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Mission
To give individuals the tools they need to become the best supervisors, managers, and leaders possible; resulting in stronger teams and more successful organizations.
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Vision
Every organization understands the importance of developing its bosses into the best supervisors, managers, and leaders possible.
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Guiding Principles
Growth Over Comfort
Lead Others By Example
Empower Others To Flourish
“I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Mike Kraus for his extensive involvement and unwavering support in helping our members prepare for their promotional exams. His leadership book, included on our exam reading list, proved to be an invaluable resource. We are grateful for his dedication, his expertise, and the positive impact he continues to have on our organization.”
— Kevin D | Vice President, Philadelphia Fire Officers Association
About Mike Kraus
Fire Chief to Leadership Coach — Building Better Bosses
I began my California fire service career as a reserve firefighter and ended it 33 years later as a fire chief. Over those three decades, I had the privilege of working with incredibly talented people, serving my community, and learning what real leadership looks like under pressure.
During my career, I gained experience in program and curriculum development, teaching, labor management collaboration, elected official relations, team building, strategic planning, community risk assessment, deployment analysis, budgeting, and organizational leadership.
My tenure as fire chief coincided with one of the worst economic periods in this country since the Great Depression. Our city faced significant financial hardship. It was an incredibly challenging time — one that taught me the importance of communicating and collaborating with my people; then to lead them through the fog of war. I learned that leadership isn’t about titles or authority — it’s about people, vision, and the courage to make tough decisions with empathy and integrity.
Today, my focus is on sharing the lessons I learned with others — helping individuals and organizations avoid the mistakes I made, and build stronger, more capable leadership teams.
I specialize in leadership development, team-building, improving labor-management relations, and strategic planning. And, I offer my signature 3-Step “Boss Up!” Program to help organizations build their own Boss Factory — a system that continually develops effective supervisors, managers, and leaders.
While my roots are in the public sector, my methods and insights apply equally to the private sector. Whether you lead a department or a corporation, my goal is the same: Help you and your people Boss Up!
