Ch 2 Leadership Traits Flashcards
The acronym LEADERS TEACH is what
Loyal
Educated
Adaptable (paramount)
Determined
Enthusiastic
Reliable
Selfless
Tough
Empathetic
Assertive
Courageous
Honorable
The ability of a person to perform a maintain his or her functions in routine circumstances, as well as hostile or unexpected circumstances
Reliability
For the most part, leadership traits in all professions are universal. All great leaders should have ____, ____ and ____. (VIC)
- Vision
- Integrity
- The courage to communicate honestly
The 3 best ways to learn in any profession are through _____, ____ and ____
- Reading books
- Attending seminars
- On the job training (one of the most important)
- 4th best way (Fire Service) is conducting a post incident analysis (PIA)
Being educated means that you (2)
- Continue to ACQUIRE appropriate information from reliable sources
- UNDERSTAND your duties, policies and procedures of your organization and science of firefighting
AdUcated
Everyone has a specialty strength. Your job is to identify a person’s strength and make use of it. What is this called?
The Lane Theory
The one caveat to the Lane theory
Although you should recognize the talents of others, don’t fall in love with their “potential”
This is being aware of what is happening in others lives
Empathy
_____ is the way people receive you.
True _____ is described with two words: ____ ____.
- Posture
- Posture
- Command presence
______ is ultimately the summation of several character qualities such as your attitude, belief systems, commitment, and self image
Posture
Three types of courage
- Moral courage
- Physical courage
- Courageous communication
Strong leadership is based on ______.
______ is built on honor and integrity.
Character
Four Step Learning Process
- You do it, they watch
- You do it along with them
- They do it and you watch
- You let them do the task alone
(Alone, together, together, alone)
You will never become a great leader if you don’t take time to ____. So many of the problems we encounter in our professional lives are the result of an inability to _____.
- Develop your people skills
- deal with, motivate, and manage others
______ breeds pride in your job
Loyalty
Fire fighting is a privilege and customer service is an obligation. You have an obligation to provide the best service possible. Doing so means you’re a loyal to your customers. This can be the simple act of shaking hands with someone before you leave the scene of a minor incident, such as malfunctioning smoke alarm. The key to customer service is ____
Connecting with people
This means you’re devoted to your organization, your community and your team.
It should flow evenly up and down the chain of command.
And also means you are dependable and trustworthy.
Being loyal
Building construction is just one of many areas a firefighter must learn about. A fire service leaders job is to make decisions. You cannot do that without____
Education
Unfortunately, there are not many test a firefighter will have to take after the academy. A true leader understands that _____ is essential, regardless of a persons chosen profession.
Self education
Correct, small, daily actions can produce incredible results and applies to leadership and all professions, not just ours (solution to complacency)
The compound effect
Of the three ways to learn that are discussed, this is clearly one of the most important ways to learn.
On the job training
Being _____ means you were able to adjust quickly to rapidly changing conditions. This trait is PARAMOUNT for all firefighters because situations escalate quickly on the fireground.
Adaptable
There are only two ways to put out a fire
- Out-resource it
OR
- Out-think it
To be adaptable, you must be RESOURCEFUL. Being this means you’re capable of:
Skillfully, safely and promptly navigating your way through a variety of situations, regardless of the tools, staffing and resources that are or aren’t available at any given moment
To be _____ means, you have the end goal in mind, and you will not stop, quit, or slow down to your achieve that goal
Determined
Set goals, develop a strong work ethic, create the proper habits, and don’t quit until the goal has been achieved. This does not mean you should ever defy your supervisor if there is a need to change tactics. ______ must trump your determination level
Proper risk assessment
Enthusiasm comes from having passion for what you do. An _____ will always outperform a leader with great skills and no passion
An enthusiastic leader with passion and FEW skills
_____ percent of what you say to someone is in the FORM of your words. ____ of what you say comes from HOW you say those words.
- 3%
- 97%
What kind of leader would inspire people to have confidence in his or her leadership?
Good
What kind of leader will inspire people to have confidence in themselves?
One way to do this is to ____
- Great
- Make noise
This is defined as a sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties
Enthusiasm
____ and ___ in the mission of your job will add to your enthusiasm for the job
- Understanding
- Believing
_____ is the ability of a person to perform a maintain his or her functions in routine circumstances, as well as hostile or unexpected circumstances
Reliability
Another trait that falls in line with reliability is ____. This is all encompassing. A leader maybe weak in other traits but without rock solid _____, his or her leadership is a house of cards.
