Learn As If You'll Live Forever

"Live each day as if it is your last," said Mahatma Gandhi. "Learn as if you'll live forever." - Ben Dunlap

In "The Life-long Learner," Ben Dunlap shares many leadership stories. We share this video with you as promotion of the 2016 Wildland National Leadership Campaign—Never Stop Learning. Fire leaders are duty-bound to develop their subordinates for the future. Followers are duty-bound to own their development. By working together, teams can accomplish their missions as well as grow in the process.

Building the Team

(Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, p. 52)

 Fire leaders build cohesive teams—not simply groups of individuals putting forth individual efforts—to accomplish missions in high-risk environments. 

Cohesive teams are more creative and adaptable when dealing with complex situations. This enables them to detect and mitigate errors before irreparable damage occurs. Cohesion allows team members to anticipate the needs and actions of other team members. This increases efficiency and saves time. 

Fire leaders set the stage by creating an environment in which cohesive teams thrive: establishing a foundation of trust, enabling healthy conflict, requiring commitment, setting an expectation of accountability, and bringing focus to the team result. 

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

• Join the national campaign today. Download your copy of the Reference Guide and lead your team through exercises or develop your own.
• Make a team commitment to promoting learning and personal development. Encourage one another to set and attain goals.

A leader’s journey is a perpetual cycle of acquiring, shaping, and honing the knowledge and skills of leadership. The leadership journey is never finished. (LWFS, p. 5)