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Leading by Experience and Example.
Authors take on effective leadership.
#Leadership
The fire chiefs and line officers that lead our volunteer fire dept received our respect and admiration. Those men earned their rank and title by starting at the bottom and rising to the top. It is the integrity of the leaders in the workplace that I question especially those who have no experience other than barking orders and some whom micro-manage. In the volunteer fire service, we trusted our leadersand fire officers because of their examples they lived by, thus earning our respect. Bosses are often concerned about time and money management, and almost to the point of pushing and stressing their employees to the brink of physical and/or mental exhaustion.
The fire officers that lead our company wouldn’t think of sending us into a fire they never had experienced hands-on themselves. But it is my understanding that there are more often than not, inexperienced bosses out there, who would send their employees to complete a task that they wouldn’t do nor had never performed.
Previously, I wrote a story about my confined space challenge and how I conquered my fear of being in confined spaces. My instructor didn’t just throw me into the hurdle of crawling through the drainpipe during training. While instructing me, I informed him that I did have a fear of claustrophobia; I was concerned about being able to breath in such a tight space. First, he gave me assurance by encouraging me on how far I have excelled in the course, and how I possess great ability to do this. Then he reassured me that I would be on breathing air from my air pack, which gave me sense of security and peace of mind that I would be fine.
With my gear on which consisted of: a flame retardant jacket and pair of bunker pants, steel-toed service work boots, gloved hands, and an air mask, which covered my face, preventing me from seeing any light or images as I crawled blindly to the opening of what seemed like a tunnel. Then my instructor asked me what I felt, and I described a tunnel opening. He said that was correct, and that was my only way out. I loosened my straps and slid my pack over my head, while keep my breathing air mask on, and then I crawled head first into the opening. The space was tight, with just enough room to stretch my shoulders, and inch my way through pushing my pack ahead of me.
I focused on controlling my breathing, reassured by the fresh cool air stream that my pack provided on my demand. If I breathe in a panic I use more air, so one of the hands on lessons was about controlled breathing. Our volunteer fire service consistently emphasized our personnel safety comes first. However, in my observation most work places especially in the building and highway construction field, the emphasis is placed usually on time and keeping a tight budget. How far can an employee be pushed to get more bang’ for the companies’ or departments’ buck?
In the volunteer fire department, we were encouraged to push beyond our personal limits without risking our personal safety. Our fire officers did not push time and money issues, rather they focused on effective training and personal safety. I mostly appreciated the way in which the volunteer fire company operated, by giving each of the members the right to elect those whom they desired to run for an elected fire officer position. A person running for a position of fire line officer would have to be skillfully trained and experienced, in order to gain the trust of fellow members, both on the scene and in a fire-rescue situation. Unlike the Fire Department, in most workplaces, generally an unqualified individual may have obtained a position in management, merely by who they knew without having experienced any of the work they instructed their employees to perform.
An individual should never be ordered to enter a confined space, whether it is an urgent situation, or work-related job without properly fitted and tested breathing air equipment. If it is a rescue situation, what sense is it if you enter the space, and succumb to poor air quality or a gas leak? I’d caution gray areas in a circumstance where a manager or boss may place you in a hard spot, by demanding that you complete a task simply because it’s your job-without further explanation. Due to the fact that a manager may not have any managerial experience, training, nor hazard prevention-they could be risking an employees’ life.
On a previous job, when I was placed in charge of flood and drain control, I was asked by a person in upper management if I would enter a drainpipe in order to unclog it. In return I replied, “If and… only if,’ I were issued proper breathing air apparatus.” A experienced, responsible, and safety minded manager-boss places an employees safety over personal ego and department/company budget!
A leader, who is responsible and reasonable, will not only earn the trust of his or her employees, but also may depend on them as well to carry out assigned duties and tasks performed with excellence. This is why I use the fire line officers of the volunteer fire department as an example, because in my opinion they are the best definition of true leadership. The officers who commanded my company were not hard-hearted iron-fisted leaders, but rather they led firmly and reasonably with understanding.
But a manager, who in the workplace barks out orders lacking the experience of carrying out those same commands, does not make an effective or respected leader. They tend to be more inclined to lead employees one way, which is their own way, and they are close-minded to the suggestions of their employees, due to their fragile egos.
I have learned how to lead people with a firm voice, while being reasonable and earning respect from others under my command, from my fire chiefs and fire line officers fine-tuned training expertise. I have also learned that a boss who is hard-hearted and unreasonable, who pressures and intimidates employees using micro-management tactics, does not make a trusted leader!
When a boss gains mutual trust and respect of his or her employees, it becomes a win-win situation! Workers always admire and respect an effective leader who listens and is objective, when employees offer their suggestions. A manager, who honors the value of an employees input, makes a winning team
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