{"id":7061016,"date":"2026-09-19T11:24:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/what-kind-of-leader-do-you-image-being\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T11:24:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:24:06","slug":"what-kind-of-leader-do-you-image-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7061016","title":{"rendered":"What Kind of Leader Do You Image being?"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Author:<\/u>\u00a0<\/span>Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department<\/i><\/p>\n

How do we lead? What does leadership look like in your mind?<\/i><\/p>\n

Everyone has an image of what a great leader looks like from
\nthe outside. We\u2019ve all seen examples of outstanding leadership: Dick Winters
\nleading at Brecourt Manor, Phil Jackson coaching the Bulls to a three-peat,
\nFranklin D. Roosevelt guiding the nation through the Great Depression and World
\nWar II. But none of us wake up one day as that caliber of leader. Promotion
\ndoesn\u2019t magically give us all the characteristics or skills those individuals
\ndisplayed when they led with excellence.<\/p>\n

Recently, there\u2019s been a lot of discussion around impostor
\nsyndrome<\/b>\u2014a concept that hits most new leaders at some point. Those feelings
\nof inadequacy, of not being good enough, are completely normal. The first few
\nweeks or months in a new leadership role are often filled with doubt,
\noverthinking, and second-guessing. You may ask yourself if you\u2019re truly ready
\nto lead, especially when tasked with guiding your peers.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a new struggle. It\u2019s been around for centuries.
\nConsider this quote from Meditations<\/i> by Marcus Aurelius:<\/p>\n

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain
\nis not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have
\nthe power to revoke at any moment.”<\/p>\n

After my own promotion, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I
\nstumbled. I second-guessed almost every decision and criticized myself daily.
\nMy choices felt either too late or never good enough. This led to hesitation,
\nindecision, and often trying to change course midstream. Before I knew it, I
\nwas micromanaging everything\u2014not because I didn\u2019t trust my crew, but because I
\nfelt like it was the only way I could prove I was doing my job.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until my most senior firefighter and engineer
\nstarted joking (and grumbling) about my constant oversight that I realized how
\noff track I\u2019d gotten. Fortunately, I had a great crew\u2014experienced, driven, and
\nmany with twice my time in the fire service. Two of them even helped train me
\nwhen I first got hired. They didn\u2019t need me telling them every step\u2014they
\nthrived with autonomy. Their gentle but honest intervention forced me to take a
\nstep back and come up with a plan.<\/p>\n

The turning point came when I asked myself: What do I
\nwant my leadership to look like?<\/i> Visualizing my ideal approach helped me
\nstep back and truly observe situations. It gave me a better sense of what the
\ncrew needed, and how I could support rather than control.<\/p>\n

That reflection led to a few core questions I return to
\noften:<\/p>\n