Feeling Critical?

The other day I read a post someone made about our Vice President wherein she (VP) stated “enjoy your long weekend” or something to that effect.  The criticism was that the Vice President was trying to “de-patriotize” the US and that the statement should have been about Memorial Day and our lost veterans.  This post really got me thinking about something I have shared with many people; A thought I shared with others because I have made the same mistake myself.  

Regularly, firefighters criticize the leadership, actions, policies and practices in their organization.  Some Firefighters have lots of free time in the station to sit around the beanery table and profess “solutions” to all their organizations issues; actual or implied.  Typically, these solutions are projected upward, proudly proclaiming how “we could do it better” than the incumbent leadership.  

As I sat in a fire station one day, a few years ago now, I listened to the crew criticize some decisions made by the Chief.  So I asked them a couple questions; “have you ever been an officer in the fire service” to which the officer said, “Uh, yeah.” So I asked them about their experience as a Battalion Chief to which they replied, “we’re not Battalion Chiefs, duh.”  I then asked about their experience as an Operations Chief in the Fire Service and as you can guess, they had none.  Then I asked them about their experience as a Fire Chief, again receiving the same response.  Then I asked them about their experience as the Fire Chief of THIS organization....yep, you guessed it.  I then asked them what qualifications they actually had to criticize the Fire Chief’s decisions if they didn’t know the whole story.  

When you criticize the action of others, you really need to take a look at yourself.  If you have no experience in the position/function  which of which you are being critical, you don’t have all the perspective.  And perhaps you do have experience in that position, but not with the same organization, so you really only have part of the picture because there are particular organizational nuances that influence leadership decisions.  

Now let’s say the author of the critical piece has experience as the Vice President of the United States.  The author now has a little more complete picture of the job and a little more room to criticize.  Let’s take the specific phrase to be criticized.... “Enjoy your long weekend” instead of take time to reflect on the sacrifices of our veterans.  Perhaps the Vice President experienced “Selective Attention” phenomena and misspoke.  Not sure what selective attention is?  Go through the exercise or view the video at the link at the end of this message.  

What does this have to do with the statement in my opening paragraph?  Read on if you like but it’s a bit of a long explanation.  I will try to put put a little context in.  

As you may know, I spent most of my career in the fire service.  I didn’t always have aspirations to promote to a supervisory position as I thought being a firefighter was pretty fun and where I could have the most impact.  Many times, I sat at the beanery table criticizing others for their leadership or the way the organization was running.  I, along with all those around me, had all the answers.  I knew I could “do it better than that guy....” or could clearly see the answer to any problem; “it’s so simple....” went the solutions.  Then I promoted.  

As a Lieutenant life was still pretty good.  A little more responsibility, a little busier, a little different focus, but the job was really still pretty straightforward.  Usually, the work was focused on solving Mrs. Smith’s problem.  The other day I read the headline and a few lines of an article where the author said “Being an engine company officer is the hardest job in the fire service.”  He had only held the role of firefighter and lieutenant so how would he know if being Captain, Battalion or Division Chief was easier?  Betting he, like I, had all the solutions.  Yes, being a Lieutenant was hard.  Then I promoted.

I made Captain and things changed a little.  Sure, we were still heading over to Mr. Smith’s house which was really pretty easy.  It was the “in house” stuff that got tricky.  Trying to get other crews to follow the policies and practices of the organization along with some of my new found “authoritative” decisions took more thought, smoother delivery and sharing of vision and values.  Every now and then, someone’s personal beliefs got in the way of established operations and said “offender” needed help getting back on track without saying “because the Chief said so.”  I think I did ok as a Captain and I began watching those above me even more closely, noticing what was working and what was not.  Still, I had many of the “answers” but I began trying to avoid sharing those around the table.  “It’s stupid that we....” began to fade from my vocabulary as I recognized I didn’t have all the information or background on why we were doing something.  Then I promoted. 

When I was promoted into the Training Division as a Captain I began to work more closely with Chief Officers and started to watch, and work on, policy development.  While I didn’t agree with all the policies of our organization, I at least understood how we “got to where we are” and was able to begin to work to adjust policies that were outdated, were not followed or not in-line with industry standard.  This job was much more difficult than anything I had done in the past as there was no template from which to work, no outline of what to do or what was expected. However, in this position, I enjoyed the freedom to learn, create and share.  A lot of what I did here required convincing those above me that “we should be doing this” and then convincing those in my sphere of influence that “we should be doing this”.  It was definitely more than a “9-5” gig, requiring a lot of thinking, engagement, caution and a few bruises (caused when the brain was so engaged it missed the obvious) along the way but I think it went ok.  At the table, we never talked about how “it’s so stupid that we....” but instead worked to identify the correct answer, based on standards and share it.  Then I promoted.  

