Last week in Part I, we looked at the question, is there a difference between being goal oriented and growth oriented? In that blog post I described two types of people: the Certificate Collector and the Balanced Firefighter. Part I also described the bricks and the mortar. The bricks are certifications, but what is the mortar?
The mortar
What is the mortar that holds the bricks of certification together? This is the continuing training related to each certification. However, there is much more to the mortar.
In Part I we met the Certificate Collector and the Balanced Firefighter. What training have they received regarding leadership, communication skills, conflict resolution, report writing, program management, etc.? These subjects and more are the mortar that hold the bricks together. In other words, personal and professional development goes beyond technical skills.
Missing mortar
In recent months, I have had conversations with firefighters and fire officers in seven different states. A chief officer on the East Coast described a robust leadership development program his department has in place for their officers and that is great.
On the other hand, I hear more stories about firefighters and officers who are left to their own devices when it comes to leadership training. One individual told me that it had been three years since his department conducted any type of leadership training. In a Midwest department, I was the first person ever brought in to teach leadership to their organization. In another example, I had a battalion chief tell me that when he was promoted, his boss told him that he was on his own for development. Frankly, that is a dereliction of duty on the part of his boss.
There are a lot of bricks in the fire service, but unfortunately the mortar is missing. Is it any wonder that on a weekly basis I read about leadership failures, ethical challenges, and moral problems in fire departments? Why? Because there are bricks, but no mortar. There is a goal-oriented mindset, but not a growth-oriented mindset. Regarding ethical and moral problems there is a lack of character, but I will leave that topic for another blog post.
What about you?
Are you stacking bricks or building a wall using mortar? Are you goal-oriented or growth-oriented? It is never too late to embrace the latter.
Podcast
Please tune in to Firehouse Talks with Jersey Rick: Igniting Leadership Excellence. My daughter and I cohost this podcast, and we talk about anything and everything related to leadership. You do not need to be a firefighter to listen, and we strive to keep the podcast to thirty-minutes. You can find us on Apple, Spotify, and iHeart Radio every other Thursday.
