A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND...

Yesterday I had the privilege of sitting around and speaking to a few guys that I have alot of respect for. Our conversations were all over the place, ranging from work issues to home life, to issues in other industries. This morning when I got out of bed (extremely sore from a killer workout, thanks mentor lol) I realized what I took away from our conversations. 

I realized that is is very difficult for most people to comprehend how strong minded, driven individuals who are absolutely set on moving their industry into a better direction are constantly punished and excommunicated and told to just keep quiet.

When these driven and strong minded individuals are not silenced (this is rare) they are considered troublemakers, gossipers, and complainers - but if you actually took a moment and listened to them with an open mind, you might just find out that these individuals are visionaries. They want to propel their service (fire in this case) forward to a place we at one time aspired it to be at. 

Let's not fool ourselves here having "vision" is scary to some people. To have this vision and determination to speak about it requires the ability to look into the future but listen in the now. But most of all it requires lost of hard work from all ranks. It requires work from all ranks because we have visionaries at all ranks. It is just that most are being silenced by those in superior positions. Don't be fooled into thinking that vision and leadership comes with experience. Don't be fooled into thinking that vision and leadership comes with being and officer either. We all know of someone in our service that has 20 to 25 years on the job, yet they only have 1 year experience. We all know of an officer or supervisor that has no business being there.

If we are all being honest as we read this the answer to my next question won't come as such a surprise. How many of you have heard any of the following phrases used - Just accept the status quo, we should all just be good firefighters (or whatever you position is), that is just how it is done here, we have always done it that way, be a "yes" man and you will move up, question authority and you are in for a rough ride..I am sure all of you have heard them.

In essence those that say these things are basically saying not to challenge the establishment and everything is just fine. This mentality will move our service no where - it will stay stagnate. Yet if you ask alot of questions like what and why, if you challenge the status quo, if you are your own person with fresh new ideas and are vocal about it - you are labeled a troublemaker, gossiper, and complainer - not a visionary or leader. Here is a funny twist. In the IFSTA Company Officer Book (4th Ed.) inside chapter 2 it identifies traits for leaders. Curious as to what they are? Leaders ask what and why, leaders challenge the status quo, leaders are their own people. According to this book they are not troublemakers, gossipers, or complainers. Yet we punish and excommunicate and silence these people, what a contradiction...

People may not want to hear this but as loud as some of these "visionaries" are, as bright and fresh as their ideas may be, the "upper masses" do not want to hear it or them. Hence the excommunication and punishment. But why? Because again vision and moving forward is scary.

Now rest assure change will not come from the "outside". Change will not come from the "top". We must change our service, ourselves, from the inside out. Let's surround ourselves with people that share our vision and voice.

The key to this inside out change are strong station leadership and chemistry. Chemistry, or better yet, having good chemistry will make sure all players know their roles and comply to the same vision. Strong station leadership will make sure that the new recruits do not slide into bad habits. Notice I do not say this must come from an officer, you can lead and provide vision from any rank - even if actual positional leaders are unwilling to support what you are doing.

One saying that always sticks in my head is - A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND.  How true that is. This goes for the fire station, the fire department, the fire service as a whole. This can be related to your home life as well. It is a strong statement. In our service when we are in structure that is blowing and going, with temperatures hot enough to melt metal, we better have our house in order because our lives depend on it...

Now I am not here to say that we haven't made some strides to our service lately. But the positive strides we made in the past are only relevant in the history books. Holding on to how things use to be done will not move us forward. We must honor our past, carry our traditions, but expect nothing from it. Our past does not create our future. 

Our service cannot and will not survive on reputation alone. Perfection is unattainable but that doesn't mean we should stop striving for it. Let's rally around each other brothers and sisters. Let's stop accepting the status quo, let's start to ask why, let's speak up and speak loud when you have a new ides. The old ways got us here, the new ways will take us there....

This is not a "us against them" battle. This is a let's all see the same vision of what we want our service to be. This is a it will take every person and their ideas to help us attain that vision...

A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND!!!