Finding Her Niche - Sue Husari

Sue Husari discusses her career spanning 1975-2012. Beginning as a brush disposal crewmember on the Klamath National Forest, Sue gained an interest in fire ecology and enrolled at Humboldt State University. Mentors and experiences guided Sue through a career from the Forest Service that eventually transferred to the Park Service. Sue eventually served as the Fire Management Officer for the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service.



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Thanks to the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center for this contribution.

George Washington - Beyond Childhood Myths to Leader of People

(Photo credit: WikiTree)

Stories abound regarding George Washington’s early childhood including chopping down a cherry tree and throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac River. True or not, stories have a way of framing our history. As an adult and student of history failure (doing my best to change that now), I admit these insignificant stories shaped my perception of this American leader and icon. Let us go beyond the myths and address some early influences that shaped one of the most significant leaders in American history.

• George Washington was born February 22, 1732—the first of six children from his father’s second marriage and half-brother to three siblings from his father’s first marriage.
• George's father Augustine provided well for his family as a successful owner of numerous plantations and justice of the county court. However, he died when George was 11 years old.
• George was unable to study abroad; his formal education ended when he was approximately 15 years of age.
• As a teenager, George had aspirations of leadership in the British Army; but his mother’s dissent led him to a career as a surveyor where he acquired land and grew his connections and influence. He was a very young leader of people.
• George was known as a man of character undoubtedly influenced by 110 French maxims of his day: Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. Here are a few wildland fire leaders might consider (note they are as Washington wrote them in his school book):
• 6th Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.
• 14th Turn not your Back to others especially in Speaking, Jog not the Table or Desk on which Another reads or writes, lean not upon any one.
• 39th In writing or Speaking, give to every Person his due Title According to his Degree & the Custom of the Place.
• 40th Strive not with your Superiers in argument, but always Submit your Judgment to others with Modesty.
• [4]9 Use no Reproachfull Language against any one neither Curse nor Revile.
• [5]0th Be not hasty to beleive flying Reports to the Disparag[e]ment of any.
• 56th Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad Company.
• 58th Let your Conversation be without Malice or Envy, for 'tis a Sig[n o]f a Tractable and Commendable Nature: And in all Causes of Passion [ad]mit Reason to Govern.
• 59th Never express anything unbecoming, nor Act agst the Rules Mora[l] before your inferiours.
• 73d Think before you Speak pronounce not imperfectly nor bring ou[t] your Words too hastily but orderly & distinctly.
• 74th When Another Speaks be attentive your Self and disturb not the Audience if any hesitate in his Words help him not nor Prompt him without desired, Interrupt him not, nor Answer him till his Speec[h] be ended.
• 82d Undertake not what you cannot Perform but be Carefull to keep your Promise.
• 110th Labour to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Ce[les]tial fire Called Conscience.

References:

• Biography.com
• Mount Vernon website
• The Papers of George Washington
• White House website
• Wikipedia

To Space and Beyond - A Look at Sally Ride's Leadership

"Sally was a fierce advocate for women in science and technology who worked tirelessly to help girls understand they can succeed in these career paths. I am certain that many young women entering these fields will be able to credit her for inspiration and the role she played in introducing science and engineering to them." ~ NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Charles Elachi 

(Photo credit: NASA)

I have always been fascinated with space and space exploration. As a young girl, I admired the pioneering efforts of Dr. Sally Ride who did not fit the gender stereotype as an astronaut. As a member of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee, my appreciation for her efforts deepened when I had the unique opportunity to experience first-hand the training our nation's astronaunts go through at the shuttle training facility and mission control located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Unfortunately, Sally lost a courageous 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer earlier this week.

 

When I set out researching this piece, I was sure I would find a plethora of information about how Sally survived in a male-dominated profession and be able to pass along that information to our female leaders. After a few hours of fruitless searching, I determined that Sally approached her career in much the same way as she advocated for her passions to further math and science education in our children--she lead beyond herself and used her position to influence positive results and break through barriers.

 

Here are a few observations I have concluded about Sally's leadership qualities:

• Driven. NASA didn’t go looking for her. She went looking for NASA.
• Committed: She didn’t care if she was the first woman in space as long as she got to space.
• Strong. Dr. Ride was not afraid to speak her mind.
• Well-respected by peers and public.
• Woman of integrity and character.
• Forward-thinking.
• Humble.
• Private.
• Student.
• Writer.
• Mentor.
• Advocate.

