Preparing For Promotional Exams: The Starting Point
You may be at the firehall one day with the crew, sitting around the table, debriefing the latest fire call and observing your captain, when you suddenly think – one day I could do that, I could be a captain.
And so begins your contemplation, both of yourself, and of undergoing the promotional process…of becoming a leader to a crew. It's a big decision, so before you rush to begin studying, consider some internal reflections first. These reflections will help reveal whether a promotion is the right step for you, and guide you throughout the preparation process.
Understand Your Motivation
Why do you want to be a captain? Is it the quest for more money that comes from the higher salary that motivates you? Is it because you think you could do a better job than the captain to whom you currently report? Or do you truly believe that you have the leadership qualities required of the position? These are important questions upon which you should seriously reflect prior to beginning the process. The wrong internal motivation will eventually be revealed in your actions on the job and that will lead to dissatisfaction for both you and the crew you lead. Dissatisfaction can have performance consequences that can, in turn, interpret into wellness, health and safety consequences.
Understand Your Leadership Qualities:
Being a captain requires a person who can think critically and quickly under pressure, especially during an incident. Being able to shift between, consider, and analyse multiple factors; being able to reach conclusions rapidly and decisively regarding the most effective and safe actions, and; being effective at communicating your decisions, clearly and concisely, are mandatory leadership skills for a captain. That said, the vast majority of time in this position is not at incidents. It instead occurs within the community and at the firehall. As a leader, and no longer a peer to crew members, you will not only be required to model the role of appropriate behaviours, but also train and mentor others, and, at times, discipline those who were once your colleagues.
As the late Al Brunicini, preeminent Fire Chief of Pheonix, AZ Fire, inventor of structural fire service incident command, noted fire service author, and prolific speaker once asked – do you have the ability to 'be nice' while getting others to change their behaviour?
Leadership is not all about control and authority. Although these are traits you may sometimes need, especially on the fire ground, leadership is mostly about the ability to inspire your crew to be the very best firefighters they can be. Do you have the willingness, thoughtfulness, tact and compassion to inspire and motivate others?
If you think you do, only then should you ask yourself whether you are ready for this very difficult transition, because the transition will, and should challenge your personality.
Reflect on Your Past Practice:
Consider any potential previous leadership roles, including during educational, volunteer or previous work experiences. Carefully consider whether you did well, whether it was a comfortable role for you, and especially consider, as truthfully as possible, how others perceived you in this role. You should know. If it went well, it might be because you have natural leadership abilities that can be honed, but if it didn't go well, this is your opportunity ask yourself what you learned from it, and, especially what changes you implemented as a result of it. If having introspected you find that you have not been in leadership roles in the past, you should ask yourself why not. It's possible there weren't any opportunities, but it's also possible you have avoided them, and that should be a 'red flag' for you. You may want to consider creating some leadership experiences for yourself (perhaps through volunteer work) so that you can realistically evaluate your potential.
Your Knowledge:
Becoming a captain requires a thorough knowledge of the policies, standard operating procedures and even best practices, not only of your department, but across the service. You will be expected to both conform to rules, and implement best practices while holding others accountable. Your understanding, and your actions will be expected to go well beyond awareness, those you report to will expect you to have a deeper understanding sufficient enough to be able to explain what you did and why you did it not only to your crew, but also to the public.
Your Leadership Style:
Before you begin your journey towards a captain's position, pause and consider the type of leader you want to be. There are leadership styles, and some work better than others, though most are situational. Reflect on the leaders you have known in your life. Separate them as people in 'management' positions versus those you admire for how they treated the people around them. This will help you narrow your thoughts to determining what an excellent leader, and hence and excellent captain actually looks like? You'll consider their characteristics, attributes, skills, and especially their practices. Do they lead from in front of, or behind the team, in other words, do they lead by guiding behaviour, or by facilitating consensus? Do they more often listen, or talk? Do they pitch in to help, or empower others to perform on their own?
Reflecting on what excellence means to you, it helps you determine yours, as well as choose, a leadership style. Don't ignore people you don't admire in leadership positions. If nothing else, they can help you understand what not to do.
Your Leadership Values:
Aspiring leaders must know and be able to articulate the values and beliefs guiding their work. These guide your future work as a captain. Faced with difficult decisions and challenging people, clarity in your values and beliefs can steer you to the right actions. Values inform you when the job gets hard.
So here's some homework. I've provided below a list of values for you to review. Select the top three to five values important to you, and that you want others to use to describe your leadership style. Remember them. In the next issue in two weeks, I will help you better understand your choices, and what they mean to your choice to pursue a promotion.
