Paper Tiger Leadership: Recent Episodes
Paper Tigers
We will discuss the pitfalls of hiring/promoting those well educated and lack of any real experience, people to the top. Taking a good employee and promoting them right out of their ability to perform. The educated cannot lead those that do the work if the educated really has no understanding of the work to perform.
Many first responder publications are digging out some old articles concerning toxic leadership. Seems there were others concerned about how this Paper Tiger experiment would go. Some article as old as 10 years, warning us of potential pitfalls. Well here we are and the pitfalls are occurring. Look at recent activity within FDNY. Look at counts of #LODD in all first responders. See how getting staffing in public safety has fell harder than fast food. We warned you and got mocked for it.
Defining a Paper Tiger. Almost certainly everyone has ran across them. They were created when the push became to run safety services like a private business. Since that experiment started LODD's have increased 150% in law enforcement and over 50% in fire. First responder injuries have ran unchecked as their is no personal gain in decreasing them for the Paper Tiger, so they go ignored. Morale has decreased to alarming lows as the Paper Tigers claim it is only a select few, over 50% is not a few. Also, turnover among safety forces has skyrocketed higher than any in last 20 years.
Some examples of the ways a Paper Tiger creates a self serving, self surviving borderline illegal operation to gather more public funds. They create these groups, associations, consultants or whatever buzzword they have at the time in an effort to justify stealing from others. All being done at risks to public safety. They all invite their buddies, get money from each others organization and move onto next. Tell us how this is not a ponzi scheme.
They all get together to socialize and call it training. Spending funds better used to train our local first responders all for themselves. Or even charging their own department to send people to their scam. Are they not already being paid to teach the crews? How do these people plan to look into their makers face after death? How do they even look themselves in the mirror?
The Paper Tigers pride themselves on spending tax payers money to go to conferences that they help create NFPA standards. They will even tell you we should follow all NFPA standards on everything, well except for staffing. This one they will ignore if it is not endorsed by administration. This is a battle they will not fight. The public safety and first responder safety is not something they can add to a resume, so it is a battle they will not fight.
Some time ago a push to promote and/or hire the educated over the experienced began, this created a Paper Tiger. During this time LODD's have increased over 50% for fire and 100% for police. First responder injuries have remained unchanged and seem to go unaddressed, at least to any effect. Morale has plummeted to amazing lows. All the while turnover has risen to heights never seen before. All of this because a Paper Tiger is only concerned with themselves and how the personally look.
Some stories of Paper Tigers getting butthurt at the facts. A couple stories from listeners and some information we have seen. This folly in Paper Tiger leaders has been an epic failure.
Paper Tigers are above the training that crews do. They will attend training with the peers, but none of that makes its way back to crews. That way emergency scene can be more chaotic and the lower level officers can be blamed. Paper Tigers will not put themselves into a position where any blame can befall them!
Some traits and stories from around the USA. Are you a Paper Tiger? If any of this offends you, you just might be. Listen, really listen and judge for yourself.
Learn about the creation of Paper Tiger Ponzi Schemes to ensure they maximize their income. They also spend money on questionable items. Most goes ignored, because they baffle to part time trustees, council & mayors with buzzword & jargon.
Describing some of the characteristics and traits of the Paper Tiger. Send us your Paper Tiger stories and we may share them with your permission.
We will explain what makes up a Paper Tiger. We invite all to contact us on FB or LinkdeIn with your Paper Tiger stories.