As a Battalion Chief, life was easy; Go to Mr. Smith’s house and watch other people solve her problem, ensure we have enough staff for the day, go to a meeting, coach/counsel someone who needed improvement.  Simple, right.  This job required complete engagement from the day before I went to work through the day after my shift sleeping short hours as I couldn’t stop thinking about what I needed to do, wanted to do and how I was going to do it.  In a sense, 1 shift required 3 days of engagement.  I needed full focus on my team and sometimes that focus caused me to miss some things that were right in front of me.  I was so focused that some things became invisible just like the invisible gorilla experiment I had learned about.  Selective attention.  But....I think I did ok.  Then I promoted.  

Training Chief in a new organization.  All new territory.  The team members didn’t know me, I didn’t know them, didn’t know the organizational culture, the area, the past practices....nothing.   Or more importantly, I surely had no idea how “we got to where we are” and was regularly reminded so.  Being from outside the organization, following the Chief’s Mission and Vision, I was going to work to influence change.  I had to really focus on the task at hand to gain the institutional knowledge so that I might be able to share my “training, education and experience in a professional manner so that others may grow to perform to their maximum potential.”  As I worked with our organization, other city departments, other regional organizations, on multiple committees, I recognized how many moving parts were involved in my job.  I missed stuff on a regular basis, that should have been obvious, but was blinded by my daily load.  I was able to stand next to the Chief, watching what he was doing, seeing all the moving pieces that made HIS job so complicated.  This is when I really started to understand that I had only had a tiny portion of his perspective because I had never walked in his shoes.  My new job required 6 day a week a focus and I made some mistakes and missed some stuff (selective attention) but overall, I think I did ok.  Then I promoted.  

As the Operations Chief I was pulled in a lot of different directions.  I was working on our daily operational plan, building or repairing relationships, developing solutions to problems and growing others in the direction that our Mission and Vision dictated.  While sharing my training, education and experience with those across the department, city and region, I was trying to develop disciplined leaders.  This job required complete engagement and a lot of focus.  Some days I was killing it and other days it was killing me.  I was really good at some things, not so much at others.  I misstepped occasionally and missed stuff all the time.  Selective attention.  There were so many moving pieces, I could only see part of them.  I had to prioritize what I could keep in focus which was the people’s health and safety above all else.  I made some mistakes, but I think I did ok.  I did not promote.  Well, maybe I did.  Now I have a corner office with no address.  

The previous paragraphs are to illustrate that I have fallen prey to Selective Attention and it gets worse when you carry a higher load.  That is why the first fire I went to, I don’t recall seeing the fire until I had it well under control.  

So the message is this:  If you are complaining about those that are above you, you are likely unaware; unaware of what that leader’s job actually entails, unaware of what challenges that leader is facing, unaware of the constraints put on that leader.  Perhaps the leader misstepped or misspoke, just like you do occasionally, because they are so loaded they can’t see the obvious.  Perhaps it’s really just a difference of opinion.  Separate the occasional mistake from a pattern of errors/abuses. Show a little grace, a little respect for what the leader is trying to do.  And most of all, remember that they are human as well.  

If you want to try something fun, follow this exercise.  I wish I was there to do it in person because we could make it effective.  But, because I am not, try to follow these directions.  Go quickly to the video without reading any titles, info or ......  Just follow these steps:

1. Click on this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
2. Watch the video, COUNTING how many times the players in the WHITE shirts pass the ball.  
3. SEND me a message (text or messenger) with your answer.
4. If you have done this exercise before, please don’t ruin it for someone else.  

Another GREAT video is here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bnnmWYI0lM

 

Want to land your dream job?  Make more money?  Get promoted?  Play Ping-Pong!!

I was thinking the other day about ping pong.  You see, after our station in Des Moines was remodeled, we moved our pool table into the day room.  One of the crew built a topper for it so we could play ping pong.  Playing ping pong was an activity that I enjoyed as a youngster in my parent’s basement, when it was clean enough to find the table, so when we got a table at the station I didn’t hesitate for a moment to hop in and play.  And it didn’t take but only a moment for me to get schooled.  Not only in the art of ping pong, but also in the art of taking a ration of crap from my cohorts.  

There was a wide range of ping pong skill and ability on our shift.  There was me at one end of the scale, and Scott, Doug or Jed at the other end.  Keep in mind we usually had a crew of 4.  The games got fierce; volleys being exchanged both on the table and verbally.  