The Washington Post had this to say about her leadership in the days following her death:

• She challenged people to speak difficult truths, and embraced those who did.
• Never allowed the attention from her achievement to be focused on herself.
• Inspired others to dream big and imagine themselves in roles they previously couldn’t.

U. S. News & World Report acknowledged Dr. Ride as one of "America's Best Leaders 2009.” She shared with readers the following qualities that characterize a good leader:

• Willingness to listen.
• An appreciation for the importance of teamwork.
• Knowing when to lead that team and when to listen to the other members of the team.
• Being decisive when decisions are required but to deliberate appropriately while making those decisions.

References and Resources:

• Astronaut-Educator Sally Ride Passes Away. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• Sally Ride Science website.
• Shoot for the Stars: A Regents' Lecture. UC Berkley.
• Thank you, Sally Ride. Meg Urry for CNN

Analyzing Human Factors/Leadership Training Effectiveness

Adam Hernandez, Fuels Management Technician, High Sierra RD, Sierra NF, presented his paper, "Evaluation of Human Factors/Leadership Training Effecitveness and Analysis of Prescriptively Implemented Training Approaches" to a group of fire professionals during the April 2012 Technical Fire Management (TFM) presentations in Boise, ID.

Executive Summary:

By investing in Human Factors/Leadership (HF/L) training the wildland fire service has attempted to develop error resilience within the wildland fire culture. The expectation of this training is that it would produce a positive culture change resulting in an incremental reduction in the likelihood of entrapment and or fatalities. Through statistical sampling and by using regression modeling techniques, this study attempts to determine the relationship, strength and significance of HF/L training contributions at reducing the probability of entrapments since its implementation in 2000. This study compares entrapment rate probabilities 6 years pre HF/L training implementation and 10 years post HF/L training implementation. HF/L training was considered effective if results showed (to a significance level of α ≤ .05) HF/L training is related to a decrease greater than or equal to 20 percent in the probability of entrapment per 1,000 person-hours exposed during the years of 2000-2009 as compared to the years 1994-1999. The initial intent of the study was structured to compare 10 years pre HF/L training to 10 years post HF/L training. Preliminary assessments found information from the National Situation Report Archive ranging from 1990-1993 unusable for this study as a result of differing formats.

Currently, entrapments make up 65 percent of on the ground fire line caused fatalities and for this reason entrapments were the focus of this study. Whenever mitigation strategies are applied to an identified problem it needs to be ensured that an acceptable monitoring/evaluation program accompanies it to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the effort. The advantage to strategically and systematically monitoring/evaluating trends related to accidents will allow for adjustment and focused mitigation efforts.

Results from this study’s regression modeling show that national entrapment probability rates have decreased by 80 percent during the training era and HF/L training is significantly related to this (p-value 0.000794). Federal entrapment probabilities have decreased by 73 percent during the training era, similarly, HF/L training is also significantly related to this decrease (p-value 0.0287). When comparing entrapment rates 6 years pre HF/L training, to the 10 years post HF/L training, results support the alternative hypothesis (to a significance level of α ≤ .05) that Human Factors/Leadership training, since implemented in 2000, has been effective in reducing the probability of fatal and non-fatal entrapments among wildland firefighters by ≥ 20 percent. Results related to the relationship strength and significant of HF/L contributions in reducing entrapment rates were identified through residual plotting and show strong relationships between entrapment rate reduction and the "ramping up" of HF/L training during the most recent 10 years of this study.Page | 1
The analysis and evaluation technique that this study presents is intended as a preliminary method or tool to evaluate the effects of HF/L training. A more comprehensive evaluation over a longer study period needs to be made in an attempt to account for all the factors involved.

Read Alex's Paper and More:Alex's paper and other TFM presentations can be downloaded via the Washington Institute's website.

Congratulations on a great paper and for completing TFM, Alex!

