I always stress that the job of
being a Firefighter should be focused first on people. When we speak of people,
we typically think of the public we serve, but as leaders we must never
overlook the other people that deserve our attention, namely those whom we have
the un-written contract with to serve. We must juggle managing and leading,
finding a balance between the two competing disciplines.
For me the working definition of managing and leading starts with the end state
in mind. When a person manages, they are meeting the needs of
stakeholders and the bottom line. This should not be confused with the act of
leading. We employ people skills when we interact with our staff, and keeping
the ego in check is one of the most important people skills.
A leader, first must be a good follower, being humble enough to know that they are not always going to have the answer. Following requires that you accept your place in the system, being flexible and open minded. Many would-be leaders fail when it comes to following, believing that they have the only solution to the problem and no one else has ability to do a better job. They are the letting their Ego drive their actions. They are not necessarily flawed people. According to Freud the human physiological make up includes the Id, Ego and Super Ego. I am not by any means an expert on the human mind (and this is not the vehicle to explore the subject) but it is not a bad thing for a leader to have an ego.
History’s leaders were men of strength; physical,
mental, and emotional strength. The situations they faced required a person who
had vision, charisma, and an ego to be successful. Modern
leaders followed this model, applying the influence of power, position, and ego
to lead government, business, the military, and community and service
organizations. This did not always prove to be the formula for
success. Many leaders, who just by their rank or position did not have the
tools to lead and they failed the mission, because they could not keep the ego in its place.
We think of the egomaniac, unwilling and unable to
see the issue beyond their own lens, as the autocratic dictator, who will
not listen to or seek the input of others. The ego driven person is often seen
as self-important, unrealistic, and most defiantly not as
servant leader. The issue again is balancing the impact of the ego, as is that
there is a time and a place for the egocentric autocratic leadership style. This style must only be used
sparingly and not the constant driving force in the leaders actions.
Ego often drives the actions of traditional
"leaders". The success that they can create from the use of title and
influence only work to benefit them, that is until the Ego is all that they
are. In chapter eleven of It Worked for Me-In life and Leadership by
Collen Powell discusses mutual respect. “Leaders have legal authority
for followers. They can demand and expect obedience on the
job and have the power to take action against followers who do not obey or
meet expected standards of performance. "He then goes on to
state.” Obedience alone may get the job done, but it probably doesn’t
inspire commitment to the job.”(p.77).
To summarize Powell’s
thoughts: To inspire pride in work or the product or a passion for
excellence the follower must feel they are part of a well led
team. This comes from when they respect their leaders and in turn, they believe
they are respected by their leaders. This also requires mutual trust
between leaders and those who are being lead. Real leadership
requires a person to create a balance between the positive and negative aspects
of their ego. It is up to the individual; will their ego be a Friend or Foe.
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