I’m curious about the different voices of leadership. Though sometimes seeming contradictory, the different voices I sometimes hear from leaders often prove essential to success.
In athletic competitions, you see coaches offer praise and encouragement as they seek to instill confidence or motivate an athlete to perform better. The same coach may later shift to rather harsh criticism, seemingly finding little value in the athlete’s performance.
Those who have spent much time under the tutelage of a strong member of the clergy likely also recognize these differing voices–one that harshly condemns reprehensible behavior, but in a different setting offers words of compassion, forgiveness and hope.
Each voice has a place in your skill set if you want to lead effectively. But here’s the challenge: You most likely possess a natural tendency or ability to express leadership using one of these voices, but not typically both. To wield a full set of leadership tools, you must learn and cultivate the second voice, which is not an easy task.
An Iconic Example
This past April, our society marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a leader in our nation’s civil rights movement, Dr. King skillfully used both voices, each time selecting the appropriate voice for the audience and for the circumstance.
At times, he spoke forcefully with stinging criticism of leaders who failed to challenge injustice and inequality. And other times–most notably in his “I have a dream … ” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963–he offered compelling images of hope and peace.
Whether at the agency level or the company level, fire service leaders must also develop the ability to use both voices and thoughtfully match the voice to the situation.
The Critical Voice
Being “critical” often means finding faults and imperfections, being hard to please or nitpicky. But it can also mean exercising careful judgment or evaluation. Both meanings have application in fire service leadership.
Criticism is hard on the human psyche; your use of it should be objective and intentional. If your criticism flows out of anger and frustration, find another outlet for that emotion and hold your tongue with your team. But there exist team/group behaviors that open the door for appropriate use of your critical voice; we’ll review a few of those behaviors below.
As you supervise and observe your team, using careful judgment and evaluation, you’ll recognize times when the group (not just an individual member) is either not paying attention or is unnecessarily distracted. Whether on the emergency scene or on the training ground, this behavior increases risk to responders and victims. Inattention is a precursor to failure.
At other times, the group may seem lazy, perhaps even bored, and not prepared to work. Myriad reasons may explain this behavior, ranging from the season of the year to circumstances outside the workplace. Sometimes it springs from a sense of under-appreciation by management, elected leaders or even the community. Regardless of the reason, such a malady leads to dysfunction and failure.
Finally, the team may lose sight of your goals from time to time. In this era of rapid and high-volume information flow, “mental noise” may distract your team or attract the members to a trendy issue. Your responsibility is to keep your team focused on current goals, until those goals are updated or changed.
The critical voice is firm but not necessarily loud. It’s insistent but not a harangue. It should draw attention to the behavior or problem, not to you or a team member. If you’re angry or emotional about an incident, first compose yourself so you can engage in a rational dialogue.
Pick a suitable time and location where you aren’t likely to be interrupted, and let the team know you want to discuss areas or issues of concern to you. Begin with an assurance that your criticisms do not diminish their value to you and the organization. Promise to keep your focus on team behavior, roles and outcomes. Then, based upon your careful evaluation and judgment, share your criticisms by contrasting your expectations with the team’s performance.
After sharing your criticism, quickly open a dialogue. Listen to both the content and the tone of team members’ responses. Resist the urge to argue with the responses; remain focused on the issues and the desired outcomes. Example: “This is what I observed. This is what we need to achieve. How do we get there?”
The Voice of Hope
Just as the critical voice responds to precipitating circumstances, so too does the voice of hope. You may have just finished using your critical voice and believe your team has understood and accepted the need for change. As noted, criticism can be hard on the human spirit and your message may erode the group’s confidence and energy. At that time, you must point out their skills, talents and prior successes.
Events within your team, your organization or your community may dishearten your crew and cause them to shift into neutral. Perhaps the most intense impact of this type arises from the loss of a team member. Whether through death, injury or even simply moving to another assignment, the sense of loss creates a significant impact. You must be there to listen, to share the emotions and to encourage them to respect the feeling of loss–and then move forward.
The failure of a critical levy vote or bond election, heated labor contract negotiations, unwarranted public or media criticism, or a bad outcome on an emergency incident can quickly deflate an organization’s or team’s confidence. Regardless of your personal views, your role is to help your team pick up the pieces, refocus on your mission and goals and instill both hope and confidence.
We acknowledge that loss and failure are a part of life. But the effect is more profound when it happens not to others but to us. A turnaround is neither simple nor quick. Elizabeth Kà¼bler-Ross introduced the Five Stages of Grief in her 1969 book, “On Death and Dying.” I encourage you to become familiar with those stages; you will see them play out repeatedly in your agency or among your team. Those stages are:
- Denial: “It can’t be happening.”
- Anger: “Why me? It’s not fair.”
- Bargaining: “Just let me …, then I will ….”
- Depression: “I’m so sad, why bother with anything?”
- Acceptance: “It’s going to be OK.”
Your challenge–your responsibility–is to be present, to listen with empathy, to separate truth from fiction, and–when the time is right–to seek commitment from individuals and the group to move forward.
If, because of youth or inexperience, you are unsure about what to do, you must seek out a more experienced officer, a mentor or both, to help you fulfill this critical leadership responsibility.
Speak Up
Leadership requires that you carefully observe the spirit and mindset of your team or organization. From time to time, you must step in using either your critical voice or your voice of hope to address behaviors, attitudes or circumstances that would otherwise derail your team’s success.
Your critical voice must humanely get their attention and establish the need to change behaviors or direction. Your voice of hope must inflate their spirit and build confidence, to fuel team success.
Learn and develop both leader voices, then use each one when appropriate. Assess the situation thoughtfully and skillfully so you speak with the voice your team needs to hear.