George Washington - A Man. A Myth.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are like me, a picture of George Washington hung in classrooms along your educational journey. From what I understand, fewer and fewer classrooms host a picture of George Washington and some history books and researchers tend to downplay his importance in our nation's history. As students of fire, we can only view history from the lens of those before us. Eric Carlson, leader of our Gettysburg Staff Ride, often quotes Paul Tillich in saying:

• All history is remembered history.
• The meaning of history lies beyond history.
• There are two periods in history: one of preparation and one of expectation.

Therefore, as you follow our Leaving a Leadership Legacy series, I suggest you look past the author or speaker bias and view the perspective as if true and assess how you would lead within each situation. Additionally, I encourage students of fire to expand their research of Washington's leadership legacy, including various perspectives, and participate in healthy debate with other students.

 

As an introduction to our series, I invite you to participate in Columbia University’s four-session online seminar “George Washington and the Legacy of Character.” The learning objectives include:

• Compare and contrast George Washington's modern reputation and his true character.
• Understand how Washington's experiences as a youth influenced his behavior later in life, especially in his role as president.
• Learn about the classical philosophy and Stoic ideals that were popular among Virginians in the eighteenth century.
• Understand how Washington's actions and beliefs contributed to his admiration by the American public.
• Be familiar with the basic events of Washington's life before and after his term of public service.
• Understand the ways in which Washington's death reflected his lifelong character.

Pick Your Battles - An Interview with Jeff Arnberger

Jeff Arnberger describes his career experiences beginning as an engine crewperson for the BLM in 1989. Jeff discusses role models that influenced his approach to the wildland fire profession. He reminds firefighters to gain a wide view of the firefighting effort, and to look for ways to constantly gain new knowledge and experience.



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Thanks to the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center for this contribution.

New Leadership Initiative to Launch in FY13

On September 1, the NWCG Leadership Committee will launch a new leadership initiative. We need "Sparks" who are willing to preview the intitative and make recommendations prior to launch.

If you are interested in the leadership opportunity, please contact:

Pam McDonald
NWCG Leadership Subcommittee, Logistics Coordinator
Phone: (208) 387-5318
E-mail: pmcdonal@blm.gov

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership!!

USFS's KSC Stresses L-280

Forest Service Practice #12-9-28

Followership to Leadership

Intent of Use:  Participate in a two-day leadership course that teaches fundamental leadership principles to participants and allows them to practice those skills in a Field Leadership Assessment Course.

Applicability:    Agencywide

Key Words: leadership, followership, course, fire, development, training, curriculum, obstacles, exercises, communication, teamwork, command

                       

Description of Practice:

The Followership to Leadership course (known as L-280) is an introductory leadership course offered by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), a group designed to coordinate programs of participating wildfire management agencies. L-280 is designed as a self-assessment opportunity for individuals preparing to step into a leadership role. Subject areas include the art of leadership, foundations of leadership, transition challenges for new leaders, adaptive leadership, team cohesion, ethical decisions, the after action review, and putting it into practice through the Field Leadership Assessment Course (FLAC).

While L-280 was originally intended for those seeking leadership positions in fire management, Randy Skelton is now taking this course to all Forest Service employees seeking leadership positions or currently holding key leadership positions. Skelton is the Forest Service representative to the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP), which seeks to emphasize the vital importance of leadership concepts in the wildland fire service by providing educational and leadership development opportunities. He has led L-280 courses for forest leadership teams, which consist of the Forest Supervisor, primary supervisors, office staff, and District Rangers, in a number of forests around the country. In spring of 2012, he led two courses at two national forests which brought in 60 participants combined.This brings the total of Natural Resource Professionals who have completed L-280 to 120 particpants.

L-280 is a two-day course, consisting of one day of classroom instruction followed by a second day in the field with participants working through a series of problem solving events in small teams of four to five. The course typically runs from 8 am to 5 pm each day. In addition, participants are expected to complete about two to four hours of pre-course work. This includes becoming familiar with the material for NWCG’s L-180 course on Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service and reading the book, “Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun”, by Wess Roberts. After completing the prerequisites, each participant is asked to answer three questions designed to make the participant reflect on his or her own leadership style, strengths, weaknesses, and reasons for wanting to be a leader.

