Are We There Yet?

(Photo: Wikimedia)

This is the retracted version of "Are We There Yet?" The original article could have been taken as bashing Millennials and rightly so. That was truly not the intent, and for that I apologize. 

You have the car packed and the family strapped into their seats. This is going to be the best vacation ever. The singing, car games, and DVD have worked well for about an hour; and then from the back seat you hear, "Are we there yet?" You still have miles and miles to go and the "littles" are done. They want to be at the destination NOW.

So how does a vacation with the family relate to wildland fire leadership? I had a similar conversation with a young firefighter (my nephew) recently about career advancement. With 33 seasons of fire experience, I come at career advancement from a totally different perspective. I waited 20 years for a permanent position; he wants his NOW. As I get closer to retirement, I wish I had more time in; but that wasn't how things worked nor what I expected. In the '80s, very few wildland firefighters received full-time employment. By the '90s, career-seasonal positions became a "thing." We were temporary hires and went to school or had winter jobs. You were a temporary hire...period.

Fast forward to 2017.  We talk about streamlining the process for positions and a workforce where many want an instant career—from FFT2 to ICT1 by season's end. We could argue all day about how individuals get this mindset. We need workers and individuals need jobs.  Now what?

Within Our Charge
I am NOT going to go into the controversial debate of hiring in this blog. We all know we should hire the most qualified individual regardless of age, gender, or who we know. Once hired, that individual becomes a manager's/leader's responsibility—at least that is the theory to which I subscribe. As stated in our Wildland Fire Values and Principles, we have a duty to develop our subordinates for the future and honor them with respect by employing them in accordance with their capabilities.

What to Do
The inspiration for this blog came from Ryan Jenkins. In the high-risk environment of wildland fire, we must maintain an experienced workforce. We need to find a way to keep qualified individuals in the wildland service and help them succeed. That is what leadership is all about!

Jenkins provides some tools for "curing" career impatience. We will only share them briefly and ask that you dig a little deeper and check out his blog. Here are five approaches to consider:

1. Mine the Motivation - Cast a compelling vision and help the individual discover their personal (intrinsic) motivation in achieving the vision and progressing within the organization
2. Commit to Coaching - Effective coaching builds trust, instills loyalty and helps individuals become valuable faster.
3. Connect With Contribution - Leaders that create opportunities for individuals to contribute and cocreate will be rewarded with individual loyalty and longevity.
4. Motivate With Movement - To satisfy individuals' desire to gain transferable skills, get them moving throughout the organization.
5. Develop for Departure - Offer the training, coaching and mentoring necessary for individualsto develop themselves out of their current role or the organization.

Dr. Carol Dweck shares great insight into creating a growth mindset. Take a moment to hear Dr. Dweck in her own words.

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

• Read "How to Cure Millennials of Career Impatience" by Ryan Jenkins
• Read Dr. Carol Dweck's book Mindset - The New Psychology of Success.
  

Learn about human performance technology with the HPT Toolkit.

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About the Author: Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development and member of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee. The expressions are those of the author.