This boss was lazy. Simply put, where Uncle Gail was prepared not only to do his job but to make sure everybody else was doing theirs as well, this boss at Hardee's was unwilling to even do his own job, much less help anybody else. The entire crew hated him for that. Many newcomers were there for their first-ever job, and some were new to the country. Most of us had problems at some point during our work there, usually at the beginning, but this boss had no time for any of us, except to criticize when we did something wrong. Nobody ever improved, and quite frankly the restaurant was floundering as a result. When the manager cannot inspire people, cannot direct them to do the things that need to be done, and is unwilling to help make the people around him better, to me that is poor leadership. I hope to never work for another leader like that.

My experiences with leadership good and bad highlight why I feel that good leadership is essential in emergency service. Consider the outcomes that the organization is trying to achieve. If Hardee's has lousy leadership, the service is slow and the food is lousy. People might get upset, but there is still little risk of any real harm coming to anybody. Uncle Gail knew that if there were problems with the construction, either the company was going to spend too much money on the building or there would be flaws in the building. Failure to get it right the first time is simply not an option in that industry, and situations like that demand good leadership.

In emergency service, there is no room for failure. People's lives depend on all components of the organization coming together to deliver their service as quickly and perfectly as possible. This requires a great leader to perform all the essential leadership functions. The people need...

They need to be ready and enthusiastic. The equipment must be in place and there not be any problems that inhibit the professionals from doing their job.
In addition, when I compare the good and bad leadership scenarios, the work ethic of the people I worked with was very different. The construction jobs were tough, the work hard, but everybody was excited to come to work, every day. At Hardee's people sometimes did not even bother to work while on duty. I could tell some entertaining stories about the things people did to help them forget that they were stuck at that place. Nobody really wanted to be there. Emergency services is a tough job, and a lot of times it can feel really thankless. Sometimes you will fail to save a person. Sometimes you run into difficult people, especially in EMS, and the job can wear a person down. The leader needs to be able to pull the team together, raise spirits, and renew the enthusiasm of the entire crew, or an individual on a one-on-one basis. This helps in the long run. People stay longer, rather than quitting. More workers want to join your crew, as opposed to the one in the next town over. Having great leadership keep emergency services working, and with the best people possible.

Works Cited:

Ambler, G. (2006). The importance of a clear leadership philosophy. The Practice of Leadership. Retrieved November 1, 2011 from http://www.thepracticeofleadership.net/the-importance-of-a-clear-leadership-philosophy

Greenleaf.org (2011) various pages. Retrieved November 1, 2011 from http://www.greenleaf.org/

Leboeuf, K. (1999). Developing a leadership philosophy. U.S. Military Academy. Retrieved November 1, 2011 from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/leboeuf.htm