Don't get your pride wrong.

I think that we have come to a time where we need to step back and evaluate the message that we are sending on pride.

 

To be perfectly clear I think that we are getting it wrong.

I, much like you, am very proud to be a firefighter. I am proud to be in a profession that is steeped in tradition and is solely based on what we can provide for others. I do carry on a long family tradition and am honored to be able to.

In our chosen profession we are, by nature, giving people. We want to provide all that we can for every person that we come into contact with. We want to be the person that extinguishes the fire or saves a loved one. We are supposed to be selfless and brave. I am going with the notion that most of the time we are on the mark.

I am aware that there are a few anomalies that have managed to maintain that level of dedication to one another that was only destroyed by illegal acts that forced expulsion or by death. That’s right, I am saying that you were in until you were kicked out or you passed on and even then if you had passed on believe me you would never be forgotten.

I have been fortunate. There are some that have stayed the course as I have moved from agency to agency I also have been blessed enough to have met some new brothers and sisters along the way. They are like gold.

The pride that we are supposed to be focusing on is for our house, for our job and for each other. We have to be proud of each other.

If your spending too much time being proud of yourself your not doing it right.

This job is not about you. Ever.

Teaching about the past is valuable. As we move forward with progress we need to be conscious of the past. Their likely is a reason that something is done that way that it is. It does not mean that we cant look it over and see if we can do it more efficiently or safely. This may seem odd from a guy that is hosting a page titled NEXGEN but I am concerned that the message is being crossed. I strongly believe that we are able to bridge the gap. 

I am very much about progress. I am very much about promoting and educating the next generation of leaders and firefighters. I am all about scientifically proven tactics applied to fire suppression.

I am also about brothers and sisters recognizing that there is much more to this than “I”.

This goes well beyond being the smartest or fastest or favorite person in the department. This goes beyond the wall full of plaques and degrees and certificates.

This starts with a core human value: Compassion.

We are losing the compassion for one another not just in the fire service but in the human race.

As you go forth from here think about how you can bring compassion back to the table. Think of the one act that you can bestow upon the others. This is your family. This is your crew. You depend on them just as much as they depend on you.

Maybe it is time that we stop letting each other down. Perhaps it is time for us to step back and look at how we can make we better. It isn’t going to be easy and there is likely going to be a bunch of yelling, kicking, screaming, bitching, pissing, and moaning. Build the better fire service culture from you. 

Start with you. Start with one small step.

I am beginning with me. My first step is to be less critical of people. This doesn’t mean that I am going to be handing out free passes all around folks. It just means that I need to be more approving of things. Less smug I guess.  

What are you going to do?

The Affliction.......YOU ARE LAZY!!!

Stop being lazy!

I am sorry that all the way through your real world educational experience you were patted on the back and sent along and told that everything would be ok.

I am sorry that you were given a trophy or certificate just for participating.

I am sorry that when you parents called and gave your school administrator a hard time that it trickled down to your teacher and suddenly your grades some how started to seem a little better.

I am sorry that people gave up on you! I don’t know why and I certainly don’t think that we should be giving them an award but since we have in the past we will give them a trophy of some sort.

You’re on the line now. If you want us to take you seriously you have to put in the effort.

You see when this all started it was misunderstood that we were going to be here to teach folks how to be fair to everyone and how we would have to be easier on the NexGen.

Totally not the case! Sorry if you misunderstood us. We are about hard work, dedication, tenacity, grit, determination and lots of really, really, really hard work.

You see no one is saved easily. Not every rescue will go like a textbook say it is supposed to. Not every fire suppression tactic can be seen on YouTube.

Hear me know and hear me loud and clear.

THERE IS VALUE IN EXPERIENCE!

NO ONE IS TRYING TO HURT YOU OR LOOK BETTER THAN YOU!

WE WANT YOU TO NOT DIE OR GET BURNED IN A FIRE!!!!

This is precisely why that instructor at the academy has been riding you so hard. We really don’t care too much about your letter grades. Nobody has ever “lettered” at the academy.

We really just want to keep you safe and alive and keep you here so you  can help us help keep them safe.

Thanks,

The less huggy and gently side of

NexGen

Lucky #13

As we begin to transcend generations in the fire service we are at a pivotal moment. We are rapidly approaching a shift in direction. The changing direction is not based on tactics, science, or procedure. It is based on leading people and not simply managing an organization. At the heart of the organization is its people. 

