Last week we looked at Lieutenant Eager’s first day at Engine 2, where the engine chauffeur told Eager “We do not pull hose.” Received a lot of great responses. This week we look at small group leadership issues.
“STORMING” SMALL GROUP RESTART
A new leader re-sets the Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing model in small workgroups. Because of the culture of team-based fire suppression, including the need to trust team members with your life, the resetting for Engine 2 A Platoon starts at the Storming phase.
Decisions don’t come easily within group. Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in relation to other team members and the leader, who might receive challenges from team members. Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there may be power struggles.
The push-back from the engine chauffeur is an example of challenging the leader. Lieutenant Eager needs to focus the crew on the department goals and be prepared for emotional responses from firefighters.
BE THE ENGINE BOSS
Joseph Folkman Ph.D., a psychometrician with expertise on change management, describes 5 ways to build a high-performance team:
From our data set of more than 66,000 respondents we asked team members to rate a series of leadership behaviors and to also rate their satisfaction, engagement and commitment.
In the graph below we created an index from the five dimensions and then calculated the deciles. We then calculated the percentage of employees in a team willing to go the extra mile. Leaders who were rated lowest on these behaviors had about 13% of team members who were highly committed. But team leaders who were exceptional on these all five dimensions (those at the top 10%) had 71% of team members who were highly committed.
1. Team Leaders Inspire More Than They Drive
Lieutenant Eager will be more successful if he can inspire Engine 2A rather than ordering them to do skill drills. Eager needs to create energy and enthusiasm in the team. Team members need to feel inspired, that they are on a mission and what they are doing is of great importance. The fire service literature can provide support, Richard Ray has a good article in Fire Engineering.
2. Team Leaders Resolve Conflicts And Increase Cooperation
Eager will need to be engaged in resolving conflict and increase cooperation, especially as the engine company is adapting to a new engine boss. Focus on activities that meet the fire department mission.
3. Team Leaders Set Stretch Goals
High performers want to do the extraordinary. Eager should utilize the requirement to complete a 120-day evaluation of the new fire attack line and nozzle into an activity that makes the firefighters feel like they are making a difference.
4. Team Leaders Communicate, Communicate, Communicate the Vision And Direction
Eager needs to stay on message with his vision and the fire company’s direction. It will require the lieutenant to constantly communicate in order to keep firefighters focused on the vision and accomplish the mission.
5. Team Leaders Are Trusted
Trust is a make-or-break issue with firefighters. Folkman identifies three pillars of trust:
The first pillar of trust is relationships. We trust people that we like. We trust our friends and we distrust our enemies. Building a positive relationship increases trust.
The second pillar of trust is knowledge or expertise. We trust people that have the right answer or can provide insight. We trust people when they can help solve problems. Use your knowledge and skills to help others solve a problem and it will increase trust.
The third pillar of trust is consistency. When you say you will do something and you do it, people trust you. Being consistent and walking your talk makes you a person that can be trusted.
Daily Skill Drill
Lieutenant Eager’s normal workday as the boss at Engine 11 included a skill drill. This will be a significant change in Engine 2A’s workday under the retired lieutenant. As the busiest engine in the department, Engine 2A’s firefighters may feel insulted or disrespected at the idea of doing recruit school skill drills. Next week we will look at Skill Drills That Do Not Stink.
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Folkman, Joseph (2016 April 13) “5 Ways To Build A High-Performance Team” Forbes.com accessed March 2, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joefolkman/2016/04/13/are-you-on-the-team-from-hell-5-ways-to-create-a-high-performance-team/#1f6c8067ee2c
Zenger, John H., and Folkman, Joseph (2009) The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders: 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 978-0071628082
Ray, Richard (2017 October 1) “Essentials of a High Performing Engine Company.” Fire Engineering. Accessed March 2, 2019, from https://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-170/issue-10/features/essentials-of-a-high-performing-engine-company.html
Featured image used with permission from Dave Donohue Mid-Atlantic Emergency and Safety Consultants, LLC
Elements. identifiers and sequence of events may be altered in “war stories” to protect the innocent or work better as an example.