07/29/2026
One of my favorite ideas from the book Leaders Eat Last is Simon Sinek’s comparison between physics and Leadership "in physics, power is defined as the transfer of energy."
Think about a lightbulb. We measure its power in wattage. A higher-wattage bulb isn't more powerful because it holds more electricity. It's more powerful because it transfers more energy into light and heat. Leadership works the same way.
Many organizations misunderstand what it means to have "power". They believe that the most powerful leader is one who controls every decision, approves every action and has all the answers. But that's not power. That's dependency. Real Leadership is determined by how much capability you can pass onto other people. Every conversation, every after-action review, every drill, coaching session, difficult conversation and opportunity you give someone to think for themselves rather than just obediently follow orders is an investment in your organization's power.
You're not just sharing knowledge with others. You're sharing confidence. You're sharing judgment. You're sharing experience. You're sharing intent. You're sharing ownership.
In the fire service this matters because events unfold so fast that information cannot travel quick enough. Incident commanders aren't able to see everything. Battlion chiefs aren't able to solve every problem. Company officers can't stand alongside each firefighter.
The only way the organization will successfully execute is when decision making capability has been distributed before the first sirens sound. This is why john boyd's OODA loop remains so relevant today.
The fastest organizations aren't those that possess the smart person at the top. They're the ones where people at every level can Observe, Orient, decide and act within the commander's intent. Mission command recognizes a very simple fact: centralize intent, decentralize ex*****on. That doesn't mean you need to give up control. It means you create alignment. Everybody understands the mission, priorities and boundaries so they can adapt when conditions change without waiting for permission.
The opposite of this principle applies to training. If your training only teaches firefighters what to do then you've shared information. If your training teaches them why they are doing something, how to recognize changing conditions and how to adapt when the expected solution fails then you've shared decision-making capability. That's a far greater form of power.
Great leaders don't create organizations that rely on them. They create organizations that become stronger because of them. The measure of your leadership isn't how indispensable you become. It's how capable everybody else becomes after spending time with you. That's what real power looks like
