First In, Last Out: Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department

By John Salka

Book Overview

What does it take to lead people into a burning building? How do the leaders of the New York City Fire Department develop so much loyalty, trust, and grace under pressure that their subordinates will risk their very lives for them? As a high-ranking officer of the FDNY, John Salka is an expert at both practicing and teaching high-stakes leadership. In First In, Last Out , he explains the department's unique strategies and how they can be adopted by leaders in any field--as he has taught them to organizations around the country. In a tough-talking, no-nonsense style, Salka uses real-world stories to convey leadership imperatives such as: first in, last out--your people need to see you taking the biggest risk, as the first one to enter the danger zone and the last to leave manage change--the fire you fought yesterday is not the one you'll be fighting tomorrow communicate aggressively--a working radio is worth more than 20,000 gallons of water create an execution culture--focus your people on the flames, not the smoke commit to reality--never allow the way you would like things to be to color how things are develop your people--let them feel a little heat today or they'll get burned tomorrow Illustrated by harrowing real-life situations, the principles in First In, Last Out will help managers become more confident, coherent, and commanding. On the web: http: //www.firstinleadership.com

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591840686
• ISBN13: 9781591840688
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Portfolio
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Practical Advice for Front Line Managers

Salka's advice is modeled on the leadership lessons of the New York City Fire Department. He takes many of the basic principles of effective leadership that are used to define the officers of FDNY and applies it to real life situations that can be used at any level of leadership by comparing these situations to those faced by the firefighters and their daily battles. This book's real strength comes from Salka's approach: he writes to the front line supervisor/manager, the folks who are often on the first tier of management. While many books, as good as they are, assume that the reader is in a position to affect policy and choose their entire team, "First In" speaks to managers whose responsibility is the daily performance of the staff. In addtion to great advice that can be put to practical use by leaders at any level, Salka regails the reader with colorful stories of the men and women of the FDNY. Overall, a great read.

Highly Recommended!

The New York Fire Department (FDNY) seemed a company of heroes in the months after September 11, 2001. Later, when investigations revealed the enormity of the blunders and the degree to which petty political infighting had literally doomed firefighters to death, the FDNY lost a bit of its luster. But FDNY traditionally has a core of strong leaders, and John Salka is one of them. In this book, he shares his leadership philosophy. It's no slur to observe that this is a leadership book for firehouse buffs who are as interested in firefighter yarns as in leadership. The leadership principles outlined here are sound but not new; what is fresh is that the author illustrates those principles with fire fighting stories, clearly far more interesting than war stories from accounting - even if a bit remote from most people's everyday business reality. After all, few business people risk their lives in their daily work, and probably no business has the esprit de corps of a firehouse. We recommend this book to business people across the professions. The ride inside the fire truck will keep you engrossed in its solid leadership lessons.

An invaluable guide to managing well

As a member of corporate America, I know first hand how many bad managers there are out there, and how easy it is to make poor decisions when managing people. This book is straightforward and easy to read, but more importantly, it outlines what I think, are some of the most fundamental ideas behind strong leadership. Some are common sense ideas that are easy to forget (and are helpful to read again from this angle) others are more surprising. But you will see most if not all of them in every good boss/leader you've ever worked for or observed. (and respected, for that matter.) Highly recommended to anyone who is looking for a truly useful book on managing and leading - the right way.

First In, Last Out

The Chief provides a pragmatic and useful guide to leadership in organizations of all sizes, missions and purposes. Whether your leadership interest is in business, military, government, education or non-profit organizations, the leadership lessons will find immediate application. And, if you are an aspiring leader, the Chief's viewpoint will accelerate the development of your own leadership style and help you (and your followers) avoid costly leadership mistakes. Worthy of several reads!

A must read for all business professionals!

Every CEO and aspiring business professional should read this book. Business executives and those who lead corporate teams will gain tremendous insight into how to successfully lead and motivate others. The style of writing is excellent. While reading the book I felt very much like a really great, normal, down-to-earth guy was talking to me, sharing his experiences and providing practical examples that I could easily apply to situations that I encounter everyday in the business world. And who better to teach leadership than someone who successfully leads people into life and death situations on a regular basis? The stories here are true inspiration for any aspiring leader. This is an exceptional book full of practical advice for all business professionals. All of our business leaders today, from production floor managers, to human resource executives to small business owners to the heads of large corporations should read this book and follow its example. A must read.