Classroom instruction on day one teaches participants basic concepts and theories of leadership. The day is divided into one-hour units. The units are: Welcome/ Introductionss/ Expectations, The Art of Leadership, Foundations of Leadership, Follower to Leader – The Transition, Adaptive Leadership, Team Cohesion, Ethical Decisions, and Putting it in Practice (which introduces what will be done on day two). For each unit, there is a brief lecture with a PowerPoint presentation, handouts for participants, and activities such as group discussions or analyzing scenarios.

Day two of the L-280 course is a Field Leadership Assessment Course (FLAC). The FLAC is a problem-solving course for small teams conducted in the field. It is intended to help individuals improve their leadership abilities and teamwork skills by giving them the opportunity to apply lessons from the classroom instruction in order to assess the degree to which they possess positive leadership traits. The FLAC is comprised of several different exercises, however the following are typically used for the Natural Resource Professionals: Jug Hook, Minefield, Spider Web, Toxic Barrel, and Lego. Groups of five participants must complete each exercise, while taking turns being the leader and the follower for each exercise. Instructors observe the groups as they complete each exercise and provide feedback on their leadership style and skills. Descriptions for each exercise are given below:

·         Jug Hook. The followers are blindfolded and each has an end of a rope that connects to one hook. The leader, who is not blindfolded, must vocally guide the followers to hook four jugs and move them to designated locations. The purpose is for the leader to clearly communicate to a small group his or her intent while working through visual barriers and to build an element of trust in a short amount of time.

·         Minefield. The followers are blindfolded. The leader, who is not blindfolded, must vocally guide the followers through a ‘minefield’ of 20 obstacles to safely reach the opposite side of a field. This exercise is designed to promote the use of a command voice and increase attention to detail.

·         Spider Web. All members must pass from one side of a web to the other, without touching the web. The leader, while working with the others, provides guidance. This exercise helps build teamwork.

·         Toxic Barrel. All members must transport a barrel from one location to another, using only one hand each and three lengths of rope which are five feet long. The leader, while working with the others, provides guidance. This exercise also promotes teamwork and problem-solving.

·         Lego. The leader views a Lego structure (made of 10 to 12 legos of assorted size and color). The leader then walks 10 feet away and tells another team member how to make the same structure. That team member walks 20 feet away, and tells the remaining team members how to make the structure, who must then try to replicate the original structure with identical Lego pieces. This exercise is designed to teach participants attention to detail as well as communication skills.

The lead instructor for the L-280 course is the person who coordinates the sessions over both days. This person should meet the minimum qualifications and instructor certification guidelines listed in the NWCG’s Field Manager’s Course Guide. This means having an accepted formal instructional training (i.e. state fire training certificate, college teacher’s credential, college education courses, NWCG’s Facilitative Instructor course, etc.) and 80 hours of successful fire service instruction. The lead instructor is usually assisted by a cadre of instructors, who should be familiar with L-280.

Critical Success Factors:

·         Lead Instructor. A lead instructor must meet the qualifications of being a lead instructor, listed above. The lead instructor is responsible for organizing the 2-day course and overseeing the cadre, explained below.

·         Cadre of Instructors. The classroom portion during the first day of the course is best handled with a cadre of two or three instructors. The FLAC portion of the course will require even more assistance; it is therefore recommended to have a total of six to seven instructors on hand for the second day. The cadre should coordinate responsibilities with the lead instructor.

·         Small class size. The ideal class size is 25 participants. This allows five groups of five participants to complete the FLAC portion of the course. This number is small enough for the cadre to assess all the participants thoroughly and fairly while still having enough people in each group to make the exercises meaningful to the participants.

Benefits:

·         Prepares Forest Service employees for new leadership positions, both formal and informal

·         Improves communication between fire leaders (leaders in the area of fire management) and forest leaders (district rangers or forest supervisors) in the Forest Service, by training non-fire employees on leadership terminology and skills that fire employees use frequently.

Ideas for Wider Use: L-280 was designed for fire management employees. However, it is applicable to any employee in the Forest Service currently holding or seeking a leadership position. Skelton has also conducted L-280 sessions at fire departments across the United States, and therefore sees the applicability to other organizations, not just the Forest Service.

Costs: There is usually little to no cost for the facility to hold L-280s, as the classroom portion is usually held in a Forest Service facility or a local college or high school and the FLAC portion is held in an open field. There are costs associated with the materials needed for the course. These include posters, markers, and the printing of handouts for the curriculum for day one, and ropes, hooks, jugs, blindfolds, soccer cones, string, a 30-gallon drum, and Legos for day two. Skelton estimates all of these materials to cost about $800 to $1000.

