A Call to Leadership

(Photo: Chris Ayer)

What are your first actions when you take over a new program or position? How do you deal with the unknown parts of a job that you just got? How do you step out of a role and lead a new program? 

Some of us dream about being called into a new role, but few of us put thought into the actual day-to-day operations of that role. It is easy to look up the chain of command and say, “Oh I would just do this or just do that” or, my personal favorite, “It isn’t that hard; why can’t they just do "x" or "y," and the problem is solved.” But when the call to lead comes, a person can find themselves surprised by the complexity of the new role. 

I was given the opportunity, literally over night, to begin a new role.  It’s a wonderful opportunity and I'm extremely excited for it, but I am shocked and a bit overwhelmed. There are things were learn about  taking over a leadership role, such as, observe, make changes slowly, reestablish trust to the individuals about the change. These are all extremely valuable and important to keep in mind. But this post isn’t about those per se; this is more about the individual dealing with this change and moving up leadership levels.

This new and increased weight shocked me, much like a dunk in a frigid lake. I struggled the first few days, getting overwhelmed pondering things that I didn’t have a grasp on, being extremely forgetful, like a zombie, and not being able to focus on simple tasks. Not sure anyone else noticed, but I felt lost, like I was getting washed out to sea. 

Are you prepared for the next step in leadership? Have you prepared for the surprises that come with taking that next step up the ladder? Advancing from firefighter 2 to firefighter 1 isn’t as impactful as going from squad boss to crew boss or from backseat firefighter to engine boss. Those are substantial steps, and the responsibilities may overwhelm you from time to time; but things become even more complex when changing roles is unexpected. I want to share a few lessons I learned from my experience. Maybe they can help you.

FOG of Leadership

It sounds cliché but suddenly I took large step up and things seem like they are going a million miles an hour. I was in a whole new complexity level. My responsibilities grew four-fold. The small list of things that I had planned to have ready for the season was short and easy to handle; my new list became immense and daunting. Where once I worried only about me, my gear, and a fully equipped truck, I now added staffing, equipping four trucks, training for a small agency, and learning how billing and staffing works. I lacked some of the technical knowledge needed for the job. I almost locked my keys in the truck, and left my lunch and computer bag at home, remembering my mistake as I was half way to work. I was in a "fog of leadership."

Something had to change, I needed a way to cope with my new role.

• I turned to sticky notes and daily lists. 
• The lists seemed to make it manageable and gave me a simple step-by-step process to keep my head above freezing waters.
• I began taking notes on thoughts and writing things down, including notes on conversations and emails with people. 
• The notes acted like a way to keep the thoughts and ideas clear.

Leader's Intent

Leader's intent is something that we use in operations and was a life saver, giving me clear direction and goals. My chief was terrific. We had a couple long, nuanced conversations about his goals and ideas for the program. This gave me framework and guidance to implement two radically different projects. It also provided some bumper lanes to keep me moving in the direction that he wanted. I probably would have ended up in the shortest leadership role ever if it was not for his leader's intent.

• Understanding where your boss wants you to go means that you aren’t going to find yourself "up a creek." Have those hard conversations early and build and understanding of what your expectations are.

Develop the Situation

There are some facets of stepping up in leadership that we can’t anticipate or know are coming until you are tasked with a specific role, either by your own misjudgment or not knowing the role of another person in the agency. You will come across parts of your new job that you are not complete ready for or haven’t fully grasped how they work. But by admitting you don’t know and setting yourself to gather information, you can bridge that gap.

"Developing the situation" from the book The Mission, The Men, and Me by Pete Blaber helped me avoid "decision paralysis." Blaber suggests leaders form all decisions around the goal of developing the situation. Look for gaps in understanding, embrace adaptation with your team, and seize opportunities.

• I began fixing those gaps in knowledge by immediately reaching out for trainings and finding information on them. It’s a lot of work that I didn’t intend I would need to do. By listening and being intent on have a working knowledge of things, I have developed better situation awareness. It has kept me stepping in the right direction and staying on top of information and needs.

Conclusion

I hope my story is helpful. I can’t promise you wont stumble or fall, but maybe this keeps those slips and falls to a minimum. Give yourself some grace and crawl, walk, and then run to success. 

Lastly, I encourage you to dream. I did and now I say to myself, "Isn’t this exactly what you have been asking for by reading the blog, studying on your own, working on leadership classes within the Wildland Learning Portal. YOU ASKED FOR IT NOW YOU GOT IT! Make the most of the opportunity."

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Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.