Successful officers in the fire service often have a great many training certificates in their personnel folders. If one was to thumb through this vast array of documentation, one would see some of the same words repeated — authority, command, executive and leadership. I can almost guarantee, however, that you won't find one document in such a portfolio that distinguishes achievements in “followership.” There are no pieces of paper that recognize a superior ability to take orders and carry out the most mundane tasks.

Like most organizations, the fire service has no real working definition of a “good follower.” Ironically, it is our job as leaders to define effective followership and understand how it is supposed to fit into a successful management system without upsetting the chain of command or jeopardizing the safety of the fireground.

Interestingly enough, it is only recently that the military, corporations and various universities have conducted studies specific to the role of followership in an attempt to understand it. Emphasizing chain of command, the military sees followership as absolutely essential, noting the significance of thousands of teenage mechanics working on the most sophisticated combat jets flown by only a handful of pilots. They acknowledge the risk and magnitude of the challenge but know little of its psychology or specific effects on the individual or group.

Conversely, corporations, for all of their consultants, workshops and seminars, see followership as a type of character flaw that could possibly lead to a lessening of profits if not controlled. In the business world, no one is truly satisfied or deemed successful unless they are at the top; therefore, no one really wants to be a follower. And educators see followership as necessary to the survival of any social network, but they study it by looking into the microscope backward, that is, by researching all of the significant human traits that characterize a great leader only to repackage them as technical descriptions of followership.

This is not to say the research into followership is not valid or insightful, but for the firefighters and officers looking for behavioral tools, it simply lacks the relevant hands-on application they have come to expect in their training.

Follower Foundings

For firefighters, in the distant past of bucket brigades and bed keys, followership was taken literally. Firegrounds were large, complicated and dangerous places. Communications were poor at best, relying on voices through brass trumpets trying to control a vast sea of men and machines. It was imperative for everyone's safety that instructions were carried out with focus and determination — whether they were understood or not. Early handheld radio communications were spotty at best and often led to misunderstanding and confusion. It was better to have a clear game plan going in and stick to it.

For years, the most effective way to run a large fire was by “following orders to the letter.” But tragedies were unavoidable when situations changed on the inside and no one knew on the outside.

With the advent of incident command and its span-of-control concept, orders were easier to give and receive. Because communication was allowed with one's immediate subordinate or superior, changes could be made in a straight-forward manner. Suddenly, good ideas presented in a timely fashion became procedurally appropriate to both firefighters and officers alike.

Additionally, this new system of command and control made communication more effective as well as manageable. Chief officers could receive information vital to the continuing assessment of the incident. If a situation on the inside of a target building changed, a working group could give that information to a supervisor, who in turn could relay it to a division chief allowing for a direct route to command. Now, even the lowest rookie firefighter had a method (permission) for input, and although it often stopped at the group level, relevant information would get through. Followership had become an active and workable concept, not just some passive philosophy of unquestioning obedience and traditional loyalty.

Today, we couple this form of communication with education and training — creating a new era in followership, one in which subordinates have more to contribute than blind obedience. They have come to understand that the strong, silent type may no longer be the most effective firefighter. Firefighters are becoming highly trained and adept at confident decision-making in line with the goals of command. Good followers, like great leaders, are asked to think for themselves. They are driven to go above and beyond any situation and still support the team. Followers have to see the path toward progress clearly and take with them a structured set of values borne of critical review and the acceptance of new ideas, both theirs and their leaders.

Beyond Rank

Researchers describe followers as impulsive or compulsive, pragmatic or alienated, isolationists or activists, implementers or individualists, and the like. Regardless of the endless classifications, most scholars agree that the personal traits of followers are in line with those found in great leaders. What separates followers from leaders — and ultimately defines them — is not classification by type or personal traits, but rather their role in any situation. How individuals react to a particular set of circumstances, and their ability to transition seamlessly from an effective leader to a supportive follower and back again, determines their function at any given time.

This is not to say there are no clear roles in the fire service. Just look at your collar if you are unsure. But rank and command are not enough. In the past, the fire service has focused on the definition of roles and spent little time on their suitable values. The fireground “freelancer” is a perfect example of an individual who does not value his or her assignment and feels that a different role would be more appropriate. The challenge is in creating an atmosphere wherein these values are unmistakably defined and accepted as appropriate to the individual as well as the group. The first step in understanding these values is to recognize the principles of good followership. Firefighters are ready to follow but need to have solid reasons. They have faith in their leaders but it must be a devotion supported by intellectual agreement and not just by charisma. They have a legitimate trust gained from genuine concern and a sense of having values similar to those who lead them.

Followership has three components.

Foundation. Build a good foundation of education and training so that you become the problem-solver everyone depends upon. Know that by the sheer volume of work you undertake you will be recognized as an effective follower and a future leader. Good ideas combined with a solid work ethic speak volumes.

Be the best teammate you can be. Help others and take pride and satisfaction from group accomplishments. Create a supportive environment for leadership success. This will translate to triumph and loyalty at all levels.

Focus. In today's culture of multi-tasking, infinite inputs, smartphones and endless media channels, the ability to focus is becoming increasingly more difficult to achieve and maintain. We tire easily, especially if the assignment is uninteresting or inconsistent with our professional goals or personal satisfaction. We become easily distracted and find any excuse to move our attention to passive entertainment. Discipline, practice and time management are the keys to successful focusing of the mind.

Follow through. This is where the rubber meets the road. Ideas are cheap and plentiful. Ideas only become valuable when they are utilized in an effective and meaningful way. This means commitment, tenacity, work and the willingness to take a risk. Presentation is only the beginning. You must be willing to battle for your beliefs. To paraphrase the Amercan economist and Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt, “ideas exist only in their implementation.”

In our history we all have heard about fire departments around the country steeped in tradition and unsullied by progress. But even couched in humor, these staunch and stoic pockets of long ago are coming around to the realization that when it comes to managing a group of firefighters, submissive behavior is a slow, unimaginative and potentially dangerous way to run a fire, firehouse or even an entire organization. A fire department that lacks argumentative insight and the freedom to express ideas outside the “safe zone” is doomed to failure — or worse.

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Capt. Jim Spell is a 33-year veteran of the fire service, having served the last 19 years as a line officer for Vail (Colo.) Fire and Emergency Services. He has an associate's degree in fire science and a bachelor's degree in communications. Spell served on the original Governor's Safety Committee for the state of Colorado and teaches vehicle extrication, hazardous materials and leadership throughout Colorado's western slope. Currently, Spell is working toward his Colorado State Fire Officer Certification. He can be contacted at jspell@vailgov.com.

Principles of Good Followership

There are more ideas conceived than decisions made, just as there are more followers than leaders.

Ideas are spatial and decisions are linear. Ideas, whatever their origination, must be implemented in order. You must understand the value of order as well as the importance of ideas. Your idea may be of value but simply out of order.

Ideas must be presented in an appropriate manner. Learn your department's cultural criteria for the presentation of ideas. You may have to wait. Patience is not only a virtue — it is a tactical consideration.

Be pure in motive. Ideas, to be effective, cannot be presented with the thought of reward. The desire for appreciation obscures the clear evaluation and utilization of ideas. To expedite a solution is its own reward — or should be.

The job of a good follower is to provide support, remembering that loyalty travels in all directions.

Critical thinking, objective analysis and initiative are the keys to successful followership.

Pay attention at all times and listen, especially before presenting ideas.

Reliability and consistency are reflected in good followership.

Trust and honesty are the cornerstones of both leadership and followership.

Accept responsibility whenever appropriate.

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