A New York firefighter who experienced the tragedy and aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, visited Franklin College on Friday, not to reminisce but to talk about the leadership lessons he has learned.  John Salka is a 25-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department and author of “First In, Last Out,” a book about leadership. He is battalion chief in the Bronx.  About 150 people attended the talk. About a third were firefighters from Franklin, White River Township, Indianapolis and other departments.  Salka focused on eight principles he said are essential to good leadership: integrity, initiative, innovation, insight, interest, inspiration, intensity and information.  Salka also used pictures and stories from different fires and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.  Addressing the younger members of the audience, he said, “People say American youths are lazy, but I can tell you differently.”

        Salka told the story of an 18-year-old Marine whose captain was injured by gunfire in Iraq. Although the young man barely knew his captain, he said he would not leave him alone. If they were going to die, they would die together, Salka said.  He said that showed leadership from both men.  Toward the end of the speech, Salka asked to speak to the youngest person in the room, and a 16-year-old student spoke up.  He told her she had a lot to learn and she would go through many things in her life, some painful and some wonderful. But he said that if she remembered one thing from his speech, he wanted her to remember that every cloud has a silver lining.  He talked about his 12-year-old daughter, who was born with a disability. He said it was very difficult for him and his wife in the beginning, but they have learned from their experiences. He said he knows his daughter has helped him become the man he is today.

        Salka used several sayings to get his point across.  For example, he emphasized that everyone is a leader at times and a follower at others.  “I’m in charge at work,” he said, “but when I go home ... I take out the garbage.”  He said there is no one right way to be a leader, but it is important to treat people the same way you would like to be treated.  A leader must listen to others, Salka said.  “You’ve got one mouth and two ears,” he said. “That means you’re supposed to listen twice as much as you talk.”

        Franklin College freshman Phil Guest said he knew he’d be hearing all the sayings at the next football practice from coach Mike Leonard, who was also at the speech. But Guest said a lot of the sayings were beneficial because he could apply them to everyday life.  Franklin fire Lt. Scott Holland said many of his fellow firefighters already live by many of the points Salka made, but he said the speech would give them all a better attitude about what they do.  Franklin firefighter Dale Saucier came across Salka’s book at an instructional conference last year and mentioned it to Bonnie Pribush at a Leadership Johnson County class.  Pribush, director of the leadership program at Franklin, read the book and wanted to bring Salka to campus.  She said she thought Salka’s talk would benefit students in the program. All freshmen take a leadership class as part of Franklin’s curriculum.  “There’s no great revelation in the book, but it’s important truths recast,” she said.   (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)