As a student of the fire service, I long have been at odds with the implicit value of seeking individuals who are lauded for their command presence as an indicator of their leadership acumen.
In every promotional process and assessment in which I participated, the grading criteria involved whether the candidate demonstrated command presence. However, this is supremely subjective. After all, ask yourself, what is command presence? When it comes down to it, maybe command presence is one of those things that we can see more than we can define.
Command presence, as I define it, is the ability of individuals to present themselves as people who are to be respected for their aptitude and management of an incident with supreme efficiency and assertion.
My call to action is to define another equally powerful leadership ethos: a new term that I call command resonance. The leadership of our profession must embrace a departure from the strict teaching of and desire for strong command presence. If we seek and train for command presence, we can train to become resonant leaders, too.
Presence and resonance
What does it mean to be a resonant leader? Resonance is being able to attune to people’s feelings and emotional state and move them in a positive direction. Resonating with the emotion—tone and tempo—of those who are around you leaves people feeling uplifted and inspired. That’s easy to do, right?
According to Daniel Goleman, the ability to demonstrate resonance is responsible for affecting a substantial amount of overall organizational performance. For many of us, this requires getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and pushing our growing edges. This is such a critical issue for the culture of many professions, and, certainly, the fire service is no exception. Do I need fire officers and chief officers who exhibit the qualities of command presence? Absolutely. However, considering that this leadership trait is valuable in emergent environments, I need that developed skill approximately 5 percent–15 percent of the time. The rest of the time, I need a leader who has command resonance.
Command resonance is the ability to create positive emotional effects and outcomes by using emotional intelligence (EI), which also is known as emotional quotient (EQ). Command resonance imprints positive and energetic emotions that put people in sync and empowers success. Successful implementation and development of command resonance throughout a team or organization results in emotional stamina, cooperation, idea-sharing and strong emotional bonds that help the team or organization through difficult times.
To parse words, command presence is critical for performing the full scope of the responsibilities of a fire officer; however, the overuse or reliance on command presence as a default is supremely problematic. Command presence, without intending it, prevents people from speaking opinions for fear of outbursts or repercussions from the leader or other team members.
Team members might not entirely trust a leader who heavily relies on command presence, and they, in turn, can concern themselves with the politics of protecting themselves and be risk averse. Utilizing command presence requires a leader to be in sync with the members of the team and their emotions. Command presence prevails as an immediate action or behavior, whereas the bonds of command resonance take time and cultivation.
Command resonance can be a key to creating a high-engagement environment and a strong organizational climate.
How do we develop into and become a command-resonant leader? I wish that I could tell you that it’s easy to bring about this aptitude, but it isn’t. It takes consistent effort and desire. The following five characteristics illustrate how to recognize and develop your command resonance.
Self-awareness moves us to actively participate in our emotional states. What becomes critical isn’t labeling your feelings as good or bad but becoming aware of them and allowing yourself to sit with your emotional discomfort, rather than avoid it. A key pillar of emotional intelligence isn’t only becoming aware of your feelings and reactions but learning to manage them.
One of the most powerful tools that reinforces development of self-awareness and management is keeping a journal. It allows you to check in with yourself and to provide yourself feedback. Undoubtedly, this is a growth opportunity.
As a firefighter or fire officer, it’s critical to know yourself under stress. Introspection provides the opportunity for self-reflection. A lack of self-reflection can be the greatest barrier to awareness and personal management. We can’t be our most genuine selves, after all, if we have no idea who that is. Take time to honestly and compassionately examine your inner and outer worlds. What mistakes did you make lately? How did you handle them? What are the things that you do that make you most proud? How do you respond in difficult moments? Reflecting on these types of questions is essential to becoming more self-aware and moving toward a more command-resonant leadership style.
Self-control
Self-control is the ability to remain composed whatever the state of your emotions. People who have this competence manage their impulsive feelings and distressing emotions well. They stay composed and positive even in trying moments. For an example of how to practice self-control: Sleep on it. We all experienced the compulsion to tell someone off or to write a scathing email reply. Write the email but keep it in the draft folder and sleep on it. Constant application of this allows you to make tough, principled stands, even if they are unpopular, because the decision was made exhibiting self-control.
Self-control also means that you meet commitments and keep promises, holding yourself accountable to decisions, actions and outcomes. Owning and admitting your own mistakes is a powerful agent in command resonance. Doing so allows you to build trust through reliability and authenticity. Practicing these skills becomes a proving ground for adaptability. It is where we demonstrate handling multiple demands, shifting priorities and rapid change. Those who work toward a more resonant state of leadership adapt their response and tactics to maintain flexibility in how they see events.
Social awareness
Social awareness and relationship management become significant as we are on the path toward resonant leadership. How we interact and treat all of those who we are in contact with matter deeply. Simple things in this category can go a long way, including greeting people by name, not interrupting others and recognizing significant dates, such as birthdays.
Other larger skills are worth practicing, too. Demonstrate active listening and be present when having conversations. (One of the most off-putting and socially impotent behaviors is someone checking their phone or watch multiple times during a conversation.) Additionally, the act of responding to people who have a question can be used to develop buy-in and to ensure that they feel that their opinions are valued.
Be aware of social cues and practice interpreting body language to recognize the emotional state of others.
The practices of social awareness and relationship management pave the way for others to feel comfortable, and they foster a positive work climate.
Competence
If there is one thing for certain, the fire service can spot a fake. Competence in this profession begins with unifying experiences and dedication to the craft. In short, competence is the ability to regularly undertake responsibilities and perform to the organizational standard. It’s a combination of skills, experience and knowledge.
Showing that one is competent in the job leads to expanded opportunities for leadership positions, which is where the path to building command resonance will be all the more crucial.
Authenticity
The most powerful and desired characteristic of the command-resonant leader is that of authenticity. To accentuate authenticity in oneself, it’s important to exhibit the following characteristics.
The first of these is acceptance. The better that you know and love your authentic self, the less inclined that you will be to pass judgment on others. As John Mark Green wrote, “The self-righteous scream judgments against others to hide the noise of skeletons dancing in their closets.”
The second is exhibiting a high level of integrity. Authentic people always choose to live by their values, even when the decision to do so is controversial or unpopular.
The third characteristic is courage. It takes a great deal of courage to take an honest look inward and discover who you truly are. It takes even more courage to present your genuine self to the world.
Finally, authentic leaders who have command resonance exhibit forgiveness. They recognize that, character flaws, mistakes and even hurtful behaviors almost always are unintentional. People who practice forgiveness in their own life are more inclined to allow others the grace to do the same.
Faith and trust
Command presence always rightly will reign supreme in the arena of emergency operations. It is my hope, however, that we seek the opportunity to become more resonant in our leadership capacities. Creating a positive, resonant environment allows us to have faith in each other to trust the purpose, actions and intent of others to further the mission, vision and values of our organizations.
