What I learned in Jail!!

We used to go to the DMPD jail a lot.  Holding cell check ups.  It was always fun to see our friends from the PD but at 0230, the cops thought it was funny to wake us up.....see after thoughts.  

We are there one night visiting with a drunk, kinda-asshole guy that is less than cooperative.  I am pretty frustrated (read: pissed off) and about finished with my evaluation of the guy and ready to turf him back to PD. 

As we are finishing paperwork and visiting with PD, I am listening to this guy talk to the PD officer.  I hear him telling a story of discourse with his wife and trouble at work.  He decided his best course was to drown his problems and got picked up for a DUI.  I realized right then this is a normal guy with a normal life with normal problems.  He just got caught.  

That moment changed my career....and my life forever.  You can’t always see the demons that someone else is fighting.  You don’t know their story.  Not an excuse for his (their) actions but maybe we, those with less demons, should be more understanding.  Just be nice.  Simple.  

Afterthought:

DMPD used to always laugh when the called us in the middle of the night.  “OH....did I wake you?” was the normal response.  Joke was on them though.  My response was “Yeah, you did.  Oh....do you get to sleep at work?”  Yeah, I was smart enough to pass the fire test!!!!  DMPD ❤️

Ambassadors!!

We were heading for a night on the town and I was talking with a friend who has worked in a couple different agencies but is retired from the State Police.  He was sharing some stories about his career and one of the most important lessons he learned from one of his inspirational leaders.  One of his early supervisors told him that the most important part of his job as a State Police officer is to be an ambassador for the organization.  Not writing tickets; being an ambassador.

Across my career, I have tried to be an ambassador for not just for my organization, but for the fire service as well.  Through my expectations, I have asked all the people that I have worked to also be ambassadors for the service as well.  Let’s explore what it means to be an ambassador for your organization and field by looking at Webster’s definition.

Ambassador:

-noun

1. a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative (ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary).
2. a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.
3. a diplomatic official serving as permanent head of a country's mission to the United Nations or some other international organization.
4. an authorized messenger or representative.

As you read those definitions, you might think this is all government, associated with rank, political, official business type of work.  But pay attention to the last definition; “An authorized messenger or representative.”  If that isn’t you, please stop reading.  When you are doing your business, interacting with others through your work, you are representing your organization.  Notice I didn’t say employer, but organization, because the same is true when you volunteer in different capacities.  

Let me state here that being an ambassador for your organization/industry is not always simply acquiescing or agreeing with those you are serving!!!  It is more like just not being an ass!   Learn to disagree/direct/counsel with respect.  

As a member of the fire service, I had an obligation to provide service to our community members.  They called and we went.  We couldn’t opt out depending on the type of incident we faced or the person that called.  And a lot of the calls were not what I might have defined as an “emergency.”  However, it was an emergency to them.  

We didn’t compete against anyone for providing the service.  We pretty much were sole source for emergency service.  They depended on us to answer and solve their problem.  That could have made me (fire department) feel arrogant or entitled.  However, a couple things played into the relationship between public service agency and community member.  Think of it as symbiotic.  They needed us but we needed them.  

While the community relied upon us to respond in the time of disaster (few and far between for most people), we needed the community support to maintain our operation.  The community pays for, through taxes or levies, our buildings, our wages, our equipment, our utilities...everything.  It would be pretty hard to go to the community and ask for a tax increase if the we had demonstrated a lack of “giveashiteddness” by not taking care of the equipment they bought for us or by not demonstrating respect for those we serve.  

Sometimes it’s hard to be an ambassador for your organization.  For me, I would be called back to see the same person over and over and over again (E.V.-see the story in the afterthoughts if you are interested).  Sometimes it was people at the jail-again, another story.  Maybe you are tired because you didn’t sleep the night before.  Or maybe you are having relationship issues, your car broke down, rent is due.  Maybe your boss is an ass or you didn’t get the raise you wanted.  All the above.....??  Not a single one of those issues is because of the person standing in front of you.  If you are in a position of service (which is 95% of people) you have an obligation to put those outside stressors to the side and 1) provide service to the customer you serve and, 2) do so as an ambassador for your organization.  If you can’t do that 95% of the time, you are in the wrong organization/business.  

Perhaps you are a 95-percenter and today is a bad day and you can’t be the ambassador for your organization.  Then step aside, tap your partner on the shoulder and say “you take this one, I can’t.”  That is a way better option than making a black mark on your reputation or that of the organization.

I have seen a good number of people that are not good ambassadors for their organization or industry.  Sometimes it has been through the eyes of the customer as I relied on someone for service.  A LOT of times it has been as the organizational representative sent to apologize for someone else’s behavior.  I have tips that can help you with the apology, but I can’t do anything for you as the customer.    

Try to be the ambassador for your organization.  Make others see your industry as “a bunch of really nice people.”  The relationship you can develop and the equity from doing so will pay you back a thousand times over.  

