Leadership lessons we all can learn from firefighters

Sandeep Kashyap
Aug 24, 2017 · 4 min read

No one would disagree to the fact that firefighters are the real life superheroes. They save lives of people while putting their own life at the risk. Now if we compare the same to what a leader does in a office, it’s pretty much the same. A leader has the job to putt off fires in the team and at workplace everyday, making sure that things remain under control.

“Want to become a leader who can manage teams more efficiently. Start using ProofHub.”

So, why not try to inculcate a few tips that these real life superheroes follow to put off fires at work? And, let’s start solving business problems a firefighter style!

Keeping your head straight in tough times

There is no room for panic in the life of a firefighter. They are the ones who rise to the occasion, jump into the fire and save lives of people. They are the first ones to come at the sight of fire and the last ones to leave.

A leader is the firefighter for the team. A leader is the person who has to rise to the occasion every time there is a situation of panic. Whether the project has gone wrong, or the client is not happy with the end result, a leader must never let panic set in.

Rather than running around heedlessly in such a situation, a leader must set a sense of calmness in the team, just like a firefighter brings calmness at the panic scene.

Staying calm and making the right decision

Firefighters don’t have the luxury of taking time when making decisions. They usually have to make decisions in fraction of seconds or else the building will be in tatters and the people stuck inside would not be alive. How do they do it? By keeping their mind and body active.

As a leader you must practice mindfulness — this one virtue can help you become a quick problem solver. When your mind’s at peace, you can gaze the situation with more clarity and end up making the right decisions more often than not.

A wrong decision made at a crucial time in the project can wreck havoc, but learning how to keep calm and make the right decision from firefighters is something that can definitely be of great help for the leader.

Prioritizing things when they matter the most

Saving lives of people. Bringing the panic situation under control. Property conservation. Firefighters have the priority well sorted out before they even reach the situation. They know that saving a life is going to be the top priority and the rest will follow after this.

As a leader you must also have it cut out beforehand — which phase of the project must be kept on priority and needs to be delivered fast. Prioritization is the key for successful delivery of the project, and you must put it loud and clear in front of your team so that there is no scope of confusion at last moment.

Keeping communication clear and concise

Clear communication is the lifeline for a firefighter. Any gap or miscommunication can lead to devastating results not for the firefighter, but also for the building on fire and the people stuck inside. This is the reason that firefighters always have their work cut out as to which team member will take on which task during the emergency.

Same is the case with a team working on a project. Different people must have the roles clearly defined so that there is no confusion as to who will be working on which task.

Once everything is set, and the role of each individual is clearly defined, there is no scope of confusion. Things will automatically fall into their right place and team efficiency is bound to see a boost!

So, you can see there’s plenty that we all can learn from the firefighters when it comes to leadership.

“Don’t let poor project management become a barrier in your success. Start using ProofHub.’‘

**********

Let me send you my best stuff, click here to subscribe now!

Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. A passionate leader, Sandeep is always on the lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams and companies. He is also a featured writer on LinkedIn and a contributing author at YourStory. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Also follow our company page @ProofHub to get the recent updates about our tool, published articles, motivational quotes & presentations.

**********

If you liked reading this post, you are surely going to love this as well-

Originally published at LinkedIn

)

Sandeep Kashyap

Written by

Internet Entrepreneur, CEO of SDP Labs and Founder of ProofHub

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade