While we certainly have good individual leaders in the fire service, most agencies lack effective, in-house, dynamic leadership training. With the generation and cultural gaps widening, and our experienced leaders retiring at a geometric rate, a leadership pandemic is sweeping the American fire service. The result is increased litigation, liability, and gross inefficiency. In addition, ineffectiveness and tarnished public trust are just some of the results of this enormous problem.
This training is geared toward what excellent leaders are – and are not. We focus on the challenges facing today’s leaders, whether a front-line company officer, battalion chief, or fire chief.
Real, credible case studies are discussed that deal with all facets of leadership: Keys to real world motivation, goal setting, the “Old Salt”, the “Baby Boomer”, the “X/Y” generations, the “Millennial”, “Gen Z”, the “Recliner Sniper”, cultural differences, effective communications, time management, problem solving, conflict resolution, risk management, empowerment, delegation, the “Oreo” factor, customer service, technology, succession planning, personal baggage and many others.
Leadership is a word often used in the world today but rarely seen. This workshop throws out the book on technical jargon and antiquated theory. In addition, your students will participate in several dynamic hands-on exercises, including role play sessions, one-on-one and group scenarios, practice actual conflict resolution exercises and break down EEOC issues.
We delve into conflict resolution. Fire officers find this to be a daunting task to implement. They do not understand the nuances of when and how to implement this in real-world situations that face them on a daily basis. The result is often escalation of issues that could and should be managed at the lowest level. We factor in your agency/city policy to assist the officer in assuring that member rights are not violated. The key is to know when to pass an issue up the chain of command and what triggers are in place through local, state, and federal laws.
Simultaneously, the fire officer must know how to approach a member, get to the root issue causing inappropriate behavior, get the employee to take ownership, and then develop a plan for improvement. The nuances of this skill set must be taught using real examples, role plays, and question/answer sessions until your aspiring and incumbent officers feel comfortable and confident to properly lead and resolve conflict in the modern workplace.