By Cindy Devone-Pacheco

Friday’s general session at Fire-Rescue International was an event not to be missed, as it was packed with information and inspiration—and a former NBA star.

Eric Snow was a professional athlete for 14 years, playing basketball most notably for the Seattle Supersonics and the Philadelphia 76ers. During those years, he gained valuable insight into which qualities are most important when leading a team or a group.  But his keynote presentation wasn’t a study of his performance on the court; rather it was an insightful, down-to-earth discussion about how he came to understand what it means to be a successful leader—whether or not you win the championship game. “I want to empower and inspire each of you to think differently about leadership,” Snow said of his presentation’s objective.

The tips, information and life lessons Snow shared during the presentation applied to athletes, the fire service and anyone who strives to be the best they can be at what they do.

The Early Days
Snow candidly recalled his early days at Michigan State University, where he learned a valuable lesson about what it took to be a role model. Arriving 5 minutes early to practice one day, Snow assumed he was doing the right thing. But his coach felt otherwise. “What are you doing? Why are you late?” Snow recalled his coach asking him. Confused by his response, Snow pointed out that he arrived 5 minutes early. “No, you have to be here early—9:45,” his coach responded at the time. “You have to be the example. Set it for your teammates.” The point: Being a role model and/or setting the standard isn’t easy; sometimes it’s harder than you think.

Snow then recalled one mentor he had after leaving Michigan State who helped him out in his personal life. “[He] taught me how to dress,” he admitted. “I didn’t know belts were supposed to match shoes.” He went on to recall other mentors, all of whom he said helped him greatly in life—and not just on the court—underscoring the idea that no one who achieves success does it alone. Everyone needs help along the way.

Strong Teams = Strong Leaders
But even with help, successful leadership is often obtained through a complex process and can be difficult to achieve. “Leadership is widely talked about, but elusive and puzzling,” Snow said. You have to constantly monitor what you’re doing as a leader to determine your success level. “Are you building long-term teams or are you moving people in and out?” Snow asked. One easy way to answer that question for yourself is to consider your employees—or in the fire service, your crew or department. If your team is strong, chances are they’ve been together for a while, which is a reflection of your leadership.

But for those who weren’t sure how to begin to build a strong team, Snow offered sound advice.  “One way to build strong teams is to empower your employees,” Snow said. “Involve them in making decisions, incorporate team-building activities to build trust [among members].”

A Clear Vision
Another key to building a strong team: defining a clear, compelling vision that everyone can take part in and buy into. “To be a productive team, players need to know what they need to do, why they’re doing it and that they can, in fact, do it,” Snow said. But for each team member to understand and have confidence in their abilities, the team leader must know each team member’s role and see their potential. In other words, the leader must know the strengths, the highest potential, of every person they are leading.

But how do you build relationships with people from different backgrounds, egos, skill sets, etc.? Snow says it comes down to two simple actions: 1) Be able to listen, and 2) when you speak, make sure your actions meet your words. “Do what you say you’re going to do,” Snow says. “If you can do that, you will earn your team members’ trust and respect. Once you have that, you can share your experiences with them, [and they will be more willing to listen, because they trust what you say.]”

What It’s Really All About
Perhaps the most important takeaway came at the end of Snow’s presentation. He recalled how one-time teammate Nate McMillan helped train him early on in his career. During their first interaction, Snow was confused as to why McMillan would be so willing to help him. “I didn’t want to say it, but I thought, ‘this guy is basically helping me take his position’,” Snow said. According to Snow, McMillan beat him to the punch, acknowledging the fact that Snow would indeed be taking his position on the court. For years, Snow was astonished not only by McMillan’s candor, but by the fact that McMillan continued to help him in his professional career.

Twelve years after that experience, Snow said he found himself on the opposite end of the same situation with Daniel Gibson—and Gibson had precisely the same surprised reaction Snow had years earlier. But the lesson finally hit home for Snow after losing one particular game. “We lost the NBA finals,” Snow explained. “Afterward, Gibson comes up to me and says, ‘I don’t know what I would’ve done without you this year.’ And 12 years later, I got it.” The lesson: Life is about helping people. Although they lost the finals, Gibson was grateful for Snow’s guidance, Snow’s leadership in his life.

Snow closed the presentation with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Cindy Devone-Pacheco is senior editor of FireRescue magazine.

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