A battalion chief? If they can remember and are honest with themselves, the reasons are usually about doing something exciting while making a difference or being a part of something bigger than themselves. Was it for greater responsibility, more financial security, more influence? More prestige? This later point is often overlooked, even overtly ignored when most people talk about promotions, but it shouldn’t be.
Using myself as an example, one of my reasons for becoming a company officer was very superficial: I was tired of riding on the tailboard (an act I long to relive today!). However, the real reason–the one we don’t discuss openly and truly the driving force–was that I looked at others who were aspiring to move forward and frankly, I did not want to work for them. I respected and even loved them (some more than others), but I wanted to move forward and have greater responsibility and professional impact. Not that I was any better than them, but given the opportunity, I would prefer to work for myself. I figured that I could do the job, and I had prepared for it. Fortunately, my assessors thought the same. Luck and preparation came together and I was promoted. That has occurred several times in my career.
My goals in promoting, then, were part selfish, part altruistic. I suspect that is the case with most firefighters who promote to officer and move up from there. Being a fire chief is a highly rewarding. The question to ask yourself should be ‘why not me?’
What Excites You?
If you’re considering moving to the fire chief level but are still torn, here are a couple of questions to get you started.
- Does having money, prestige and status, gaining more influence, or making your environment better drive you?
- Is shift work holding you back, or is it an excuse?
- Are you really excited about getting up at 0200 HRS so that you can supervise members holding a bowl for a sick individual? A necessary job, but couldn’t you move up and allow someone else to do it?
- Are you more motived about days off than about what you do? You love the job, we all know that, but have you grown past it? Be honest.
- Do you have something more to give? Could your wisdom and experience add value to your agency? That is the real question. If the answer is yes on both counts, it’s time to move up.
Firefighters love to fix things, whether it’s saving a life or shaping an organization. Wouldn’t you prefer to be in a position that does both? Do you think Patton really wanted to fight hand-to-hand combat with enemy soldiers his entire career? Or did he have bigger ideas about what he could do leading a well-trained, highly motivated force that he created while simultaneously acquiring more influence so he could win bigger battles?
More Money?
I teach a class called Power, Position & Influence. It’s clear to me that universally, we all want to have a greater influence in our life. However, that only comes with a position that gives us power.
But the reward is also more concrete. Many people assume they will make less as chief due to the lack of overtime (despite the long hours). But remember: When you retire, your pension is based upon your base pay–not OT. So, if you retire with a greater base pay–say as a fire chief–your base pay is larger and so is you retirement check. For life! If you’re motivated by money, do the math. Consider lifetime earnings, not just career earnings.
I’ve developed a formula that illustrates the difference between career earnings and lifetime earnings. If you e-mail me your current base pay and that of your department’s fire chief I will send you back the results. You will be shocked by how your limitations on the professional side will limit you (and your family) on the financial side. So, from a selfish standpoint (your wife won’t see it that way), why wouldn’t you promote up?
My motivation wasn’t money. It was and still is influence; working at the highest level possible with highly motived and committed firefighters. Nonetheless, income is a factor, and with each rank comes more money.
However, let’s look at it another way. Let’s assume you’re in your late 40s or early 50s. You’ve had enough of the routine calls, and the changing culture of the men and women you lead. You love the job, live for the fires but not for all you do on a daily basis. Becoming a fire chief will not only add to your career earnings, but will extend your career. Working days, you will be adding value at a different level and not beating up your body. Bottom line: You get to go on any call you want to.
10 Reasons for Becoming a Fire Chief
Being a fire chief requires the following attributes:
- Competitive spirit
- Desire to perform as above-average candidate
- Emotional maturity
- Demonstrated success in the past
- Good organizational skills
- Willingness to accept responsibility
- Desire for upward mobility
- Good working skills
- Good presentation skills
- Strong sense of personal accountability
Now, after reading the above you must be saying to yourself, he’s writing about me! It has been my observation that any fire officer worth their salt has the majority of those attributes. It’s in our DNA. That’s why these characteristics actually become reasons to become a chief!
So, if you have most of the above, shouldn’t you strive to advance where your talent can take you?
Athletes often say they want to leave it all on the field (i.e., they have no regrets that they could have done more). Nothing left doesn’t mean nothing to give in future endeavors, like post-retirement work or simply retirement. It means not regretting what you could have or should have done. Or making excuses for an unfulfilled career.
A Final Word
Are you doing the best with what you have? Are you leveraging your talents to their utmost? Have you fully developed yourself? Have you reached out and obtained every position you possibly can? Do you have something more to give your agency and our profession?
When Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was asked what accomplishment he was most proud of, he simply answered, “I did the best I could with what I had.” He was not focused on what he could not do or did not like to do; he focused on what he wanted to do with the (highly developed) skills he had.
The bottom line: There are always more reasons not to do something than to do it–risk and failure, to mention two. But you’ll never know what you can achieve without trying!
