Guest Commentary
This week our commentary is from Deputy Chief (ret) Paul Anderson of the Randolph Massachusetts Fire Department. Paul has taken an interesting look at the situation that has evolved in the Catholic Boston Archdiocese and applied some fire service leadership twists to it.
A LESSON IN LEADERSHIP
Are there any messages or lessons that a fire officer can take from the recent events
surrounding the Archdiocese of Boston and Cardinal Law? Whether you are the CEO of a
huge private business, a fire chief of a town or city department, or a Cardinal in charge of
the Archdiocese, there are some management and leadership principles that have to be in
place. When these leadership principles are forgotten or ignored, a Management-By-Crisis
mode sets in and the future of the organization becomes unstable.
So, yes, many are disheartened and saddened by the sexual abuse scandal, but if there can be
a positive spin to these events, there may be some enormous lessons for all fire supervisors,
but especially the chief officer. If we look at the strategies Cardinal Law took toward
conflict resolution and problem solving, and how ineffective they were; if we look at the
options available now to Bishop Lennon, as the interim leader of the Archdiocese and the
corrective actions that will lead to healing and mending wounds, there may be some true
similarities to fire station sociology.
This serious issue under discussion reminds us that the integrity of the organization depends
on PEOPLE. The core of our existence lies with the Mission Statement that reminds us who
we are and what we do - values and beliefs, as well as the commitment and dedication of our
members.
Every fire officer has to understand what processes have to be in place in a fire department
in order to assure effective delivery of our services. Some of these processes include:
Training
Administrative services (finance, policies, procedures)
Communications (honest and open)
Supervision (counseling, discipline, leadership)
Code of ethics and values
Problem identification (performance evaluation, accountability)
If the fire service administrator does not accept responsibility for the above brief list (s)he
will encounter organizational dysfunction. Perhaps more attention by the Cardinal to the
items on this list may have prevented the devastation that has occurred. Are there lessons to
be learned here?
Look briefly, if your will, to the definition of the word problem: something wrong that needs
to be fixed.
A problem exists whenever there is a difference between the actual situation and the desired
situation.
A problem exists whenever there is a gap between the way things are and the way they ought
to be.
The greater the gap, the bigger the problem.
Fire officers, as well as Cardinals, have to have the skills to recognize a problem, and know
when it is appropriate to intervene.
One of our favorite topics in the classroom is asking the question, "What is your personal
standard"? The answer is What you allow to happen without intervention becomes your
standard. Every fire officer has to be able to recognize unacceptable behavior and intervene
appropriately - take corrective action.
Ineffective problem solving results from poor leadership, which stems from one or more of
the following:
Arrogance- not in touch - blinders on
Not recognizing the seriousness of the problem
Misuse of transfers
Recognizing a problem, but transferring the personnel without resolving the problem.
Moving the problem from point "A" to point "B", then to point "C", etc.
Lack of accountability
Ineffective or lack of communication - not listening or attending to feedback
The first line supervisor is exposed to these important guidelines in the first week of
professional development. Cardinal Law, a Harvard graduate, should have been more
aware.
Solving the Problem
Put yourself now in the situation of Bishop Lennen, the interim leader of the Archdiocese.
The problem was not of your design, but now you have the responsibility to fix it. Where do
you start and what are your action priorities?
Where would talking to the "victims" fit in to your strategy? What, if any, progress can be
made by confronting the problem head on and establishing direct communication with the
victims?
When and how would you talk to the "good" priests? If you're a priest, aren't you looking
for some assurance that there will be some positive structure forthcoming - some solution?
As fire officers we understand that our members want to be part of the best. Affiliation is
important to them - pride in belonging to number one. Today these priests are part of an
organization that is struggling and under a blanket of suspicion. How do you restore their
confidence and allegiance to get the organization (church) up and healthy again?
Perhaps the toughest assignment here will be to restore the faith of the church (people)
What is it going to take to bring the faithful back into the seats? Can you see a similarity
here with the team building blocks necessary to bring a dysfunctional fire department back
up to an acceptable level of performance? How many times has a new fire chief had to come
into an organization that has slipped into shambles and had to bring it back to, first,
respectability, then excellence. How was that accomplished?
Leadership becomes the primary ingredient here. Whether it's the Archdiocese or Anytown
Fire Department, this serious a problem will have to be addressed with dual-issue leadership.
That is, leadership that can correct the problem through a task oriented approach, at the
same time, being sensitive to the people. It will be particularly interesting to watch what
Bishop Lennon selects as priorities.
Perhaps some of our organizations are lacking for the same type of accountability,
procedures, and values. We should look closely at this example, learn from it, and
understand the need for leadership that embraces values and ethics.