Page 10 - UFRA Straight Tip Spring 2021 - Volume 22 Issue 2

IN THEIR OWN WORLD
NO KNOWLEDGE SHARING
The Socially Distanced Chief: Problems Abound When the Chief Lives in a Bubble
Over my 43 years of working in three different fire departments, I have seen and worked for some chiefs who practiced social distancing long before it was required.
Some might joke that these chiefs were ahead of their time. They were in a bubble, and very few were allowed to enter the bubble.
But these chiefs were not concerned about the spread of an infectious disease. No, these chiefs were socially distanced in the sense that they never came out of their office and interacted with their firefighters – and that is the wrong kind of social distancing.
In the case of one fire chief I knew, the only time he came out of the office was to go to lunch or go home. And in the case of some battalion chiefs I knew, the only time they came out of their office was to go on a run or eat. Thankfully, these battalion chiefs had a bathroom and bed in a room connected to their office; otherwise they would have had to leave their cocoon even more.
Chiefs who practiced social distancing before it was required are out of touch with what is happening in their departments, divisions and battal- ions. They never have a finger on the pulse of what is important to their firefighters or the issues occurring in their department until it becomes a major issue. What was once a small issue that could have been nipped in the bud was allowed to grow and fester because of lack of attention. In other words, they are reactive instead of proactive.
The other opportunity they miss is the ability to serve as a mentor or coach. There is no opportunity to sit down and talk with their firefight- ers to share their experiences and knowledge or even opportunities to learn from them.
Socially distanced chiefs seem unapproachable, distant and, to some, intimidating. They build walls around themselves and isolate in their
office. Usually, only the privileged few are allowed to enter this sacred space. But if you build a wall around yourself as a chief, members of your staff won't gain from your knowledge and you won't gain from their experience. Worse still, you'll be unable to spot and deal with problems before they become serious, and you'll miss out on the key information that you need to make sound decisions.
Disconnected chiefs are mostly caretakers, warming the seat until the next promotion or retirement, never providing the direction or motiva- tion members seek.
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LEADERSHIP