One day, through a series of unusual events and all of the planets aligning, I won a game.  Then another.  And yet another.  I would never say that I became a “force” at the table but I got to the point I could hold my own on a regular basis.  I believe it was during one of these victory celebrations that I realized Jed was “good at everything but losing.”  Or that might have been during a game of bump; a basketball shooting knock-out game.  

Why do you think I got better at ping pong?  Was it lessons?  Hours of YouTube viewing?  Mental imagery practice?  E....None of the Above.  I got better at ping pong because I played with people that were better than I.  Simple as that.  The truth was that everyone was better at ping pong than I....at the start.  

Maybe you want to get better at your job, a sport or hobby.  Perhaps you just want to experience personal growth, go for promotion or change jobs altogether.  I would suggest you surround yourself with people that are better than you in the discipline in which you wish to improve.  Keep in mind that when you play with people that are better than you, you end up losing.  A lot.  But taking this course of action will help you grow and the losses will help you remain humble.  

As you grow, when you get to the point where you feel like you are the best in your discipline, you have to do a couple things.  First, check yourself and honestly evaluate your abilities and if you still feel like you just killing it, the next thing you have to do is make yourself uncomfortable by stepping into a spot where you are again surrounded by people that are better than you.  And if you think you are the best in your special space just because you have finished in front of, or have been promoted ahead of, your peers, please humble yourself as there is always something more to learn even in the most unsuspecting places.  A wise man once shared a quote with me that went something like this; “One remains young as long as one continues to learn.”-Janet Erskine Stuart (Thanks Jeff B. ❤️)

 

The Bangor Ladder.  The largest ground ladder used in the fire service.  They range in length from 45 to 55 feet.  Because of their length and weight they have poles attached, tormentor poles, to enable the firefighting team to get the ladder from horizontal to vertical while maintaining control.  These large ladders are deployed using a team of 4-6 firefighters working in unison to succeed.  In my first organization we had a 45 foot Bangor ladder, weighing in at over 200 pounds, which was a real challenge to our minimal crew of 4....on a good day.  

Deploying this beast required training, practice, skill and most of all, unity.  Deploying this ladder required that the entire crew be crystal clear on the actions required by each team member, a member to call the commands to guide the evolution and every member to effectively carry out their assignment when called upon.  In short, all members had to work together, functioning as one.  Should one member fail to perform their duty, deviate from the plan or decide to act for themselves, the objective of getting this ladder up was sure to fail.  

What does the Bangor ladder have to do with anything?  In my last post, I spoke of the renewed sense of hope that I felt as I listened to the words spoken at the inauguration.  I also mentioned that another word that was used during the hearings on January 6th and at the inauguration was unity.  Unity.  Bring forth the Bangor ladder.  Not many things in the fire service require the skilled coordination of a group of people for a single task.  Lack of unity amongst the team spells failure, catastrophic failure, more assuredly than most other tasks on the fire ground.

Since January 20th, I have spent a lot of time thinking about unity, because it was a frequently used word.  I’ve been thinking what it means to the fire service, what it means to me, those around me and even our country.    

As a station Captain, as a Battalion Chief and again as the Operations Chief, I tried to create unity amongst those whom I worked with and supervised.  Additionally, I tried to get those that I supervised to also work to create unity amongst the member of their team and between the shifts.  I tried to create an atmosphere where no shift was put down, where all people and their different perspectives were accepted and appreciated.  What were the steps that I used to attempt to create unity?  Here are a few:

• Stay focused on the mission/objective: This helps to take your emotions, feelings, opinion out of the conversation.  
• Share the vision:  Ideally, the whole team creates the vision.  If not, make sure to share it so everyone knows what the vision is and WHY it is good for them. 
• Share the values:  Share your values so others understand your perspective and have them share their so you are aware.  Part of empathy.
• Listen to others:  Listen to understand, not to respond.  Part of empathy.
• Value others:  Valuing others helps you grow, helps them grow and they will appreciate having input.
• Give away authority:  Allow others to make decision whenever possible.  Let them make mistakes and coach them to the right spot if they miss the mark.  Allow them to create the path.  You might learn something from it. 
• Recognize:  Constantly recognize the team’s input/impact.  Praise them as much as possible, face to face and in public, without being phony.  
• Appreciate:  Truly appreciate what others are doing and the impact it has on the success of the group.  
• Compromise:  Subvert some of your personal agenda that doesn’t directly support the overall organizational mission/objective.
• Be the first:  Take the first step, extend an olive branch, show the way. 

 

What do you do to create unity?