The Look is lost.

Remember the good old days in the fire service?  Life was simple back then.  I'm not talking about riding the tailboard in hip books or leading off with booster lines and Hardie guns, I am talking about the way people used to respond to leadership.

One thing that was seldom an issue was the respect for authority.  The chain of command was "Queen Mary anchor" chain.  It was strong , solid, and unchallenged.  The Fire Chief, Assistant Chiefs, Captains and Lieutenants maintained a hierarchy of leadership that was well defined, and not to be questioned.  We followed orders from those above you in rank whether they wore your company number, or that of a mutual aid company.  Colonel Jessup said it best in "A Few Good Men", "We follow orders or people die!"

The Chief wasn't always right, but he was always the Chief!  His plan was the only plan that was followed, and his officers carried that message through to the troops.  We did not fear the man in charge, we feared DISOBEYING the man in charge.  Disobedience led to consequence.  That consequence may have been as simple as "the look".  You may have gotten one in the past that you recall.  That straight stare, crooked eyebrow, flared nostril look of disapproval that sank your heart into your gut.  You never wanted to be on the receiving end of that...or worse.  You especially didn't want to have your peers to see you get "the look". 

The shame of letting the team down was more than enough to keep us in line.  We all knew we were in the same boat as well.  NO ONE was immune from "the look".  If we screwed up and deserved to have one cast upon us from an officer, we hung our heads in shame, and accepted the (imaginary) scarlet letters that we would wear for awhile.  Unlike the novel, however, this "A" stood for ASS, instead of Adulterer.  You usually "wore it" until someone else deserved it more than you, relieving you of its heavy burden. 

Today, it seems like everything is questioned.  Not directly, mind you, but by social and organizational manipulation.  People can hide under their covers with a laptop and instantly rally up a posse of support against a directive without ever fearing "the look".  Authority is losing its, well, AUTHORITY!  There is a virtual arsenal of liberal movements that protect people from "the look".  Think about it... you can always find a support group, organization, union, club, "lawyer", parent, or block bully to tell you that you don't deserve "the look", you should not fear "the look", and if someone ever tries to give you "the look", whether you deserve it or not, will fight on your side. 

Please don't misinterpret what I am saying.  There are some leaders that barely deserve to be respected, particularly those that do not respect the people they lead.  There are also many people in the fire service that understand the value and importance of the chain of command.  Lets be honest, a blog about the obedient and deserving ones would be a yawner, and they wouldn't expect to be stroked constantly to keep them dedicated to the commitment they make to the fire service.  It's the toxic, disrespectful cowards that need to be stroked repeatedly ... with a rusty wire brush dipped in kerosene!