The true definition of a great leader is that he never has to tell his or her organization that he or she is the leader. In other words, a leader is one that is respected by their organization for not only their knowledge and achievements in the fire service, but for their personality as well. My current supervisor (Rick Brisbin) once told me that a great leader never has to lead, only to steer. So to explain my definition of leadership, a leader is a person who stands in support of his organization, always providing growth opportunities for employees. I believe that instinctively people strive for more responsibility and will seek it out. I believe a leader needs to know when to be visible and when to stand behind his or her staff. The two most important traits of a leader are to provide a good example for people to follow, and to build avenues of professional achievement for their employees.