LEADERSHIP…

Leadership. What is it, and why do so many get it wrong?

Leadership has become and buzzword in everything from the fire service to politics and child sports. This has consumed the bookshelf in our home, in the bookstores, and on the coffee table; and rightfully so. Leadership is critical to any organization and business to be successful. But book after book, how are we still getting it wrong?

Many today are using leadership independently, as a standalone concept for implementation into their organization. You have heard, “we need better leadership” or “develop leadership”. This in fact may be the case, your organization may need to develop leadership qualities for your personnel, but typically this is a superficial treatment. Understanding leadership is important but understanding the root causes of organizational symptoms can tell you so much more. Is your organization experiencing low morale, lack of culture, poor performance, or any number of a myriad of issues? If so, we can usually identify those root causes through a little research and questioning and addressing leadership independently but as a part of a global problem.

Leaders often blame culture on bad attitudes or people not caring enough for the profession. I can assure you this is not the case and especially not true for the fire service. It seems like most in the fire service are often here for the right reasons and want to be good at their job. This does not always apply to everyone, as we all have some who are here for the paycheck, but more times than not, the fire service attracts those who want to serve. So what is it?

To understand leadership and develop culture, we need to look further into these topics and see what they truly mean. Culture isn’t just something that happens but is developed or cultivated in the organization. Daniel Coyle and Simon Sinek explains culture as a primitive instinct in our desire as humans to be safe. During these times, safety was survival and in order to be safe, we had to trust others with our safety. In the modern world, safety means having a stable job, making money for the family, having shelter, and developing relationships with others. We as humans have a desire to feel safe and be cared for.

When we start to develop trust and safety, we find others who share the same values as us. We have those who eat meat, live in caves, and spend their time hunting. Other groups might be those who scavenge for food, eat plant-based diets and live in forests. We being to assimilate into groups which we trust and we can feel safe. The same is true today. We find those who share our interests and developing meaningful relationships and develop trust. The group forms and culture are made based on shared values, beliefs, and ethics. As people join the group, these values, beliefs, and ethics and espoused by what the group allows.

Trust is the secret to culture and to leadership. Our success depends almost entirely on the trust we build within the organization and the members. If we are experiencing any of the previously mentioned symptoms, it usually can be traced back to a failure of trust or safety. If you are experiencing problems in your organization, group, or even family; start with trust. Address any underlying issues with safety and trust before moving forward. Maya Angelou said, “ I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Safety and trust is a feeling and just like culture, we can force people to have it. It has to be developed and it’s hard.

So to answer the question, what is leadership and why do people get it wrong? Leadership has less to do with what you say and more to do with how you make people feel. Leadership is trust, leadership is safety.

###