LESSONS LEARNED FROM A LONGTIME LEADER
BY MIKE DEGROSKY
“It is so cool to have watched a person you know develop from exploited child worker to the leader of one of the most important and high-profile things his agency has going on.” Those were tongue-in-cheek remarks I made at a recent retirement party for a colleague I have known since he was 16. Thirty-six years later I can still remember noticing a few things about this kid that worked out in the fire cache; he was personable; did a good job fitting in; and he was a go-getter. When we later hired him as a firefighter, he immediately took to the work and quickly advanced up the seasonal employment ranks as his capacity for leadership also emerged.
I left the agency but returned many years later as the chief of fire and aviation management, where he was now a fire management officer. I told the partygoers that while I had never mentioned this to my colleague, I was comforted knowing he was in his role, in part because I thought it likely I would need him as a resource as I figured out my challenging new job. I explained how that came about sooner than expected, and in a way I had not anticipated, when he invited me over for a meet and greet and, in a trademark direct and unvarnished style, told me exactly what he thought while people around him nodded their heads. I also acknowledged that those of us who knew him well knew that this was me hearing, straight-up, things I needed to know – something many of us had experienced and something I appreciate about the guest of honor.
I joked that he, however, did not know I had a secret weapon – that I would make him help me do my job, including asking him to do things he didn’t really enjoy and didn’t want to do. And help me he did – another thing I deeply appreciated. A few years later, the honoree, who had been in fire his entire career, stepped out of the fire program to lead a new initiative. Outside his discipline and previous experience, this was also a challenge to which he could apply the skills he had developed over 30 years. I acknowledged how he had worked his way up the organization and that I found it evident that at each stop he had earned the trust and respect of the people with whom he worked. I told the assembly that for a leadership nerd like me, there was much to be learned from the guest of honor’s career. I had the following on my mind.
First, his longevity. Longevity can be a curse if people stay longer than they should or do not grow and adapt with the organization’s needs. But, with longevity can come mastery and competence, knowledge, and wisdom. It can prove challenging to balance one’s long tenure with value and relevance to the organization and its people, but this person worked for the same agency for 36 years and was still a respected and sought-after colleague, who led a new and innovative initiative when he retired.
It can prove challenging to balance one’s long tenure with value and relevance to the organization and its people, but this person worked for the same agency for 36 years and was still a respected and sought-after colleague, who led a new and innovative initiative when he retired.
I was also thinking of his authenticity – the personable nature, the ability to relate to people and fit in, the work ethic, the natural talent for fire work, and the capacity to lead that I first saw in a very young man all continued to serve him well for 30 more years. It is important for leaders to know themselves and to take a leadership approach that incorporates their strengths.
I was also thinking about his ability to communicate assertively. Knowledge, experience, good ideas, and influence do little good trapped in silence. Leadership frequently requires communicating difficult, often disconfirming information to people including those above us. Effective leaders need to prepare themselves as best they can for this important task.
I appreciated the man’s generosity in sharing his talents. I asked him to engage in processes he did not particularly enjoy. He sometimes resisted but, consistent with his reputation, he knew his knowledge, skills, abilities and experience were needed and he stepped up.
He knew when to move on. I told the people gathered to honor him that I was disappointed when this colleague stepped away from the fire protection program. I joked that I took it personally and had been a little mad at him ever since. But, in reality, I understand that he recognized that he was ready for a new challenge and that his skills could benefit the agency in a new way, and I respected that. It would be easy to observe this man’s career as an unusually steady climb up through the ranks of his agency, but he moved around. I imagine that along the way he had applied for positions for which people told him he was a long shot; he took challenging temporary assignments; and, ultimately, he took a chance on doing something completely outside his previous experience.
Finally, during my second tenure with the agency one thing became obvious; the guest of honor was liked, respected and trusted throughout the organization, by peers, subordinates, and superiors. You know you are getting old when you have observed a colleague’s entire career, but I am grateful that my friend and I crossed paths twice at the opposite ends of his career. As a student of leadership, I try to grab the learning wherever I can.