Integrity
To be an important leader, you have to be the least important person on the team. True leaders are selfless and recognize others for their achievements. They understand that Recognition is _____
The fuel that drives the engine
The dictionary defines this as strong and resilient; able to withstand adverse conditions; and ability to endure great strain without breaking mentally and physically.
Tough
Tough leaders love the fight itself and to them, the real reward comes from:
The ability to endure great strain, without breaking
Champions in every arena love to compete. However, it is vitally important to cultivate _____more than _____
- Your love of the fight
- Your love of winning
This can be one of the most difficult situations a leader in the fire service will encounter, but you have to do what needs to be done, and this means making tough decisions
When the individual in question is a friend of yours
Strategically, the ____ minutes of an incident are the most important.
Fortunately, if a mistake is made, there is a trump card, _____.
- first 5 minutes
- The last 5 minutes
The author believes that we are all currently in a crisis, just coming out of a crisis, or heading toward a crisis. What most people want in a leader is something that’s very difficult to find, they want someone:
Who listens
_____ is a core communication skill, meaning that you express yourself effectively and stand up for your point of view while also respecting the rights and beliefs of others.
Assertiveness
As a leader, in any profession, you cannot be assertive without having _____. The challenge with ______ is that it cannot be faked.
- Posture
Your job is not just to get others to move in the direction you want them to move. It’s to inspire others to take action. Assertive communication is based on____.
___ is a way of showing others that you respect yourself because you’re willing to stand firm and your beliefs.
- Mutual respect
- Being assertive
When a person is nervous, he or she subconsciously groups these to make him or her easy to read.
- Gesture clusters
Some people seem to be naturally assertive, but if you’re not one of them, you can learn to be more assertive, and it starts by being conscious of your ___
Body language
These people people make decisions, communicate their decisions and give direction. They do not think about doing something they simply step up and do it.
Assertive leaders
You can begin to control fear by _____ and _____
- Practicing self-discipline
- Calmness
Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the ____ of fear
Management
Strong leadership is based on character and your character is built on ___ and ____.
- Honor
- Integrity
This is a fancy way of saying that 99% of all leadership occurs not from the top, but from the middle of an organization
Layered leadership
Expectations is a key word when it comes to teaching, for two reasons:
1) important to remember that people RISE OR FALL to meet your expectations of them
2) you have to SET your expectations upfront
The 4 Teaching Tips
- The Four Step process
- KISS
- Stories
- Be a mentor
Which of the four teaching tips helps capture peoples attention and illustrate the point, with it being the single most powerful tool in a leaders tool kit?
Stories
When you find or help develop other leaders, don’t make the mistakes so many others do and micromanage them. The best way to manage leaders is to:
- Support them
- Let them run in their lane
This is an ongoing process this designed to ensure the CONTINUED effectiveness of an organization at all levels
True succession planning
You may get people to work, but you’ll never get their best performance if you don’t show them ____
Respect
A ______ will concentrate on developing the leadership qualities and traits that are necessary for success before becoming an officer.
Smart firefighter
As firefighters, we are constantly learning new skills in areas, such as firefighting techniques, hazards, materials response, technical rescue, and emergency medical treatment. Because the demand of performance is so high, fewer departments today are stressing the importance of _____ , and the author believes this is a mistake.
Personal growth
A leader’s effectiveness will be largely determined by his ability to:
Motivate others
Author discusses that he is always found that attending seminars provided him with two great opportunities.
- To expand his knowledge base
- Network with like-minded people
This is developed to inform others what is the one best way to operate.
SOP
Every firefighter in the country should have the following saying (or a variation of it) posted on the wall
- We risk a lot to save savable lives
- We risk little to save savable property
- We risk nothing to save lives and
property already lost
What is one of the best tools you can use to help motivate others?
Enthusiasm
When dealing with problems, if you need to talk with someone about the right way to handle a situation, talk to ______ .
An equal or higher-ranking individual
When we talk about being reliable under normal and/or hostile circumstances, we should also mention the importance of ____. It’s great to be a person who can be counted on when assigned a task, but it’s better to be the person who doesn’t need to be told what to do.
Initiative
As a leader, your job is to help others develop confidence, especially during tough times. The confidence comes in part from believing in your team. But believing in people alone is not enough. You have to:
Help them succeed
We love our family and we love our brothers and sisters. But a TRUE leader will also love ____, as a true leader understands that we are _____.
- The Public
- Servants
The only thing you have complete control over is?
Your attitude
Ch.2, p. 48
