Delegating vs. Empowering
What is the difference between Empowering and Delegating? We in the Volunteer Fire Service rely on our members more and more these days to keep the Fire Department functioning the way it is supposed to in order to serve the communities we protect. There are so many requirements these days; training, certifications, refreshers, documentation, inspections, maintenance and more. As leaders, we could take on these tasks ourselves, or we can delegate or EMPOWER our members to do the work.
Delegating:
To delegate a task to our members, we are giving them an assigned task with a deadline for it to be done. We give them instructions on how to complete the project, and what the end results should look like. Delegation gives the members a sense of involvement in the Fire Department’s every day management. It can free up your Chiefs and Fire Officers to do other tasks.
Some examples of delegation I want to promote in the Fire Service are:
- Typing up the monthly training schedule to be posted for the members to see.
- Washing the fire apparatus after an incident.
- Checking the SCBAs and masks.
Delegating should be projects that already have a set procedure, or a limited amount of ways to accomplish the task.
Empowering:
To empower is delegating at the next level. Empowering is to give your members the power to make decisions once reserved for Chiefs and Fire Officers. This could also work on the Fire Officer level, where the Fire Chief is empowering his Fire Officers to complete and manage tasks and jobs that he or she once managed. The big difference between Delegation and Empowerment is the aspect of decision-making. Your members will not only have a sense of involvement, but a sense of ownership to what they are doing and to the entire project. When we empower someone to do a project, we give him or her the idea and the goal we want to accomplish, and they take it from there. They recruit help, they manage the steps and the process, and they take the credit! The member will be more inclined to keep the project his or hers for the duration of their Volunteer career.
Some examples of empowerment I want to promote in the Fire Service are:
- Managing and organizing training records, personnel files, SOGs, etc.
- Fire Prevention activities.
- Fundraising activities.
- Equipment ordering and inventory
Delegation has its place over Empowering. For example, if your department already has a set standard on certain things, it is best to be sure the standardizing remains in tact. Often times too many ideas leads to an inconsistency. For example, if your truck’s equipment are laid out a particular way that works for your department, and you need a member to clean up the compartments, Delegating that our may be a better option. If you have a standard way of managing your department’s paperwork with a specific letterhead, it may be beneficial to delegate certain clerical work rather than empowering them to create a whole new letterhead. Don’t be afraid to listen to ideas, however, for a better way of doing something.
By Empowering more and delegating less, we are promoting a healthier Volunteer Fire Department where our members feel they are involved and have ownership of a piece of the Department.
