United States Fire Administration Chief Officer Training Curriculum Leadership Module 4: Group Dynamics and its Effect on Problem-Solving

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-2 Module Objectives  Recognize benefits of effective empowerment and delegation  Identify the fears and the common mistakes made by leaders when delegating and empowering  Apply leadership theories and concepts to problem-solving and decision-making  Recognize the elements upon which effective leadership is built.

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-3 Overview  Empowerment and delegation are the leadoff topics  Creative problem solving  Explore the effects of mental models, personal mastery, and systems thinking on organizational learning and success  Elements for building relationships

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-4 Empowerment and Delegation  Functions used to divide work and get members more involved  Delegation is more of a management function  Empowerment is a leadership function

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-5 Delegation  Increase participation  Includes responsibility to carry out the assignment –Manager still responsible for outcomes  Varies in levels of authority –Little delegation –Moderate delegation –Substantial delegation

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-6 Delegation (continued)  Varies in levels of reporting –Frequent reports – little delegation authority –Less frequent reports – more substantial authority  Advantages of Delegation –Shares the work –Increases buy-in –Additional talent and skills –Time-management tool –Professional growth –Develops members for advancement

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-7 Delegation (continued)  Reasons often stated for lack of delegation –No time to develop people –Quality control –Professional insecurity –Confidential information –Do not want to share the power or spotlight

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-8 Empowerment  Empowerment is used to share the power  Requires the member to –Be well versed in the policies, values, ethical guidelines of the organization –Understand the mission and its level of commitment to service –Possess or obtain the KSAs for the task –Be rewarded

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-9 Empowerment (continued)  Members are expected to exercise their empowerment when –It serves the mission of the department –It meets or exceeds the customer’s needs –They have the KSAs –They have the tools –It is legal –It is ethical –They would not be shamed by their actions being made public –Members believe it is the right thing to do

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-10 Empowerment (continued)  Advantages of empowerment –Members have a vested interest in the organization –Draws from a larger pool of KSAs –Members become engaged in the departments mission and vision –Improved communications –Time-management tool –Member advancement –Member job improvement

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-11 Empowerment (continued)  Reasons often stated for not empowering members –Members are not trained –Lack KSAs –Members do not know the organization’s mission and vision –Lack of trust in member’s ability The ultimate decision to delegate a task or empower a member lies with you and your faith in the members in your organization.

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-12 Activity 4.1  Field Training for Recruits –You will look at a common fire service scenario and dialogue about whether to delegate or empower members to solve the tasks

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-13 Creative Problem-Solving  Everyone has some measure of creativity –Like a muscle, the more it is exercised, the better it becomes  Creativity is a product of perspective –If you look at a problem only one way, you limit your possible solutions

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-14 Creative Problem-Solving (continued)  Creativity in organization can be encouraged in a number of ways –Communication –Commitment –“Free time” to think and ponder –Plain hard work –Diversity –Creativity can be learned

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-15 Activity 4.2:  Creative problem-solving for leaders –Demonstrates the power of creative collaboration to solve critical problems

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-16 Elements for Building Relationships  Leader relationship includes –Organizational relationships –Personal relationships –Community relationships

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-17 Organizational Relationships  Beginning first day on the job  Hanging out at the fire station  Social gatherings  Organizational relationships are often carried throughout one’s career  Pressure of Promotion –A shift to the “dark” side

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-18 Organizational Relationships (continued)  Often referred to as professional relationships –Between chief officers –Among the rank and file  Built around assignments and areas of responsibilities –Personnel –Fire prevention –Operations –Administration –Training

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-19 Organizational Relationships (continued)  The ability to build effective relationships throughout the organization helps a chief officer get things done efficiently and effectively –Confident that she or he can deliver what is expected –Expected to take on more responsibility –Tying for the top positions in the department –Considered desirable bosses

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-20 Personal Relationships (continued)  Begin the first day on the job  For some, developing personal relationships is difficult –Requires openness that some members are not comfortable with  Usually developed with strong bonds that transcend the duty day, an entire career, and often into retirement

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-21 Personal Relationships (continued)  Promotion to battalion chief often threatens these personal relationships  Company level to management –The promotion itself can become a barrier to continued personal relationships.For some, these personal relationships are strong and help the chief make the transition

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-22 Community Relationships (continued)  Community –Often developed during one’s career Become more necessary or important upon with the promotion –Becomes much larger and the positive relationships when expanded to the battalion level of the community at-large. Same relationship building behaviors used at the company level are now extended to the larger community

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-23 Elements for Building Relationships  Relationships are built upon the notions of –Trust –Communications Verbal Written –Modeling –Accountability –Responsibility

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-24 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Trust –Very fragile –Greater amounts of time and effort to rebuild –Four specific behaviors foster and facilitate building trust HonestyHonesty Predictability and consistencyPredictability and consistency Clear and careful communicationClear and careful communication Commitment to keeping promisesCommitment to keeping promises

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-25 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Honesty –Honesty is ranked as the number one leadership characteristic that is essential Ethical and truthful  Predictability –Do the right thing consistently, every time –Deal with people fairly and equitably

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-26 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Clear and careful communication –A leader who communicates clearly, precisely, and timely with the right information

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-27 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Clear and careful communication –Written communication Memos to fire companies Requests to the shift commander for resources Reports on programs Budget documents City council reports Good grammar, spelling, and continuity in content is very important

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-28 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Clear and careful communication –Written communication Technical reports –Not for creative writing Place the purpose of the document up front Reader may not have time to read much past the first page Write clearly, concisely, with language that communicates the message

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-29 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Clear and careful communication –Oral communication Majority of a battalion chief’s communication is oral –Fire station visits –Customers on emergency scenes –Following up on citizen complaints –Local businesses and politicians –Schools –Personnel evaluations –Mentoring, coaching, and just sharing experiences with others

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-30 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Clear and careful communication –Oral communication Is sensitive to –Body language (gestures), cultural differences, and tone of voice –Volume can influence effective communication –Level of sophistication chosen, foul and colloquial –Timing - Do you listen to others or are you always interrupting to talk?

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-31 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Commitment to keeping promises –Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver –Follow through –This is consistent with the notions of responsibility and accountability

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-32 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Modeling –Effective leadership behaviors One of the most important characteristics of good leaders Rank-and-file firefighters validate whether you are a good leader or not –Expect honesty, consistent good communication, and a commitment to keeping promises Modeling is built on congruency with shared values, personal values, and a willingness to set the example

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-33 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Accountability –Setting measurable goals –Same standards and criteria –Audit personal routines –Remember the 80/20 rule

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-34 Elements for Building Relationships (continued)  Responsibility –Take personal responsibility –Take responsibility for the consequences for your action –Expect a higher level of responsibility for self actions and the consequences of those actions than those of others –Be responsible for the actions of followers and for achieving the objectives of the organization

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-35 Activity 4.3  Relationship Activity: Ball-Toss –Relationships are built, tested, and influenced continuously –This activity demonstrates this in an enjoyable way

United States Fire Administration LDR 4-36 Summary  Empowerment and delegation  Creative problem-solving  Building relationships through the leadership factors –Trust –Responsibility –Accountability –Modeling –Communication –The leader-follower relationship