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Developing Soft Skills for Success

Developing Soft Skills for Success

In 2012 the Officers Section of the Washington Fire Chiefs was consolidated with the Training and Safety Officers Section.  This allowed for the vision of the Officers Section to move forward and to ensure its message and philosophy on leadership development is not lost.  Officer development at all levels is the mission of this group.  The fire service continually seeks qualified individuals within and outside of their organization who possess the vital skills needed to guide their organization into the future. 

The International Association of Fire Chiefs Officer (IAFC) Development Handbook was created to provide guidance and a “clear roadmap for success as a fire officer”; (Jim Broman).  This program has four levels of preparation; supervising, managing, administrative and executive.  Each of these levels contains four areas of personal development; training, education, experience and self-development.  I will break down each of these areas as they are described in the IAFC Handbook. 

Training is a daily activity in the fire service and for the purpose of this paper will be referred to as “hard skills”.  Hard skills are defined as specific measurable and teachable abilities.  Training starts on day one of a firefighter’s career.  By the time individuals reach the tenure required to be considered for supervisory roles in an organization they typically have developed a multitude of hard skills. 

Education is self-explanatory and is typically required to promote in most organizations.  Local community colleges, officer development academies, and other state institutions have programs designed to provide the type of education needed to successfully meet the requirements of this area.

Experience is about fostering the mastery of basic skills.  The process of learning a skill or taking a class only allows for resume building.  Experience is gained through the application of these skills.  “Sets and reps” is a commonly used phrase when talking about gaining mastery through experience.  This area of development starts to become a little cloudy as it is tough to measure and is susceptible to subjectivity. 

Self-Development is even more subjective as it is the hardest of the four areas of development to measure.  The main reason for this is it deals with your awareness (understand of self), personal attributes (positive and negative), and attitudes which are individually developed and refined.  There is no greater task than to understand one’s self.  The basis of self-development is called “soft skills”.  Soft skills refer to a cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee or person for that matter.  Soft skills are a vital part of the work team environment found in the fire service.  Relationship building and people skills are considered a premium in today’s work force.  Understanding the value of people skills is the first step in self-development. 

The four levels of preparation listed in the IAFC Officer Development Handbook each have different hard skills associated with them.  While the soft skills required in each remains about the same.  The reason for this phenomenon is that soft skills have a universal application not found in hard skill development.  A company officer may achieve mastery in tactics and strategy at a fire ground and find little use for this skill in a budget development scenario, whereas soft skills are applicable in both.  The universal application of soft skills is not limited to promotional ambitions. In fact, they serve to make one a better coach, parent, friend or co-worker equally. 

Portland-based human resources expert Lori Kocon advises all job candidates to get in touch with their soft sides.  Some of the most common soft skills employers are looking for are:

  1. Strong work ethic – motivated and dedicated to getting the job done.
  2. Positive attitude – generate good energy and good will.
  3. Communications skills – both verbally articulate and a good listener.
  4. Time management – wise use of your time and the organizations.
  5. Problem-solving – resourceful, creative solutions and ownership.
  6. Team player – cooperative as a leader or follower.
  7. Self-confident – able to show mastery and inspire others.
  8. Accept and learn from criticism – coachable and able to grow as a person.
  9. Flexibility/Adaptability – embrace change and open minded to new ideas.
  10. Works well under pressure – calm in a crisis

Soft skills alone will not improve your chances of promoting.  Hard skill development will always be the measure of your competency.  The IAFC Officer Development Handbooks sets a clear path for moving up the chain of command and is the recommend resource for those having such ambitions.  Do not; however, rely entirely on hard skills to be your ticket to success either.  Your resume can be packed with achievements, gaining you the opportunity to compete for positions, but your soft skills will help land you on top.  

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Posted: Feb 13, 2014,
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