You're the Chief, Part 3

First In, Last Out: Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department
by John Salka

(Page 4 of 4)

I think it's this idea of leadership as a creative force that makes what passes for leadership today even more depressing. I'm thinking, of course, of the leaders of Enron, Tyco, Arthur Anderson, and HealthSouth, and the scores of others who have embroiled their companies in scandal or fraud.

But how well does my definition of leadership hold up in the real world? Let's take another look at it: Leaders unify groups of people through mutually held values and goals and help them to achieve common objectives. Hmm. According to my definition, even someone like Ken Lay is a leader. Didn't he rally his Enronites around the goal of making lots of money any way they could? And didn't he establish a value system (that is, "Anything goes") that permitted them to do whatever it took to achieve that goal? If someone succeeds in working through his people to achieve commonly held objectives (no matter what they are), then he's a leader, right? But something in your gut disagrees with this. I know something in mine does. It just seems wrong.

So if my gut's at all accurate, leadership means something more than just achieving goals through others. To really talk about leadership in a meaningful way, we need to come up with a way to talk about it that passes our gut test. For instance, I like Drucker's idea that all organizations exist to serve society, and therefore leaders have to concern themselves with the social impacts and social responsibilities of their organizations.

Using that idea as a jumping-off point, here's what I think makes a great leader: not only do you have to work with your people to enable them to make good things happen for your organization, but you've got to take into account the goals and values of all the people your organization touches, from your shareholders to your employees to your customers to the larger community that may be affected by your actions. I don't put this out there lightly; it's a big responsibility. But the important thing is that, as a leader, you recognize this responsibility and strive to meet it.

At the moment, our country faces enormous crises, and I don't think it's an overstatement to say that the character of our response will shape the world for generations to come. And as if the shocks of the new century weren't enough - the threat of terrorists and rogue nations, of companies that have misled the very society they were meant to serve, of an uncertain global environment - we're still struggling with those old standbys of racism, poverty, disease, and war. We hear about solutions to these conundrums (usually around election time), solutions that are always touted as the "answer." Sometimes these answers appear as a new patent, or a new piece of legislation, or a new treaty, or a military victory. But in reality, there is only one answer to these problems, and that's leadership.

I've been pondering and studying leadership - both firsthand and on the printed page - ever since that day as the junior man on 11 Truck. Subsequent promotions only sharpened my desire (and quite frankly, my need) to know everything there was to know about leading people effectively. Of course, I don't have all the answers, but my experiences as a leader in this very successful, world-famous organization have certainly given me access to insights, wisdom, and practical strategies that I hope will prove valuable to other leaders, across all organizations and at all levels of development.

Because I feel that as a leader, you're never done, I've always tried to read as many leadership books as I can. I prowl the business section of the bookstores, and when a new one comes out, I snatch it up. And I'm rarely disappointed. I almost always learn something new, or rediscover something I'd forgotten, or gain a new perspective on an old challenge.

But here's the thing that bugs me. A lot of these books seem to assume that you're either a CEO or on the verge of becoming one, and that there are only a handful of leaders in the world - a small group (all men, by the way) who answer to the names Jack Welch, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, or if you're into history, maybe Gandhi, George Patton, and Abraham Lincoln. Now, I truly believe that each of these men is or was a great leader, and that there is a tremendous amount to be learned from examining how they led their people through some extremely challenging situations. That said, I've always felt that it's a shame we never get to hear from the department supervisor in Houston who's discovered ways to double the productivity of her people, or the manager in Sacramento whose team leads the company in money-saving innovations, or even, yes, the FDNY captain who knows how to get the job done no matter how big and ugly it is. Even if I don't know all of these people's names, I can guarantee that they do exist, and that there are many more like them.

Unlike CEOs or other top executives, these leaders don't have the power to set strategy, reorganize the corporation, or implement a brand-new vision that will lead the company into the next century. But just like CEOs, they perform all the basic functions of a leader:

• They guide people's efforts toward a common goal.

• They leverage their organization's traditions, culture, and values to unify people in a common cause.

• They help people grow and develop through teaching and mentoring.

• They forge effective relationships with people that allow for clear communication of goals, priorities, and expectations.

So I set out to write the kind of straight-talking book I've always wanted to read, one that offered practical leadership insights to leaders at all levels, from the frontline supervisor to the CEO.

The most essential of these insights, "first in, last out," is the foundation of FDNY leadership and encompasses such vital areas as building trust, opening communications, emphasizing transparency, and working alongside your people. But before we begin to explore how you can put "first in, last out" leadership to work for you, the first few chapters will focus on some issues that might seem somewhat theoretical at first. They stress the need to take a look at yourself and your organization before jumping in and trying to lead from the front - after all, you have to know where you're headed before you try to lead others.

In the next couple of hundred pages you'll discover some new insights into leadership and also gain a fresh perspective on some established principles. In addition, you'll find straightforward strategies and techniques that you can apply to the big leadership questions: How can I get my people to do what I want them to? How can I make sure the right thing gets done? How can I make sure we're doing the right things in the first place? And finally, how can I get the most out of my people?

The story of the FDNY is, at heart, the story of an organization whose tradition of phenomenal leadership has always enabled it to meet and overcome any challenge, no matter how daunting. Whether you're a small business owner or a CEO, a frontline supervisor or a top executive, I hope that the example of the FDNY and its corps of leaders will inspire and guide you as you continue on your leadership journey. You may not know it, or perhaps you may not want to admit it to yourself, but you have the power to create a positive change, even if it's just in your particular "firehouse."

Remember, you're the chief.

Copyright © 2004 John Salka. All rights reserved. This excerpt, or any parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.

About the Author

John Salka rose through the ranks of the New York City Fire Department from firefighter to lieutenant, captain, and now battalion chief (the second highest command), a position in which he manages more than 150 men. He also teaches leadership to other fire departments across the country and to outside organizations like the U.S. Marine Corps.