Websites:

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program: http://www.fireleadership.gov/index.html

Followership to Leadership (L-280): http://www.fireleadership.gov/toolbox/FLAC/index.html

National Wildfire Coordinating Group: http://www.nwcg.gov/

Point of Contact:

Randy Skelton

Deputy Fire Staff Officer

Region 4

Office: (208) 634-0746

rskelton@fs.fed.us

Compiled June 2012

Powell on After Action Reviews

“The goal of an AAR is to get everyone around a table to review the battle, learn what went wrong, learn what went right, and work out how to train to do better.” – Colin Powell

(Photo credit: The New York Times)

The Powell Perspective

Powell brought the concept of after action reviews to the public stage during a “Face the Nation” interview in 2009.

“On Sunday, Mr. Powell called for an “after-action review” by Republicans of why the party had fared so poorly in the November elections, and what the party needed to do going forward. “After a battle or after a training exercise, you bring all of the leaders in,” he said. “And you say, ‘What’s going right? What’s going wrong? What did we do right or wrong? And how do we move forward?’ ” (The New York Times, May 2009)

In “It Worked for Me,” Colin Powell goes into depth on AARs. Here are some of his thoughts:

• AARs are used to review, not grade.
• AARs are done for improvement, not for the unit’s success or failure in the mission.
• Subordinate leaders are expected to share the AAR results with every subordinate in the unit.
• The system works because it is a training process, not an evaluation process.
• The process checks egos at the door.
• AARs require honest participation and a focus on learning.
• Leadership and personnel problems revealed by AARs normally get fixed privately.

After Action Reviews (AARs) – The WF Perspective

Fire leaders walk the talk of the learning organization by scheduling routine debriefings to evaluate performance and apply the lessons learned. AARs maximize learning from every operation, training event, or task; they represent a powerful tool for team and organization learning.

AARs allow people to share honest opinions and learn from each other. Fire leaders make sure that debriefings focus on what instead of who; we use them to improve weaknesses and to sustain strengths.”

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Source: It Worked for Me - In Life and Leadership. Colin Powell with Tony Koltz. May 2012. HarperCollins Publishers.

How Far Would You Go?

(Photo credit: FanPop.com)



The sports world has been rocked by the continued release of information revolving the the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case at Penn State. The journey of discovery has been like peeling an onion--the further you peel, the stronger the story gets; the more you cry.

On July 12, 2012, Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP released their 267-page report: "Report of the Special Investigative Counsel Regarding the Actions of the Pennsylvania State University Related to the Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A. Sandusky." What seemed to have been a tightly held secret has developed into one where many knew of the abuse--from janitors to the coaching staff and top-level Penn State leaders.

As horrific and extensive in nature as the Penn State scandal may be, I believe every organization should take a moment to ponder this historic leadership failure. What can your organization learn from the findings and  recommendations found within the Freeh Report?

In closing, I ask wildland fire leaders to ponder and/or discuss the following questions:

• How far would you go to cover up something or someone or to protect your job or the organization?
• Despite your position in the organization, do you have the leadership fortitude to do what's right and expose a wrong--even if it means losing your job?
• As a senior leader in a crisis situation, do you have what it takes to expose a wrong doing that has occurred under your command?

Be sure to check out leadership expert John Baldoni's response in "What Leaders Can Learn from What Penn State Did Wrong" on the Forbes blog.

Never Settle for Average - Our Chairman, Chris Wilcox

Chris Wilcox, NWCG Leadership Subcommittee Chairman and USFWS National Fire Operations Program Leader, discusses his career beginning with the Forest Service as a crew member on a Model 70 Engine. He discusses his affinity towards the outdoors as the reason for pursuing a career in wildland fire. Chris talks about the mentors that guided him throughout his career, and how he learned to be a better fire manager through those experiences.

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Thanks to the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center for this contribution.

FDNY's Commitment to Everyone Goes Home

Thanks to our partners at Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) for the latest video: Still Working...So Everyone Goes Home. There is a lot we can learn from the  efforts FDYN has made since 9/11. Watch the video to see how your unit might benchmark their efforts.



