Once you’ve assumed your responsibilities as an officer, it doesn’t take long to encounter circumstances requiring decisions where the options may not be covered by the black-and-white examples of “the rule book.”

There are frequently two — or more — sides to a story. How you handle these gray areas can be a true test of leadership. Compounding this challenge is the fact that today’s fire service environment is much different than that of years past. “Why?” has become the question of choice, and “Because I said so!” is no longer an acceptable response.

What’s a veteran officer to do?

The answer is you must build a relationship with those you will lead. The requirements of fire service leadership certainly may be changing, but the concept of a relationship is timeless. A close connection between fire service leaders and their subordinates offers a solution to leading today’s fire departments.

Get to know the members of your team. Find out about them. When are their birthdays? What are their children’s names and how are they doing in school?

Share your team members’ successes and their sorrows. Tell them you appreciate them. Nominate them for awards. Look for opportunities to enter their lives and put yourself in their shoes. A trusted supervisor once told me leaders need to “waste time productively” with their teams. I believe that means developing relationships with those teams.

As your relationship with your crew develops, the differences that make each individual member unique will become more evident. Treat each team member as an individual, but be consistent.

Be aware, too, that your department’s policies and general operating guidelines are there to guide your decision-making but not make the decisions for you. Leading in today’s fire service isn't as simple as going to a rule book to determine your actions, or at least it shouldn’t be. Your firefighters have different values and backgrounds. Learn to value their differences and serve their individual needs, and they’ll follow you. Everyone has something to offer — you just have to find it!

For many of us, one-third of our adult lives will be spent at the fire station. How you treat those who work for you will be your legacy, not the number of bugles you have on your collar. A 28-year veteran firefighter recently told me he knew his place in our organization. He said, “I want to lead from the middle.” He was right on track. He passes on expertise that can only be gained from years of service. He’s building relationships with his supervisors and the newly assigned probationary firefighter just out of the training academy.

What words do the people you work with use to describe you? Honest, respectful, caring and trustworthy? Or do they use words like efficient, productive or driven? All of these words are descriptive of traits of good leaders, but the last three will only take you so far. You’ve heard it before: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Do you merely squeeze relationships into your life, or do you value them? What are your priorities?

Your crews want someone to lead them. They need someone who can demonstrate a command presence on the fireground, but they also need someone who cares about them. The officer who simply follows a black-and-white rule book won’t provide that.

A crew respects someone who makes the tough decisions. They may not always like those decisions, but for the most part, they'll accept them. If things aren’t going the way you need and you have a gut feeling that something needs to be said about it, then say it!

Crews will be watching you, even regarding small things. What may seem an insignificant event for you may be a very big deal for the guy on the back of the rig. A company’s request for a leaf blower may represent an inconvenience to you as the company’s battalion chief, but to that fire company, it’s a big deal. Firefighters take pride in their stations, and getting that leaf blower or a gallon of paint to touch up the trim can go a long way in building a relationship with your team. A rule book can’t adequately cover the human needs of a crew, and a good leader must be much more than a manager of resources.

Using just a rule book to make leadership decision will get temporary results, but developing a true relationship with your team will take it in the direction you want for the long haul. Face it: People are going to break rules, they’re going to make mistakes, and they’re not always going to do things the way you might have wanted them done. So what? What’s the goal? Are the members of your team going in the direction your department needs them to go? Did you set expectations early and are you providing feedback?

Good leadership is not a matter of decisions made in black and white; it is a matter of the decisions that must be made in shades of gray. A focus on relationships can help significantly.

---

David L. Bullins is a 25-year fire service veteran currently serving as a battalion chief for the Greensboro (N.C.) Fire Department. He has a degree in fire and safety engineering technology from the University of Cincinnati and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.