By Stephen Shaw
When I teach my leadership class, I always poll the group on what traits they value in their leaders. One trait that always seems to end up in the top 10 is empowerment. How do you feel when you are empowered? What is it to empower another? What does that look like? How would you define it? I’d like to tell a tale of empowerment from two sides–from being the one empowered to empowering our own.
Everyone has their fire service passion project, the thing that they like to do the most. Some are experts at throwing ladders. Others thrive on deploying that initial line. For me, it’s the rotary saw. I love that thing. I don’t even know if I can fully explain why. Maybe it’s the hum of the blade when it’s at full revolutions per minute. Maybe it’s the sparks that fly when the diamond blade hits metal. Whatever the impetus, it is my happy place.
But it wasn’t always this way. Years ago, maybe a year into the job in Fort Lauderdale (FL) Fire Rescue, I was ordered to “take the garage door” at a single-story CBS construction residential fire that extended to the attached two-car garage. At the time, for whatever reason, I had no idea how to do that. I had no plan A, no knowledge of how a garage door was constructed, nothing. The resulting carnage that was left in the wake of my feeble attempt to cut, force, or otherwise open that door was an absolute disaster. I blamed only myself, and I swore that I would never let my crew, my department, or myself down ever again when called to perform–especially when it came to that skill.
So I learned. I studied. I read articles and reviewed books. I dove into strategy and tactics, spoke to subject matter experts, and made friends with local residential and commercial overhead door companies. I was obsessed. And, after a while, I became more than comfortable with the construction of various types of overhead doors; became extremely adept in the knowledge and use of the rotary rescue saw; and became well-versed on various methods in which to force, open, keep open, and cut them.
One of the people I reached out to was Captain Bill Gustin from Miami Dade (FL) Fire Rescue. He had done tons of research on how hurricanes have affected the construction in South Florida and what we needed to know as firefighters to effectively combat these challenges–overhead doors, impact glass, etc. He was a true mentor when it came to this space. We spoke at length, and he held nothing back. I will always owe him for that.
Over the next decade or so, I had the opportunity to teach these tactics internally as well to other agencies locally and across the country. I lost count on how many overhead doors we cut through. I’d get calls from other trainers and instructors verifying various technical data from saws, blades, doors, etc. I wrote several articles for Fire Engineering on the topics of rotary saws, overhead doors, and the various ways in which to cut them. It was amazing to feel so comfortable in an area into which I had put so much work.
One day in particular, I recall reaching out to Bill to see if he would join me in teaching a class in Fort Lauderdale. I remember feeling like it would be nice to have him there to answer any questions that I didn’t have the answer to. His response was something I will never forget. He seemed almost angry with me. He said, “Steve, you don’t need me. You got this.” The late poet Maya Angelou has been quoted to say, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I don’t remember everything that Bill Gustin has said to me. I don’t remember everything Bill Gustin has done. But I do remember how I felt that day. I felt empowered. He was right. I DID know the answers to the questions. I DID have the knowledge that I had worked years to gather. The torch in this space had been passed to me, and I didn’t even know it until that moment!
Fast forward to FDIC 2021. I was presenting “When Rotary Saws Meet Overhead Doors” for the first time in Indy, and I was stoked. It was a great class with phenomenal interaction, and the reviews were amazing. To come full circle from where I once was more than two decades ago, being validated by brothers and sisters from across the country, was vindicating to say the least. One of the attendees came up to me after the class. His name was Adam Haywood, and he was a firefighter from Colorado. He was a saw geek just like me, so we instantly clicked! We spoke at length about all things saws, overhead doors, and all the various tactics and strategies from East Coast to West Coast and everywhere in between. We continued the dialogue way after the conference had ended, and we still talk to this day.
In one of our discussions, he spoke of his goal of establishing a training company and teaching what he loved. As he was passionately describing all the ideas he had and all the exciting ways in which he planned to create and share content with firefighters across the world, I took a moment to reflect. I remember thinking that there may be some people out there who, after hearing his ideas and excitement, would have held back a bit. Maybe this guy would do well and outshine them. Maybe this guy would take their ideas and use them for his own gain. Maybe this guy is a threat to their ability to be the go-to guy in that niche. I am sure that you, as the reader, if you close your eyes and think, can easily identify someone who fits this bill.