Afterthoughts:

E.V.  So, J.E.D. (Amazing individual and one of the best officers I have ever met!!) and I respond to see E.V. (229th and 30th) again for like the 700th time for a problem I can’t recall.  You see, sometimes she would call if she heard the engine driving through her apartment complex or if she saw us on inspections.  All I recall is that she can’t reach her medications or has “pain” or something.  I am talking with the patient and feel myself getting short with her so I step aside to go count pills.  I ask J.E.D. To step in to the patient interaction.  I listen as J.E.D. and E.V. visit about her current issue and I hear her say “That other guy is an asshole.”  I smile, although only on the inside.  J.E.D. says, with a smile, “No, he’s actually not, he’s just having an off day.”   

As a side note to that day.  While I was fed up with E.V. and her repeated multiple calls, through counting pills that day, we discovered that her nephew was stealing her narcotic medication.  I made about 700 ( or was it 7,000) phone calls and got her the help she needed.  Shortly thereafter she moved into an assisted living facility where she could get the help/support that she needed for her advanced age and condition.  

After-afterthought.....or side side note.....After all the E.V. drama was done and we hadn’t seen her in several weeks due to the new living arrangements, we are walking though an assisted living facility that we went to a couple times a day and I am looking at the room numbers and names.  And right there in 226 is.....E.V.!!!! 😳

Reputation or Character?

Somewhere around late 2012, I was asked by our Training Division if I would come down to Training to talk to the new hire firefighters.  The request came with no particulars, no expectations or guidelines.  I was a reasonably young Battalion Chief and jumped at the idea to come visit the new kids.  Understand, new people has always been a favorite part of my job. 

While at home the day before my presentation, I started thinking about what I should tell the eager, young recruits.  Hmmm.  I thought I should share a little bit about me, my past, a few expectations and ask them to share something with me.  Yeah, that’ll do.  Easy.  

I walked around the house picking up mementos from over my career.  A concert ticket from Sammy Hagar that I went to on my first day as a career firefighter, the helmet I wore when I rescued someone from a fire, my Officer of the Year pin, National Fire Academy badge, a small pewter coin with an angel on it given to me by a citizen, a picture of my fire academy graduation with my first Chief, first badge and a picture of my family.  I chose those items a little bit randomly but also for what they represent.  More on that another day.  

Armed with my “Bag of Trinkets Speech” I headed in.  I gathered the group into a tight circled and went through each of the items explaining what it is and what it represents.  I passed each item around so they could touch it, feel it, experience it.  I also asked them for a commitment to whatever the item represents.  As an example, the NFA badge represents continued commitment to education and lifelong learning.  I ask that they commit to continued education and learning.  It was a VERY emotional presentation, catching me off guard.  All these small keepsakes represented my path through the fire service.  It was a reflection of where I had been and what I had done and I was VERY proud of it.  They were good sports not making fun the BC because I shed a few tears in front of a group of grown adults.  I have done the same presentation every year since and every time it is an emotional rollercoaster.  

I felt like I was hitting on all cylinders.  I shared a little of me and my past, now just a couple expectations.

I asked the group to define “reputation.”  They punched around a bit but really landed on the definition as being “the way others see you.”  I then went on to ask them to define “character.”  Again, we used a few words, some hit and some missed but we finished with “the way you actually are.”  We also talked about how an organization can have a reputation and a character.  

We then talked about how long it takes to build a reputation and all agreed it takes a long time with consistent behavior to build it.  Additionally, we talked about how quick you can damage your reputation (a thousand bridges, Nick?).  We then talked about organizational reputation and how quickly it can be damaged.  

I finished with this expectation, using these exact words:  “I will do everything I can to help you succeed in your career, investing whatever it takes.  However, if you do something that embarrasses the organization or it’s Fire Chief, or something that damages the organizational reputation, I will do EVERYTHING in my power to get rid of you, to get you fired.”  Pretty simple.  I have shared these words with every group of new hire firefighters since that first opportunity.  Maybe only about 50 or 60 people.  And since that day, since I developed clarity or understanding on my value in this area, I have only had to bounce people back in bounds a few times and only went to termination once.

People don’t get out of bounds too often.  But when they do, someone needs to call them out, get them back in line.  Have the courage to protect the organizational reputation because that reputation bleeds over to yours.  Someone who sees an unprofessional organization may say “Yeah, Jane works for that organization; what a bunch of dipsticks!!”  You owe it to the organization you chose to work for, who provides you with your everything to stand up for their reputation.  Plus, you don’t want that black mark hooked to your wagon because someday, you might need to move on and your reputation, or that of the organization, is all your prospective employer might have to go on.  

What’s your reputation?  Is it close to matching your character?  

P.S.  The bit about termination due to embarrassing organizational reputation.  Remember when I talked in a previous post about expectations starting the conversation?  When I had to talk to this person about their behavior, I said “Remember when I said ‘If you embarrass the organization or Chief or do anything to damage the organizational reputation, I will do everything to get rid of you? Today, you embarrassed the organization.”  I think it was clear to this person where I was headed because the expectation was clear.