PRIDE AND OWNERSHIP: THE LOVE FOR THE JOB THE CHIEf

摘要

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a firefighter just like my dad. As I got older, that really didn't change, even when I was a cop waiting to get hired as a firefighter. I guess I have always just wanted to make a difference. When I finally made it into the firehouse on a full-time basis, I was like a lot of young firefighters—thinking, dreaming a little about where I wanted to go in the fire service, how far I wanted to take this whole "wanting to make a difference" thing. Every time I moved up, it seemed like there was more responsibility and more to do. But it also hit me that with each step I took, I got to make more of a difference and have more of an impact, often on a lot of good things and once in a while on some not so good things. Being human means making mistakes, and I have made my share. But I decided that if I ever got to sit in the "big" chair (chief), I would do all that I could not to turn out to be the chief I hated working for. I asked a friend early on how to avoid that trap. He said to take a look at the guy that no one wants to work for and do everything the opposite of what he is doing. So far it has worked!