End Run: You Can`t Have Consensus Just When You Want It

     Let's say you've developed a solid workforce, educated them, kept them informed, earned their commitment to the mission and quality of your organization, and gotten them used to a participative leadership style. Now an external change comes along that you're sure will force you to add staff. Doing that will necessitate changes in your duty schedule. Until now, everything was balanced and everybody was pretty happy. You feel compelled to handle this development yourself, because it will impact your agency's future. So you keep a few secrets, make a few decisions and post a few announcements. All of a sudden, you're facing open rebellion. Even people you considered friends are behaving like strangers from hell. Where did you go wrong? And, just as important, how do you fix this?

     Answer: Nobody ever said leading by consensus means you can't keep secrets or make your own decisions. Nor is it just an answer for weak leaders; in fact, it pretty much mandates very strong ones. Consensus-based leadership works when everybody's committed to consensus. That means everybody, every day, and it means the whole process. When consensus falls apart, it usually does so because a leader sidesteps the process unnecessarily. If you tell people they're part of an organization's leadership, you don't get to change the rules just because you feel like it. Do that once, and you invalidate the process. (You shouldn't be surprised if that makes 'em cranky. Remember, EMSers are skilled reactors.)

     There are reasonable exceptions, and they come up every day. One is an emergency response, when making prompt decisions is simply your job. Another is a contractual issue or a personnel matter (when confidentiality is mandated). In those instances, you can easily imagine yourself standing in front of your folks and explaining why you couldn't share information with them. If you can imagine that, there's usually no need to explain. Why? Because it makes sense. If you can't imagine yourself offering a good explanation for making your own decision, maybe others could have helped.

     There's a trap in participative leadership. When you use it, you harness people's strengths to drive the decision-making process. You share your authority, but not your responsibility. If your group makes a good decision, they reap the glory right along with you. But if they make the wrong one, it's always your bad. In other industries, that would be one reason why you make the big bucks. In EMS, nobody makes big bucks, at least not honestly and not for long.

     So, how do you fix things? Admit you made a mistake, remind people you're not perfect, and move on. EMTs don't have to be perfect. Paramedics don't. And neither do you. Chances are, they'll respect your humility and honesty (as long as you're not stupid, anyway).

     Of course, if the latter is your problem, they've probably pointed it out to you. Some time ago, in fact, and very clearly.

Thom Dick is currently the quality care coordinator for Platte Valley Ambulance Service, a community-owned, hospital-based 9-1-1 provider in Brighton, CO. Contact him at boxcar_414@yahoo.com.