Encouraging creative thinking in your organization is more of a marathon than a sprint. Here’s how to stay the course.
In the ideal fire department, creative thinking would lead the way to positive change. But in the average real world department, other priorities can push creativity to the edge of irrelevance—and even over the cliff into oblivion.
One of the biggest reasons this happens is because of something that occurs in most organizations that have been around for more than a minute: the human tendency to formalize function, set rules, and create a means to police it.
In a word: bureaucracy. It’s not just a feature of Big Government—even the local quilting bee has one.
And, so does your fire department. Even if you’re in lower management, you’re still part of what keeps it functioning—and you probably don’t think twice about it.
To be fair, bureaucracy isn’t all bad; in fact, no organization can function efficiently without enforced procedures for very long. The downside, though, is that it can drag the process of innovation and change down to a slow crawl.
Any change is a challenge to the status quo, the bureaucracy’s natural turf. Instinctively, the bureaucracy’s gatekeepers resist novelty, the natural product of creative thinking. Even if you discover the greatest innovation in the history of Western Civilization, the gatekeepers will naturally oppose it or, at the very least, slow-walk it.
The egos of these gatekeepers are also permanently intertwined with an organization’s formal bureaucracy, fattened on power and authority, personal agendas, or ulterior motives. Espouse creative solutions that cause change and you’ll inevitably run afoul of one of these.
That can be disheartening if have an idealistic passion for leaving your department better than you found it. But the answer isn’t to become jaded— rather you must adjust your hopeful expectations through a healthy dose of practical realism.
Pick your battles—and any low-hanging fruit.
Clichés are overworked phrases, but often because they’re true. Such is “pick your battles,” if you understand it correctly. A lot of people don’t, considering it merely shorthand for “You can’t win, so don’t bother fighting.”
What it’s really about is strategy, the overall goal and plan to win out over an opponent (in this case, a stagnate status quo). You’re simply choosing not to engage in unwinnable battles that drain your “clout,” something you’ll need later when you’re in a better position to attempt something big.
You might consider emulating Admiral Chester Nimitz, Pacific Fleet Commander during World War II. Rather than attack Japan directly right out of the gate in 1942—which would have guaranteed heavy losses and slim chances for success—Nimitz chose to “island-hop,” taking one isolated Japanese stronghold after another. It took longer, but by early 1945 the American Fleet was right on the Japanese doorstep.
So, rather than conquering a “mountain” right away, focus first on a few immediate “hills”—small, non-controversial projects that have the potential for popular support. With a few successes under your belt, you’ll gain confidence and momentum for more ambitious endeavors.
Seek allies for today, torchbearers for tomorrow
Success in battle depends more on a “band of brothers” than on a single Rambo. There’s power in numbers If you want to see your department change for the better.
So, don’t go at it alone: Find and connect with like-minded colleagues who resonate with your vision. That especially includes fellow officers further up the organizational chart—practically speaking, they’re more in a position to affect needed change.
That’s today; but what about tomorrow? Today’s leaders that are on board with cultivating creative innovation will one day pull their last shift. Even then, other changes you hope to achieve may still be ripening on the vine.
Those pending innovations might become reality if you’ve mentored younger officers to carry on the effort. You already know the importance of mentoring other aspects of leadership—so why not creative thinking?
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Here’s the reality: Organizations need time to develop an appreciation for the value of creative thinking before they can put it into practice. The best way to help that process along is not to rail against past or present obstacles thrown up by the bureaucracy.
Instead, celebrate your department’s current progress, and look to the future with positive enthusiasm.
David Webster served twenty-seven years with the Hattiesburg Fire Department in Mississippi before retiring as fire chief in 2013. Besides The Creative Fire Officer, He also writes marketing content for businesses.
