You Got Bugles, Now What? Lessons Learned as a Young Officer

I have spent over half of my tenure in the fire service as an officer at both the Company Officer and Chief Officer level. When I was given the opportunity to lead at a young age, I let my ego get in the way. I was working hard but it wasn't translating to the crews I was leading. Personal ambition got in the way of doing what I was called to do in the first place. It wasn't until I received a rude awaking and nearly died on the job that I took stock of my personal life and career where I was faced with the hard truth that I was failing miserably. I took the lessons learned over half my life from some of the best mentors both on and off the job to turn everything around. Simple actions led to personal goals and aspirations coming to fruition but also the goals and aspirations of many of my teammates. Together we all started to thrive on and off the job. My goal is to share these simple steps so that the next generation of leaders doesn't have to play catch up as they progress in their career. I wish I had listened earlier and not wasted years of not only my career but the careers of the firefighters I was given the opportunity to serve.