Leadership is about people.

We are coming into a social series in which leadership is now based on credential based leaders and away from the motivational styles of the past. This is a double edged sword. Leaders must be knowledgeable in the craft of fire suppression with a reasonable understanding of the technical and scientific based aspects but they also must be able to motivate a multigenerational organization toward a common goal.

There are many opportunities where emergency services and military services have come into the arena looking to tackle the same problems. Recognition Primed Decision Making was one of the first models that was used to evaluate the interaction between leadership decision making between leaders in the fire service and leaders in the armed services. In this study they evaluated how leaders in both groups made calculated decisions and what models they used to make them.

The military style of leadership trends more toward rank, structure and discipline. We in the fire service have attempted to mimic that and have had limited success. The success on this is really dependant, at times, on the organizational model that is in place, having clearly defined roles for leaders within the organization and adhering to the policies, procedures, and overall tone of the agency.

Motivating factors for leaders can come from a variety of different things. Some are there for the power and authority others are in place because it was their time, while some have risen through the rank and file based on performance and dedication. The method in which leaders are chosen varies through out the fire service. While some go through an assessment center still others are voted in by populous within the organization, and in a few remaining places within the country they are voted in on the general government ballot by the citizens of the communities for which they serve.

When looking at the base for which they are selected it’s not unreasonable to look and see that some of the leaders are failing miserably. We are seeing this in small towns and large urban centers. We can’t blame the leaders, well, not entirely anyway. They may have never had any sort of leadership development. As we said earlier, some were voted in by popular vote. Some may be suffering from antiquated notions from which to operate. This will likely not end well for these leaders. Especially if they are of the thought process that nothing is wrong and that the way that they have always done it is working just fine.

 Shared with this article is a clip from a presentation by Stormin Norman Schwarzkopf, in 2010 General Schwarzkopf shared with the world 14 basic rules for leadership. They are easy enough to find, all you have to do it enter it into any search engine and you will find them. We are going to focus on lucky #13:

“When placed in command take charge”

This doesn’t simply mean that now that you are there it time to toss over the apple cart and see what you can stir up.

It starts simply with “When placed in command…….

However you may have ended up in the leadership role is not of any relevance to the rule. Regardless of it how you got there it is now time to take charge. 

Develop your leadership skills in a manner that affords you to interact with all the personnel within your organization.

Above all now that you are here own it. Own up to everything that is involved in your position. Honesty and transparency are strong character traits that will compliment any great leader’s character.

While we are on the topic of character, be of strong character, in a positive manner. Be something that sets the example. No one is going to follow you if you aren’t willing to set the tone and show them that this is where the bar is.

Strong leadership has nothing to do with managing people. Leadership is about people. Its about showing them their value to the organization, about showing them that without them their the team is incomplete. Engage them. Bring them in and show that you are accountable to them just as they are accountable to the organization and then you.

Go out with the crews, engage them and set the standards.

They expect it. 

-NexGen

www.nexgenleadership.net

Be 100%.

I sit down to write tonight not to promote my organization, not to bring in the dollars, not to develop some sort of strong hold on a market. I sit down to write tonight because I feel compelled to.

NexGen started as a vision. The vision that I would someday travel the globe speaking on the behalf of the up and comers within organizations and companies and motivate them to do their best in everything that they do. I wanted to be the person that had the one phrase that would bring someone to a new level of understanding and motivation. There are many amazing programs out there that are under recognized or utilized. We have a wealth of possibilities. By no means have I met my mark, but I am not calling myself a failure either.

I have interacted with people from many walks of life and many successful people through this journey. Some have given me guidance and advice and others not so much.

What I am saying is that at some point along the way I discovered something. I am fallible. I am real.

I have watched countless guru videos on team building, leadership motivation, organizational culture and to this point have found that they are all kind of saying the same thing. Do your best, seek to improve daily, stay motivated toward a goal and find your path. I am still finding my path. I am human. I am real.

I will continue to seek out ways to improve myself. If I don’t I am not benefitting myself, my family or my community. My journey is quite different. My journey is solely mine and yours is solely yours. All we can do through this time is try to understand that we are all on our own journeys and that we must stay focused on our journey.

