I have been thinking about the various opportunities the new year presents to fulfill our organization’s mission. The phrase I keep going back to is “mission first, people always” – a commonly used motto in the Army, Air Force, and other military branches. This phrase serves as a reminder that our ultimate goal must be to fulfill our mission in a manner that prioritizes the needs and well-being of our community – our Fire Hero families, our staff and consultants, and our partners across the fire service and beyond.

As I tried to track down the origin of that motto (which is claimed by multiple military services), I found this excellent article with an overview of the “mission first, people always” motto: themilitaryleader.com/mission-first-people-always/. The article also links to a terrific piece from the Harvard Business Review that discusses how the best leaders balance their focus between results AND people.

President Truman said, “Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” That is what I aim to do this year – change things for the better while always keeping our mission in mind and prioritizing the members of our community.