We’ve Decided To Go With Someone Else: Promotion Failure

The promotional process is something every firefighter will have the opportunity to apply for, study for, and experience at some point in their career. The day we lose that probationary badge is the day we gain more responsibility for ourselves and our craft. I am a true believer we should not only know, study and practice our position, but we should also be learning, studying and training on the position ahead of the one we hold.

Fast forward a few years and you find yourself in the mindset that
you are ready to promote. You’ve watched your mentors, you’ve taken the classes, you’ve learned your department and you give a shit. You are ready, it’s your time, and you get the call||we’ve decided to go with someone else.| What now?

I recently went through the promotional process at work. A grueling three-day process that included anything and everything related to the job I was applying for and you guessed it. I came up short. Number 2 in a process that called for just one promotion. Not getting promoted is one of the toughest calls no one wants to get, BUT, the steps you take next are just as critical as the steps taken before the testing. That’s what we need to talk about.

STEP 1: RECOGNITION

You didn’t get the spot and there is no time to feel sorry for yourself.

Take this chunk of humble pie and use it to your advantage. You didn’t get promoted for a reason and now is the time to recognize that reason and fix it.

People are honest about their strengths and passions. It’s time to be honest about your weaknesses. Did you blow the interview? Did you stumble on your command scenario? Make a list of what you suck at and be brutal. It’s time to fix our shortfalls, not make excuses for them.

STEP 2: ACCOUNTABILITY

When you don’t get promoted, it is incredibly easy to blame everyone around you. You have all heard the guys around the station and the excuses they give on why they don’t take the test, "The process is skewed”, “I can’t compete with this good ol’ boy system”, “Why would I promote for $5 pay and $30 responsibility?”

Don’t become the excuse and don’t become the person giving them. You applied for the promotion because you give a shit, so continue to give a shit. Take accountability for your effort and the job you’re pushing for. Continue that effort and use it to improve for the next time.

STEP 3: IMPROVEMENT

In the fire service we should constantly be trying to improve ourselves. This is a critical time in your career to do just that. Take that list of weaknesses you made in step one and create a training plan that addresses these weaknesses.

Talk to your mentors, these are the people that want you to succeed and they contain valuable advice on how to fix the weaknesses on your list. Read the books you haven’t gotten a chance to pick up yet.

Take this time to brush up on the basic skills that have taken a back seat during your promotional cram sessions. Remember these are the foundational skills everything else is built on so reinforce that foundation.

STEP 4: CONTINUE

The last step in this four-step process is to simply continue. You entered the promotional process because you give a shit. There is no fortune or fame in the career we have chosen, but there are a few good people that care about our craft. Continue to be one of those people.

Failure is only a negative word when we let it keep us from our goals. Recognize your weaknesses, hold yourself accountable for where you ended up, improve yourself one day at a time, and continue to give a shit.

Knuckle up, take responsibility, and push on. There will be another shot. Good Luck.