The incident commander's success is heavily dependent on their leadership knowledge, skills and attributes. Trust and confidence between the incident commander and crew member are essential. A key skill of a leader is motivating others to resolve an incident.
There are many different leadership styles. Commanders are most likely to maximise performance by recognising that no single leadership style is ideal for all situations. Leaders will need to adapt their style to the situation they are faced with. They should consider the following before adopting the appropriate style:
The urgent nature of an incident may limit the ability of a leader to match each function with the ideal team membership. When they have more time, or the situation allows, they should consider the following factors:
Consider individual and team knowledge and match this to the required function.
An incident commander may support this Knowledge with a clear briefing.
They may provide additional support or additional monitoring.
Consider the existing skills of the teams and individuals in relation to the tasks needed by the incident plan. It may be possible at some incidents to also consider the need for developing skills or expertise.
Where the situation allows, they may wish to consider managing the exposure of team members to situations or tasks which will build their skills and experience.
Some aspects of attitude contribute to a team working well together, being cohesive and motivated. Such attitudes might be stable personality traits or they may come and go, affected by mood.
The way a person reacts to pressure and stress at an incident can affect both of these. The leader may wish to consider these factors when allocating tasks to individuals or teams. Attitude can affect how likely they are to work well together and achieve the intended result.
