Acting Chief Louie Bright III is a 30-year veteran of Dallas Fire-Rescue, where he worked his way through the ranks from firefighter to assistant chief. Bright has worn a lot of hats and worked under some great leaders during his career at the urban fire department, where he’s served as a firefighter and paramedic, as well as in administrative and training positions. He shared with FIRE CHIEF his Top 5 lessons learned, including the importance of collaboration and succession planning.

1] Pay attention. I try to take something from everyone I work with like how they made decisions or how they were patient during times of crisis — two things I’ve tried to practice during my leadership over the years. When I was rising through the ranks, I also watched how leadership dealt with personnel matters, which of course we have our share of in the fire service, and how they were consistently fair across the board when they made those decisions. So I was always kept an eye on their leadership skills, which helped shape how I lead and manage.

2] Listen to elders. When I was a 29-year-old lieutenant, I worked for a deputy chief at the time. He was an excellent mentor to me. That was my first experience dealing with the upper-level, administrative side of EMS operations. I had been a paramedic in the field for several years, a firefighter in the field … and it was my opportunity to deal with the administrative side of city operations. So I worked with a deputy chief who really knew how to maintain the balance of dealing with the troops and dealing with city hall. He was excellent at managing city council issues, like how to write and talk to city councilmen as well as deal with contracts and budgets. That was my first experience and as my career moved forward that ultimately became a large part of what I do.

3] Hold yourself accountable.
For me, it’s about integrity and being accountable for you actions. Say what you mean and mean what you say, even in those times you need to make unpopular decisions. Never compromise your integrity.

4] Clearly communicate and collaborate with your team. Clearly communicate your vision and changes you’re considering. It reduces the rumor mill that is very popular in the fire service. It also reduces confusion. It keeps the message out in front of the troops — especially in a large organization, where it is critical. The second thing is collaboration. We have to understand that we can’t do this alone. There are brilliant minds in the upper-level staff but also in the lower ranks. People have ideas that can be valuable. So don’t ever think your position is being threatened by ideas and thoughts and suggestions. When you collaborate, it helps you make better decisions.

5] Plan for succession. Mentor and develop a plan to prepare future leaders. We are not going to be here forever. We hope that when we leave, we leave our city and citizens in capable hands. But that doesn’t just happen. We have to play an active part in that. So develop plans for training future leaders, keeping an eye out for future shining starts and developing training and opportunities to enhance those skills.