Things to Ponder:

• Do you have dedicated programs for health and wellness, training, and safety?
• What are you doing to innovate and improve fireground operations with technological advancements?
• What training initiatiaves have you implemented to ensure that "Everyone Goes Home"?
• Have you established a health and wellness program?
• Are you constanstly trying to improve?
• Do you view training as a managerial or personal concern?

Leadership side notes: Deputy Assistant Chief Robert Maynes is a member of the L-580 Steering Committee. We appreciate Bob's continued support of leadership development. and care for his people.

(FDNY at the Gettysburg Staff Ride. Photo  credit: OMNA International LLC)

(A special thanks to Leadership Subcommittee member Brian Fennessy for the lead on this story!)

Powell ‘s Perspective on the Hot Topics

(Photo Source: The Grio)

Students of leadership continually debate the between leadership and management and whether leaders are born or made. Here is what Powell has to say:

Do I look for good managers or good leaders?

“Good managers are good leaders and good leaders are good managers. But great leaders have a special touch that separates them from managers. Good management gets 100 percent of a team’s designed capability. Great leaders seek a higher ground. They take their followers to 110, 120, 150 percent of what anyone thought was possible. Great leaders do not just motivate followers; they inspire them. The followers are turned on by their leaders.

Superior leaders also tend to be superior managers. They are rare gems. Always be looking for the potential to give you 150 percent.”

Born versus Made

Powell has this to say: “I believe that leaders must be born with a natural connection and affinity to others, which then must be encouraged and developed by parents and teachers and molded by training, experience, and mentoring. You can learn to be a better leader. And you can also waste your natural talents by ceasing to learn and grow.”  (excerpt from It Worked for Me).

Here is what Leading in the Wildland Fire Service (p. 60) says:

Our perspective is that leaders are made, not born.

The distribution of innate leadership traits in the wildland fire workforce is similar to the normal Bell

Curve distribution for any set of traits in any population. A small percentage of people are natural leaders, possessing the character and traits that compel others to follow them. Another small percentage have character flaws or issues that would prevent them from ever becoming effective leaders.

Most people—the vast majority—do not come to the job as natural leaders, yet they have the ability to become very effective leaders by working to develop their leadership skills.

The wildland fire service cannot be successful depending on that small percentage of natural leaders. As a result, we accept the responsibility of making ourselves the best leaders that we can be, continuously embracing opportunities to learn the art of leadership through formal training, field experience, and self-development. The best leaders are life-long students of leadership.

Additional Reference

Be sure to listen to Timothy Sendelbach’s interview, Company Officer Leadership Essentials, with Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Metro on the topic which can be found on the Firefighter Nation website.

Happy 4th of July

Due to an active fire season, many of our wildland firefighters will be celebrating the 4th of July on the fireline. Take a moment to remember them commitment and to reflect upon our independence and the sacrifices that those before us gave for our freedom as well as those who serving now who ensure that we may pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
 

"Leaders are Readers" - A New Addition to the Professional Reading Program

Once again our fire leaders at North Zone Fire (Black Hills National Forest), provide an innovative idea to supplement the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program. This time, Brandon Selk, Fire Prevention Captain, Northern Hills Ranger District, shares a Professional Reading Program (PRP) feature he calls
"Leaders are Readers."

Here is what Brandon had to say about the program:

“Leaders are Readers” is a way for students of leadership to preview a book, article, or right-up. “The Leaders are Readers” template provides a brief summary of what a reader thought of the reading material. Beyond a summary for potential readers, the document becomes a reflection tool for readers to remember what they read, put it to paper, and access at a later date. Too often a read is quickly forgotten. What we do at North Zone Fire is fill out and print off the template and keep it with the reading material.

This best practices idea is showcased in the Fireline Leadership Reading Room within MyFireCommunity. Be sure to download the template and share your reviews with other students of fire. Be sure to upload your reviews in the Fireline Leadership Reading Room so "Leaders are Readers" students across the nation can be a part of the discussion, too!

Great job for sharing this tool with the wildland fire service, Brandon!

If you have an idea to share about this program or any other within the WFLDP, contact Pam McDonald at (208) 387-5318 or pmcdonal@blm.gov.