Leadership is an imperfect science. We all know there isn’t a one-size-fits-all for how we lead or who we lead. We must adapt, grow and see perspectives that challenge us to improve as leaders. We also should be driven to inspire our team, mentor them both personally and professionally, and then continue to develop them as they grow into leaders themselves. This is multifaceted, because it ensures that we also continue to push ourselves to set a good example and to keep growing.
Please understand, you either inspire the next generation or you leave them uninspired with your daily actions. You either help them or you just get by. Getting by leads to complacency and transmits an attitude that you’re just “there” to fill a spot.
Leaders make a difference every day, some way, somehow. Trust me, your team is watching, and they see everything.
Set an example
So, where does inspire, mentor and develop play into this whole matter?
When I was a freshman in high school, all I wanted to do was be a part of a team. Growing up, I was very small, and people either beat me up or made fun of me. When I entered high school at 4-foot, 11-inches tall and weighing about 90 lbs., I knew that I had my work cut out for me. I didn’t let it bother me, though. I stayed focused and tried out for the varsity baseball team, because my high school had no junior varsity team. I remember the first day of tryouts, all of the players asked me what a shrimp was doing trying to make the team. I just laughed it off.
Well, first cuts went by, and I made it. Second cuts went by, still there. Some of the players who made fun of me: Cut. Third cuts came, and I made it.
By this point, a few players were being nice, but there still was this one who harassed me every day. I loved it at this point, because that treatment motivated me.
Last cuts were posted, and I didn’t make it. I was crushed. I thought my baseball career was over. A few weeks later, the baseball coach offered to make me the scoreboard operator, and I was excited just to be a part of the team. I gladly accepted. Well, as you can imagine, the players really loved the fact that I was now the “scoreboard operator.” That same player from tryouts made it his goal to make my life miserable. One time in particular—I still remember it like it was yesterday—we were on a rain delay, and I was trying to make friends with some of the players in the dugout. The player who harassed me looked directly at me and told me that I was a loser and that I never would amount to anything in my life other than a “scoreboard operator.” He was dead serious. No joking. No laughing. Wow, did that motivate me like nothing else. I just looked at all 6 foot, 3 inches of him and walked away. What could I do or say? However, I knew in my heart that he was wrong.
At the end-of-the-year ceremony, I was given a plaque that includes my name and the inscription “Scoreboard Operator.” To this day, I have it in my house where I can see it daily. Why? Because that moment at 14 years old made me realize that we as people can do so much to help each other grow but just as easily can do so much to tear each other down.
Ironically enough, there was another player and a coach who saw something in me and gave me a chance. They inspired me to not listen to that other player. They mentored me, so I could improve at my skill set of playing baseball. They continually developed me into a collegiate and professional baseball player. They took time to set an example. Looking back on it all, I now can see that when they mentored me they also were mentoring themselves. As they continued to help to develop my skill set, they were developing their skill set as well. It was a binary relationship.
Inspire, mentor, develop
So, how do we inspire, mentor and develop our team and the next generation of firefighters with this binary relationship?
Inspire: The way that you carry yourself, your uniform, your appearance, your body language, your speech pattern, your mood, the way that your shoes are shined, all inspire others. Are you going to classes and conferences to be better? Are you in school? Are you engaged in your department? Some team members see small parts of this; some see all of it. We aren’t perfect. No one is. However, followers can tell whether you’re making a genuine effort to inspire yourself and others around you to be better. Simple things, such as saying “Good morning” with some life, being excited to be at work, showing and telling your team that you care about them, training with them, sitting and talking with them, opening up to them so that they know that you’re human and that you’re trying to be a better teammate just as they are: These are moments that are invaluable in the grand scheme of things and change the dynamic of your team.
Mentor: Mentoring your team and the next generation is an everyday affair. It’s little nuggets of information or advice that you can give throughout the day. Often, you might be mentoring and not even know it. Did you see a situation where the conversation could have gone differently? Did you take a moment to sit with an aspiring leader and learn what that person’s future plans are in the department? When you put in the effort to learn this information, did you then help that person to achieve his or her goal? What about passing leadership books down to them? Think outside of the box and make an effort instead of just getting through your daily routine. Mentorship matters.
Develop: Development of your team is for the duration of your career. Allow the members of the team the opportunities to train on new apparatus, to learn new positions, new skill sets. Introduce them to challenges that they don’t know. Develop them as individuals. This will carry into their leadership capabilities as well.
I look for good people who care and who want to make a difference. These are the people who we develop into the next generation of leaders. Then, if we set the example, they do the same.
You are making a fine wine with your team and the next generation of members. It takes time to develop this, so you must be patient and help them to grow, because they are helping you to grow just as much.
Make a difference
To inspire, mentor and develop are essential components of being a leader. You weren’t put into a leadership position to just get through the day. You were put there to do a job and to develop others to do your job and to take your place one day. This is so critical in the journey of a team as well as in the journey of an organization.
Dr. David Griffin
Dr. David Griffin is the assistant chief of administration in Charleston, SC. He was the operator of the first-due engine on June 18, 2007, when nine of his fellow firefighters perished. Griffin has come through the ranks in operations in every uniformed position, from firefighter to battalion chief and shift commander to his current position, during his 19-year career in Charleston. He has a bachelor's degree in education from The Citadel, a master's degree in executive fire service leadership, and a doctorate of education in organizational leadership and development. Griffin is the author of "In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy," among three other books. He is an international speaker and instructor, a certified Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer with The Center for Public Safety Excellence, an IFSAC/Pro Board-certified Fire Officer IV and a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy. He is a graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Executive Education program: Senior Executives in State and Local Government and of the Psychology of Leadership program at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business. Griffin is the owner of On A Mission, LLC, at drdavidgriffin.com.