I have goals that are still on the horizon and I am working toward them. The path toward my goals isn’t always clear to me. I am sure that all in time they will be revealed. I just have to be still enough and quiet enough to see the plans laid out for them.

I sat down with the blank screen with thoughts of discussing my outreach toward God and working to discover my purpose in life. I was going to write great things about the lessons that I am learning and how my soul is changing. But that is my journey. Not yours. I am human. I am real.

So as I finish tonight please understand this. We all have a journey. Many of us don’t recognize this journey until it is almost over. I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be part of my journey. I want to be a human being….not a human doing.

Go out. Be safe. Be well. Respect the journey.

-NexGen

Incipient Leadership

 For purposes of the article I am using IFSTA definition of fire growth.

“According to the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) there are 4 stages of a fire.  These stages are incipient, growth, fully developed, and decay.”

If you travel back to any of your basic fire service education models you learned at one point that a fire has an incipient stage. This is defined as the early stages of development when all of the elements are coming together to then evolve into the growth period, then moving to a fully developed fire and finally ending at decay.

We are focusing on incipient. This of course is the stage in which there are many variables that will have an impact on the development of the fire.

I’d like to explore and analogize this as it relates to developing leadership characteristics and behaviors in the fire service.

The initial elements in the incipient stage are:

• Heat
• Oxygen
• Fuel Source

Heat:

As generally correlated we will place heat and passion in a similar context. When you began your exploration of the fire service you were likely filled with unwavering passion that led to long hours in the books or on the drill yard mastering the craft. The craft was what you lived for. It coursed through your veins and mind like an intoxicating notion of grandeur. It brought you to the level of intense dedication that every single fire chief looks for in a new recruit. You were unstoppable. Maybe you were the guy that could without reservation site any number of suppression theories and the reasons and science behind them. Maybe you were the guy that knew the design and history of every piece of equipment that was in the station or assigned to the apparatus. Which ever you were you were certainly one thing, you were a Firefighter, in every sense of the word.

Oxygen:

This is the area in which you began to breathe. You had some time under your belt and maybe a few jobs along the way. You were beyond smelling fire and had probably extinguished a few room and contents by now. Maybe made some intense medical runs. You were able to exercise some of those honed skills that you had been ready with for what seemed like far too long. You got to actually do. You got to show the guys what you are actually made of. You had grit, tenacity, skills and abilities. What could possibly get in the way .

Fuel Source:

Finally you get seen for what you are doing. You are not looking for the pat on the back. You just want to be seen for what you are doing. Maybe taken under the wing of someone that is ready to help you get to the next level. This, much like in the world of fire is where things can get difficult. Everyone see the new up and comer and not everyone is ready to help you along. Sometimes it can be down right impossible to find someone to mentor you in the middle. Chief Officers are too busy to doing Chief Officerish things and to be quite frank some of the guys just below them may have checked out already or worse yet are going to go to great lengths to keep “things” to a minimum. Do I need to spell that out? Unfortunately I am pretty sure I don’t.

Most often this is where things start to decay and the fact of the matter is that we never had a change to get through fully developed or growth. We are missing two of the 4 things that we need to for fully developed leadership. We got stuck before we could grow. Starved, smothered, extinguished.

This is where we need to focus. We really need to start to divert our attention in the land of leadership development to the guy in the middle. The guys that are ready for growth. Develop an evaluation system and start to look for growth from within your agencies before its time to have new leaders.

Leaders, build your replacement.

Be Ready. Be Willing. Be Present.

-NexGen

Developing Standards

 There comes a time within every organization that some checks and balances need to be checked and balanced and the process of reviewing the overall operations has to happen.

This isn’t an article about making strategic changes without anyone knowing about it. It is not a guide to getting things over on the Chief. It is merely a stroll thru what I think is important in the process.

6 Integral Organizational Values:

1)      Integrity

2)      Value of Employees

3)      Quality Service

4)      Forward Thinking

5)      Open Administration

6)      Community Centered

In our class on organization modeling we discuss at length how each value applies to the individuals in the crew, the officers and the organization as a whole.

Briefly, it is about people. It is always about people.

The crews don’t get away with it that easy. We outline the important things that they have to bring to the table also.

8 Desired Crew Qualities:

1)      Integrity

2)      Teachability

3)      Growth

4)      Productivity

5)      Self-Motivated

6)      Honesty

7)      Transparency

8)      Authenticity

Sounds like the crews get more of the responsibility doesn’t it?

