When lives are on the line, leadership becomes unmistakably real.
In a recent episode of The Leaderful Podcast (have a listen here!), we sat down with James Docherty, Assistant Deputy Fire Chief at the Calgary Fire Department, to explore what leadership looks like inside one of North America’s largest emergency services organizations - and what leaders in any field can learn from it.
With over 1,800 members and more than 350 firefighters responding daily from 43 stations, the Calgary Fire Department operates in a world defined by urgency, uncertainty, and high stakes.
But James’s insights extend far beyond emergency response. His reflections offer powerful lessons for anyone navigating complexity, people leadership, culture change, and personal growth.
Here are some of the key learnings - find all eight of .
1. Great Leadership Is Context-Aware
Firefighters live in two worlds:
- The emergency scene, where decisions must be made quickly, directly, and decisively.
- The fire hall, where relationships, collaboration, and emotional intelligence matter deeply.
James describes this as a fundamental leadership tension:
“On the fireground, it’s a dictatorship. In the hall, it’s a democracy.”
Strong leaders understand when to shift gears - knowing when command-and-control is necessary and when empathy, dialogue, and collaboration are required. The danger comes when one leadership mode bleeds into the other.
Leadership takeaway: Effective leaders develop situational fluency, the ability to adapt their style to what the moment truly requires.
2. Decisiveness Builds Trust (But Only When Balanced with Humanity)
In emergency contexts, decisiveness saves lives. But James emphasizes that decisiveness alone is not enough. The best leaders also share hardship, lead from the front, and carry the emotional weight of the work alongside their teams.
“We look for leaders who want to share hardship with their people. That’s what inspires them to do amazing things.”
Leadership takeaway: People don’t just follow authority - they follow leaders who demonstrate solidarity, humility, and courage under pressure.
3. Feedback Cultures Must Be Built, Not Assumed
One of James’s most candid reflections is that fire services, like many organizations, struggle with healthy feedback cultures.
Despite the high stakes of emergency work, structured feedback is often limited, delayed, or avoided altogether. The result? Small issues grow into major problems.
“If we wait too long, we set people up for failure. By the time it becomes formal discipline, it’s already gone too far.”
James argues that leaders must normalize early coaching conversations, reframing them as acts of service rather than punishment.
Leadership takeaway: Avoiding hard conversations isn’t kindness - it’s abdication. Early, supportive feedback protects both people and culture.
4. Leadership Failures Are Often System Failures
When employees struggle, organizations often focus on individual accountability. James offers a broader perspective:
“Most serious issues are leadership failures. We didn’t intervene early enough. We didn’t coach. We didn’t support.”
By the time issues escalate into formal discipline or dismissal, leaders have often missed dozens of earlier opportunities to redirect behaviour, clarify expectations, or provide support.
Leadership takeaway: Leadership isn’t about enforcing consequences - it’s about creating conditions for success before consequences become necessary.
5. Culture Change Takes Time - And Patience
The Calgary Fire Department is investing heavily in leadership development, recognizing that technical training alone isn’t enough. But James is clear-eyed about how long meaningful change actually takes:
“In an organization of this size, change takes generations, not months.”
He cautions against forcing culture change too quickly, noting that pressure often breeds resistance rather than engagement.
Leadership takeaway: Sustainable culture change happens with people, not to them. Leaders must balance urgency with patience.
6. Curiosity Drives Innovation - Silence Sustains Risk
James shared a powerful example from early in his career, when outdated firefighting tactics persisted simply because questioning them wasn’t culturally acceptable.
“I was afraid to ask why. It just wasn’t done. Dang, we burned down a lot of houses because of that.”
That silence delayed learning, innovation, and safer practices. Today, James sees encouraging signs of a cultural shift toward inquiry and continuous improvement.
Leadership takeaway: Cultures that discourage questions eventually discourage learning - and safety.
7. Identity, Power, and Humility Must Coexist
In uniformed services, rank and authority are unavoidable. But James is intentional about separating role power from personal identity.
“I’m no more important than anyone else. I just carry different responsibilities.”
By leading with humility and service, James models how leaders can hold authority without letting it define who they are, or how they treat others.
Leadership takeaway: Leadership grounded in humility builds credibility. Leadership rooted in ego erodes trust.
8. The Best Leadership Development Starts with Awareness, Not Technique
Reflecting on leadership training within the department, James highlights the importance of building self-awareness and willingness, not just tactical skills.
“If people don’t want to change, no framework will help them.”
True leadership development begins when people see themselves clearly and become open to growth.
Leadership takeaway: Skills follow mindset. Awareness and willingness always come first.
Final Reflection: Leadership Is a Daily Practice
Perhaps James’s most powerful message is also the simplest:
“People crave leadership. If your plan is 80% good, execute it.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.”
Leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up, learning, adjusting, and continuing forward.
Whether you lead in emergency services, municipal government, education, business, or the nonprofit sector, the principles remain the same:
- Be decisive and human.
- Address issues early.
- Normalize feedback.
- Lead with humility.
- Build culture patiently.
- Stay curious.
In the words of James Docherty, leadership is ultimately about service - to people, to purpose, and to something bigger than yourself.
