As much as I love my career there are days when I feel drained and question whether I have enough strength to survive another day as a fire chief. Thank goodness those days are few and far between. But let’s be honest. As fire chiefs we are sometimes guilty of allowing the few obstacles associated with leadership and change to overwhelm us to the point where we forget all the good we have accomplished. We instead fall into the rut of rehearsing the challenges of our least favorite responsibilities such as contract negotiations making disciplinary decisions and resolving labor disputes. Consequently if we don’t snap out of it we regress to a state of blaming ourselves for things completely beyond our control. It is during these times that our vision serves one of its greatest purposes: to reinvigorate our fire service dream renew our determination reexamine our decisions and revive the pursuit toward our destiny. Dreams determination decisions and destiny will keep you going when the going gets tough.
Dreams
Dreams are euphoric illusions of things we hope will happen. It is because of dreams that many of us find ourselves in the honorable position of being chiefs at our departments. For some of us the dream began when we were young boys and girls. Some of us had a childhood encounter with firefighters that opened our eyes to the possibility of being a real-life superhero. Some of us had relatives in the fire service giving us the opportunity to visit firehouses and observe fire service culture and camaraderie. Still others had no choice in entering our honorable profession; if there was going to be fire protection in your community you had to step up to the plate and serve as a volunteer firefighter. Regardless of the origin of the dream something happened to us along the way and we decided that we could be a fire chief. Plus we were fortunate enough to have “dream-enablers ” both internal and external in our lives who fed our desire for leadership at the highest level. External dream-enablers are people institutions and circumstances. Internal dream-enablers include character education and faith.
External dream-enablers: There are many people including parents teachers preachers and friends who inspire our dreams. My dream of a career in the fire service was born when I was 5 years old. The house across the alley caught fire and the Shreveport La. firefighters came to put it out. As I shared my dream to be a firefighter with adults they said my dreams would come true if I believed in God respected adults treated other kids how I wanted to be treated and worked hard in school. They were right!
There are also many institutions that enable our dreams namely family faith-based institutions and schools. The ethics morals and discipline developed through these institutions have shaped the character of many fire service dreamers.
Finally there are many circumstances good and bad which enable our dreams. In my case I was born into poverty in the early 1960s at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and was raised in a single-parent household. Although this set of circumstances could have served as a legitimate excuse for not achieving my dreams it actually fueled them.
Internal dream-enablers: Character and education are two examples of internal dream-enablers. Also most of us have developed several traits such as credibility integrity trustworthiness and humility which enable us to fulfill our dreams. From a psychological perspective the need for affiliation power and achievement and an internal locus of control can all help us achieve our dreams.
Determination
Determination is the driving force that fosters perseverance during times of great challenge and conflict. The true test of our vision is not determined by our diligence when things are going well but when we experience periods of crisis. The crucibles associated with leadership serve the noble purpose of preparing and strengthening us for greater challenges and opportunities upstream. If we never faced problems we would never experience the jubilation of overcoming and conquering them.
Fire chiefs with determination are driven by a desire to succeed for the good of their community and their department. Our hunger for personal growth and development is motivated by a desire to increase our capacity and competence to lead. Determined fire chiefs eliminate unnecessary burdens and make the most of each day. They have a wholesome work/life balance. Determined fire chiefs handle failures gracefully learn from mistakes and move on. They have made a conscious decision to live life to the fullest. My personal statement of determination: “I will stand tall and stand for something; I will move forward and move mountains; I will make more than a difference; I will make history!”
Decisions
When experiencing difficult times we must decide whether to wallow in the muck and mire of personal and professional challenges or face them head on. The biggest decision we must make is a decision to change. Leadership is not about serving ourselves it’s about serving others. Self-centeredness will cause us to stay in the hog pen longer than we should. Further as fire chiefs if we’re not moving forward we’re stagnant. Too many days of stagnancy drains energy and enthusiasm from department members. If we’re not growing we’re rotting. No one wants a rotten down-and-out fire chief. Make a decision to grow!
Destiny
As vision goes the proverbial point on the horizon is only destiny once you reach it. Vision-driven fire chiefs will always look forward after achieving a goal. In doing so we continue to discover a new horizon and a new destiny. Looking forward is inherent to fire service leaders who are passionate about serving others. We look forward to getting up in the morning; we look forward to going home to our families; we look forward to interacting with firefighters and to the fellowship with chief officers; we look forward to doing our part in strengthening our honorable profession; and we look forward to retirement!
New Year New Vision
As 2006 draws to a close here are a few suggested New Year’s resolutions to help you move forward always thinking about dreams determination decisions and destiny:
- Get back in college;
- Take a National Fire Academy course;
- Apply for the Executive Fire Officer Program;
- Become more active in your IAFC division and state fire chief’s associations;
- Visit fire stations more frequently;
- Mentor a promising young colleague;
- Write an article on your favorite fire service topic; or
- Become uncomfortable being comfortable. Whenever you find yourself in a routine that doesn’t challenge you make a conscious decision to disrupt it.
Having said this if your vision isn’t enough to keep you going consider this: If you’ve reached the point where you’ve done all you can do know everything there is to know taken your department as far as you feel it can go and grown as much as you are willing to grow do yourself and your community a favor–retire!