It’s true. They do.

It’s up to them to make the organization function. 

Without people its just stuff.

     As you step back and begin to look into the organization you have to do it from a neutral perspective. This can be difficult to do if you are involved within the organization. This is why we recommend finding an outside source to do this. It doesn’t have to be a highly polished consultant agency but a disinterested party will certainly level the playing field. I have tried to do it from within an organization and failed miserably. You may be able to reach out to your state fire service oversight board and see if they can look at things.

Yes, we realize that is a very intimidating prospect.

You have to first start this process with evaluating your mission statement.

If you don’t have one in place you have found your first issue to address.

The purpose of your mission statement is the driving force for your agency. It is operations 101. It has to be present. It has to be spelled out.  If you are not articulating what your common goal is you are setting yourself and your organization up for failure. The goal should be established by a core group of interested people. It should be brief and pin point accurate. 

Everyone! Your leaders, your followers, and everyone in between must buy in to this mission. Post it everywhere!

When you have new rookies make sure that they get a copy of it. I recommend on the first day that they report to actually give them a patch in a case with a mission statement attached to it. Make it clear that this is the expectation.

One of the most important things that we have learned from the people that we have worked with is that they want to know what is expected of them. This can be difficult in smaller organizations when people hold multiple roles within an organization but it still will need to be clearly defined what their purpose is.

Make sure that everyone is working on the same page. If someone needs to be temporarily reassigned make sure that they are aware of the mission for the assignment.

Finally, we wanted to point out some of the instant killers in organizations. These are the things that will send your people heading to the next job fair.

The following items are things that really do absolutely nothing for your department. We believe that they lead to toxic environments and are things that need to be addressed quickly and efficiently. Usually with a big hammer.  

1)      Poor leadership

2)      Under Appreciated Staff

3)      Requiring blind trust

4)      Gossip

5)      Negative Environment

6)      Failed Communication

This article is just scratching the surface of what to look into with organizational wellness. It is truly a difficult task to undertake and inevitably not everyone will be pleased with the outcome. We are a constantly changing community service field with more restrictions and requirement to participate with unrealistic expectations. No one ever joined the book club in town expecting that they were going to drag hose and climb ladders. We are a different breed and this is why we need to stay on top of issues as they arise.

If you want help evaluating your organization reach out to us and we will help.

Be safe out there. We need you back.

Be Ready. Be Willing. Be Present.

-NexGen

Dont be a Fake'n Jake!

Tonight I write out of frustration. I guess I really am the odd guy out. Maybe I am the guy that doesn't fit into the culture, maybe just maybe I am the problem. I am totally OK with this. I am happy to be the problem child. I have filled that role many times. 

If I am the guy that is going to hold you to the standards that you are going to hold others to than I am OK with that also. I will be that guy. Every. Single. Time.

We are supposed to be building the brotherhood. That is what all of us are saying here. We lost the brotherhood. There is no brotherhood left. The brotherhood is dead. YOU killed it. You! That guy! The guy that is the last to show and the first to leave.

The guy that is there for the applause but wont check the saws. If you want to know where it is look. Look inside. Are you the guy that you would want to hang out with? Are you the one that you would turn to in life’s trying times? Are you?

How do we get through to them or do we just be done with them? I hate the idea of throwing anything away. People shouldn't be thrown away. A small list does exist though, of people and types that are disposable. Please make your own list. My list is mine.

If you want to be a brother be one. But for heavens sake be willing to put some heart and soul into it. Stop being a “Fake’n Jake’.

Be accountable to the guys that you said you would be there for. If you have a different opinion then you have a different opinion. We don't have the time or the inclination to continue on a path that is only self fulfilling. We have people dying for gods sake. People in the communities that we swore that we would protect. Brothers dying from preventable illnesses. Not every firefighter killer is going to come out of a NIOSH report. 

Some of you died a long long time ago. Something happened. We need you back. We need you back on the line ready. Ready to teach the new guys and girls that are coming along. We need you to stand BESIDE us, not in front of us, not behind us, we need you to join us, and as a team, as a commanding presence pass along to these folks the knowledge that they need to protect themselves, their fellow firefighters and the communities that they swore to protect. 

NexGens, be real. Above all. 

Thanks for all that your all doing. Go forth......fight the good fight.....be a good one....we need more good ones.