I kept thinking about Bill Gustin. He could have kept being the “guy” with saws and garage doors and impact windows. He could have not shared his knowledge with me, opting to keep his place as the “saw guy” or “overhead door” guy. He could have said, “Sure, Steve, I’ll show up to that class of yours and answer those questions that you can’t.” Instead, he selflessly gave me everything he had without a second thought. He shared all his knowledge, know-how, tactics, strategies, and thoughts. He gave me confidence and empowered me so that I could pass that knowledge to our brothers and sisters in the fire service.
So I followed suit. I gave him access to all my videos, research and development results, and anything else I had used to create the presentations that I had made. Adam and I regularly talk shop and share thoughts on everything imaginable when it comes to rotary saws, blades, overhead doors, and the best ways to tackle them. I’ve helped him with articles for Fire Engineering and openly follow and support his growing Instagram page for his company, Independent Fire Training (which at the time of this article has almost 30,000 followers!). Today, he is teaching at conferences and creating loads of valuable, relevant content for us all to learn from and to be better at our craft. His videos of saw maintenance tips, side-by-side blade cutting comparisons, and work he is doing with battery-powered rotary saws are viewed by hundreds and sometimes thousands of hungry firefighters. I’m not jealous of his growing achievements–I rejoice in them! As I was empowered, so do I do my part to empower those around me.
We all have that coworker in our respective organizations who hoards knowledge–that classic “silo” example. You know the one. Brothers and sisters, that type of mentality is no longer sustainable in our profession. We all will reach our “expiration date” one day. That’s not tragic; that’s life! How do you want to be remembered? As the one who left with all that wisdom and experience, selfishly keeping it to yourself for your own gain? Or the one who passed it on to other firefighters?
We also have those hungry firefighters who are doing the work; putting in their time; getting their reps in; attending classes, conferences, and seminars; and giving credit to those who inspired and taught them. Here lies the amazing opportunity to lead if you do it right. How can you empower them? What words of encouragement do you offer? What needed guidance can you provide?
Here are a few ways to empower others and to get out of that
- Always think of things in terms of a “plus one.” I have a mantra: “If I’m doing something alone, WHY?” When a call comes in at my desk at work, I always grab one of my team members to jump in on the call. I want them to be a part of the conversation, to have someone else hear the conversation so they don’t have to hear it from me second or third hand. I do my best to develop “positive redundancy” in all that I do. If I’m working on a project at work by myself, I better have a good reason. The reality is that there is usually NO good reason for working on something in a vacuum. Build that team! Teach someone! Involve those people mentioned above who are the workers and would benefit from opportunities that you can provide them!
- Co-teach /co-present. Many of us teach, present, and instruct. If the opportunity presents itself, grab one of those hungry team members to join you in presenting. It doesn’t have to be a major portion–maybe as part of a presentation or class to cover an incident or call that pertains to the subject matter that you’re covering. Perhaps they have a different way to view a tactic or a certain way of explaining ideas that speaks to the audience. I had the wonderful opportunity to co-present with my boss recently at another large fire conference. It was her first time presenting at a venue of that size. I was so proud! She ROCKED it. For her, it was the first of what will surely be other opportunities to speak on areas she is passionate about. For me, it was a way to extend the platform I have built to include, empower, and lift others with whom I have the pleasure to work with.
- Always give credit where it is due. Let me repeat that: ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE. One thing we tend to need improvement on is recognizing others. Whether it’s writing up people for awards or simply calling them to say they performed great CPR on a cardiac arrest, we often miss opportunities to let people know they did good. There is an extremely high likelihood that you didn’t invent whatever it is you do, and that’s OK! If you’ve improved on something, that’s wonderful, but give credit to who or where you initially were exposed to the topic or skill.
Empowering others is more than just a powerful leadership tool; it is essential to the growth of our profession and in proper succession planning. What do you want your legacy to be in terms of empowering others? The choice is ours every day.
BIO:
Stephen Shaw is a 28-year veteran of the fire rescue service and the assistant chief for training & EMS for Fort Lauderdale (FL) Fire Rescue. He is an accredited Chief Fire Officer and the chair of the EMS Subcommittee for the Fire Chiefs Association of Broward County. He is an IAFC Hazmat Committee member and a hazmat specialist for FEMA USAR Task Force 2. He is a Fire Engineering contributor and the host of the “Perspectives on Leadership” podcast.
