What is the most important attribute or skill set to be a successful firefighter? Physical strength? Technical skills? Knowledge of building construction or fire behavior?
All of these are important of course, but I would venture to say that the most important skill or attribute for a firefighter is the ability to work together with others as part of a coordinated team.
More than any other occupation, except perhaps the military, firefighting is something that you absolutely cannot do alone, regardless of your technical skill, physical strength, or personal commitment.
Everything firefighters do is a group effort, from advancement of hose lines to the extrication of a victim from a smashed car. Fire suppression involves both extinguishment and ventilation; investigation and prevention are two sides of the same coin. Without the ability to coordinate with others, the effectiveness of firefighting is lost.
Consider the problem of freelancing in the fire service. Many people who freelance have nothing but noble intentions. They think they see a need others don’t see, and they feel empowered to personally meet it.
A freelancer can be the biggest, strongest, most technically skilled person on the department, but that person is also the most dangerous when their actions are not coordinated with the overall effort. Look closely at fire deaths and injuries over the years, and some form of freelancing often comes to the surface.
If the most important aspect of being a firefighter is being able to work as a member of a team, it is a logical progression to say that the most important skill as an officer is to develop that team.
The concept of team building might sound touchy-feely to some and they might prefer to focus their efforts on more technical skills.But the subtext to every activity that firefighters do is that they are doing it in coordination with others. If coordination is lost, or members of the team are seriously at odds with one another, the mission will fail.