By Chief Sam DiGiovanna
I wanted to share this article from Harvey Mackay. As you know and witness, we have characters in the fire service and those that have character. I read this and saw the similarities in the fire service.
Perhaps you can identify whether you are a character or operate as a person with character? Character is not an inheritance; each person must build it for themself. You will see the traits of ‘having’ character fall right in line with being in public safety as opposed to ‘being’ a character.
Consider the walnut: If you compare a walnut with some of the beautiful and exciting things which grow on our planet, it does not seem to be a marvelous creation. It is common, rough, not particularly attractive, and certainly not valuable in any monetary sense. Besides, it is small. Its growth is limited by the hard shell which surrounds it. The shell from which it never escapes during its lifetime.
“Of course, that’s the wrong way to judge a walnut. Break one open and look inside. See how the walnut has grown to fill every nook and cranny available to it? It had no say in the size or shape of that shell but given those limitations, it achieved its full potential of growth.”
How lucky we will be if, like the walnut, we find ways to blossom and bloom in every crevice of life that is given to us.
Character is not an inheritance; each person must build it for themself. Character is comprised of many positive traits, as well as moral principles such as caring, cooperation, diligence, fairness, honesty, loyalty, patience, positivity, responsibility, reliability, and unselfishness, to name a few.
It is how you conduct yourself as a person, demonstrating empathy and compassion, being accountable, giving credit where it is due, forgiving others, apologizing when you are wrong and just being helpful.
Let’s look at just a few character traits:
Dependability. You are there to support others and keep your promises. People can trust you to listen attentively and make rational decisions, while taking responsibility for your actions.
Kindness. Kind words and kind actions start with kind thoughts. In a hyper-competitive world, we might be tempted to take a dramatically different approach. But that tactic doesn’t produce any winners. Funny thing about kindness: The more it’s used the more you have of it.
Respectfulness. I learned long ago to be respectful or be regretful. There are four very important words in life – love, honesty, truth, and respect. Without these in your life you have nothing.
Courage. It’s easy to be ordinary. Courage is what sets you apart from the crowd. Courage is one of the major human virtues. Courage is bravery, valor, standing up to danger, guts and nerve all rolled into one. You don’t have to be a firefighter, soldier, policeman, doctor, or relief worker. It can be a businessperson, stay at home mom or dad or any occupation. So, what does courage have to do with any occupation? Plenty.
I admit that most folks’ daily lives are not filled with such dramatic challenges. We all face situations that require us to reach deep down within ourselves to do what is right and brave and occasionally difficult. Courage can involve making decisions that are unpopular or time-consuming or even expensive.
Integrity. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing to do. We have an epidemic of blaming others for mistakes, or worse, attempting a cover-up, rather than taking responsibility and swallowing a few bitter pills. We need to teach kids that their actions have consequences, and then apply those consequences. And we need to be prepared to forgive those who are truly sorry for their behavior, and not just because they got caught.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.
Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden said: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
Character is priceless. Reputation is for time; character is for eternity.
Only you can answer this. Are you a character or do you live/operate with character?
Mackay’s Moral: Good character is like good soup – it is usually homemade.
Sam DiGiovanna is a 40-year fire service veteran. He started with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served as Fire Chief at the Monrovia Fire Department, and currently serves as Chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale, Calif. He also is a consultant for Lexipol Fire Serviceswww.lexipol.com