Are Your Senses Tricking You?

Making Sound and Timely Decisions

To make sound and timely decisions, fire leaders assess the situation, seek out relevant information, weigh options, make judgments, and initiate action as required to create a positive outcome within inevitable time constraints.

Respect: Build the Team

Respect: Build the Team

• Conduct frequent debriefings with the team to identify lessons learned.
• Recognize accomplishments and reward them appropriately.
• Apply disciplinary measures equally.

[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS]

Respect: Keep Your Subordinates Informed

Respect: Keep your subordinates informed.• Provide accurate and timely briefings.
• Give the reason (intent) for assignments and tasks.
• Make yourself available to answer questions at appropriate times.

[Photo credit: Folsom Lake Hand Crew]

Sight Is An Illusion

To create the experience of sight, your brain references your conceptual understanding of the world, other knowledge, your memories, opinions, emotions, mental attention. All of these things and far more are linked in your brain to your sight. - Isacc Lidsky

In the fire service, we talk a lot about vision (leader's intent) and situation awareness. In this blog we are focusing on what we see and the reality each of is creating. We don't want to give too much away, so watch Isacc Lidsky's video and then dig a little deeper into the subject and discuss the video on our Facebook page when we share it there.

Respect: Know Your Subordinates and Look Out for Their Well-being

Respect: Know your subordinates and look out for their well-being.• Put the safety of your subordinates above all other objectives.
• Take care of your subordinate's needs.
• Resolve conflicts between individuals on the team.

[Photo credit: Kari Greer]

Duty: Develop Your Subordinates for the Future

Duty: Develop your subordinates for the future.• Clearly state expectations.
• Delegate tasks that you are not required to do personally.
• Consider individual skill levels and developmental needs when assigning tasks.

[Photo credit: Brian Childs]

Beyond the Rose-Colored Glasses

(Photo credit: Creatas Images)

As part of the 2017 Wildland Fire Leadership campaign, we will focusing on authenticity. In this blog we share information about the impact a leader can have by sharing positive emotions. We challenge you to go beyond the aspect of "rose-colored" glasses and look at the science behind a mindset of positivity.

Whether or not you embrace the mindset of positivity, we challenge you to watch Barbara Fredrickson's videoes below and see how inducing positive emotions can enhance situation awareness and productivity.

Duty: Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.

Duty: Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.

• Issue clear instructions.
• Observe and assess actions in progress without micro-managing.
• Use positive feedback to modify duties, tasks and assignments when appropriate.

[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS]

Duty: Make sound and timely decisions

Duty: Make sound and timely decisions.

• Maintain situation awareness in order to anticipate needed actions.
• Develop contingencies and consider consequences.
• Improvise within the commander's intent to handle a rapidly changing environment.

[Photo credit: Folsom Lake Hand Crew]

Connecting through Reading

(Photo credit: Alpine IHC chose Extreme Ownership as their crew book for 2016)

You have heard us say, "Leaders are readers...and writers." We have heard many of you say, "I don't like to read." or "I don't have time to read."

We challenge you take a moment to watch "How and Why We Read" and then read on.

Duty: Be proficient in your job, both technically and as a leader.

Duty: Be proficient in your job, both technically and as a leader.

• Take charge when in charge. 
• Adhere to professional standard operating procedures. 
• Develop a plan to accomplish given objectives. 

[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS]

IGNITE: Trust is the Foundation

Leadership functions on the basis of trust. When trust is gone, the leader soon will be. – John C. Maxwell

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership. LIKE and SHARE throughout your networks.
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[Photo: Kari Greer/USFS, Pioneer Fire 2016]