Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran, a FireRescue editorial board member, has been confirmed as the U.S. Fire Administrator. President Barack Obama nominated Chief Cochran for the post in July, and it has now been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

While chairman of the IAFC’s Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section, Chief Cochran wrote the Leadership Skills column for FireRescue’s IAFC section, Leader’s Edge.

Following are a few of our favorite Leadership Skills columns, written by Chief Cochran. Read additional columns here: Image Is Everything and Straddle the Fence.

The Words of the Chief: Leaving a lasting legacy includes mastering word selection & listening
By Kelvin J. Cochran
(From the July 2006 issue of FireRescue)

Show me a fire chief, and I’ll show you a person with an earnest desire to achieve excellence for their organization and for themselves. Every one of us wants to experience great accomplishments during our tenure as chiefs. We want to retire on our own terms and leave a lasting legacy.

We diligently pursue all the paths necessary to make an indelible mark in the fire service. After having mastered technical skills; achieved higher education degrees, professional certifications and designations; completed the Executive Fire Officer Program and the Harvard Fellowship, our success as leaders is ultimately determined by the quality of our words.

As fire chiefs, our words are manifested through conversations, speeches, remarks, debate, teaching, mentoring, coaching and counseling. The knowledge, experience and wisdom of sound leadership and decision-making principles gained through years of professional development should result in disciplined, calculated language. I believe a distinct correlation exists between the ability to speak effectively and success. Said another way: The quality of your conversation determines your destiny.

A Professional Perspective
Many key factors determine the content and quality of our communication. From a professional perspective, we must choose our words carefully, always considering the stakeholders we represent. We should rarely use the words “in my personal opinion” when communicating in a professional setting. Additionally, the degree to which leaders espouse fire service philosophy and doctrine, as well as the vision, mission and values of their department, determines the words they choose while communicating at work. Leaders who communicate using these essential elements as a guide are the most respected in their department.

As the primary facilitator for these essential components of organizational behavior, a fire chief’s selection of words must always relate back to vision, mission and values. Further, even during difficult times, fire chiefs must use optimistic words of confidence and assurance.

A Personal Perspective
From a personal perspective, the personality and character of fire service leaders are key factors in determining the content and quality of our words. Fire chiefs who are honest, trustworthy, self-confident and emotionally mature have a higher propensity for being effective with verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. Additionally, to be an effective wordsmith, a fire service leader must be passionate about our profession and about building relationships. Passion and compassion are issues of the heart. When a leader’s heart is in the right place, their motives will be right; and when their heart and motives are aligned, their words will prove powerful and effective. A compassionate leader who makes the needs of stakeholders a top priority is rarely caught off guard with inappropriate responses.

A fire chief’s words hold tremendous influence on all stakeholders. Because we are persons of authority, our words carry a lot of weight. From time to time, we are approached by people who quote words we once spoke. When the words we speak make a positive impact, we experience the adulation of having said something that made a difference in someone’s life. On the other hand, there’s also the unfortunate experience of being quoted as saying something we wished we hadn’t. One offensive slip of the tongue can prove quite costly to a leader’s credibility. So while our words hold the potential to inspire, encourage and challenge, they can cause frustration, anger and disappointment when chosen carelessly.

We should always consider how our words affect other people. This is even more critical in high-stress situations, such as labor negotiations, budget presentations and media interviews. Being honest, trustworthy, self-confident and emotionally mature will direct a fire chief to choose words that will produce the best outcomes. No matter how tumultuous a conversation may become, a fire chief with integrity will use words that demonstrates honor and respect toward others. It may sound easy, but when faced with difficult questions, making diplomatically correct, mission-centered statements understood and supported by all stakeholders is quite a challenge.

Emotionally unstable leaders should really take this to heart. When leaders use hostile, brash words out of frustration or anger, they reduce their effectiveness in communication and experience a loss of respect from superiors, subordinates and contemporaries. Use of profanity and offensive slurs in professional or personal communication suggests that the leader is incapable of choosing credible, appropriate words during intense dialogue. It may also be concluded that their true character is being suppressed and what’s witnessed in those instances is their real identity.

Speaking & Listening
Successful fire service leaders consciously work to master the skill of carefully choosing words, but they also work on their listening skills, as listening is essential to speaking effectively. Very few people have perfected both. Leaders who exclusively work to master listening skills usually do not talk much. Those who work diligently to carefully choose their words usually do not listen very well. In other words, if you only work on listening, you will not master effective response in conversation. If you only work on carefully choosing words, you will not be a good listener.

Many leaders who experience difficulty with communications love to hear themselves talk. They waste a lot of words and don’t listen very well. These kinds of leaders rarely reach their full potential, because they do not understand the value of disciplined communication—knowing when to shut up and consider what others are saying and when to speak. When we talk, our objective should be to use a minimum number of words with the greatest impact. We must also realize that we don’t have to respond to every comment. We are sometimes more effective when we keep quiet. Make a conscious effort to listen when this is the case.

Those with a track record of diligently working on speaking and listening skills are generally the most successful of our fire service colleagues—both in work and in life. Fire chiefs who care about what others say and care about their response have credibility at all levels of the fire service. They keep active in associations, sit on boards of directors, conduct effective meetings and are noted conference presenters and panelists, authors and columnists.

Conclusion
Developing a leadership focus where our conversations are ordered and directed by sound philosophy, doctrine and character traits ensures success and credibility in our professional pursuits and in life. Your mouth will make you a great leader if you learn how to use it properly.

BONUS: Improve Your Speaking Style
• Associate with wise colleagues who are good communicators; their good habits will rub off on you.
• Become an avid reader. Discipline yourself to read at least one book per month.
• Schedule time for thinking and meditation; a few moments spent concentrating on important issues will enhance your choice of words when it’s time to speak.
• Take notes when listening to presentations, speeches and sermons, and then review them within a day or so. Over time, you will find yourself repeating things other orators have said in your own way.
• Participate in fire chiefs’ associations, from local associations to the International Association of Fire Chiefs. You will find many role models for effective communication in such associations.

Read additional Leadership Skills columns here: Image Is Everything and Straddle the Fence.