2023 Professional Reading Program Books Revealed

The WFLDP is announcing the 2023 Professional Reading List! The WFLDP is announcing the 2023 Professional Reading List! The four books chosen for this year are: The Supe’s Handbook by Angie Tom, K2: The 1939 Tragedy by Andrew Kaufmann and William Putnam, The Resilient Life by Dr. Susan Biali Haas, and The 5 Graces of Life and Leadership by Gary Burnison.
The intent of the challenge is to promote the reading and discussion of the books throughout the year. Discussions are encouraged on the WFLDP Facebook page and anywhere you can find two or more people willing to chat about books and leadership.

There are discussion guides for these titles, and discussion guides for books selections in previous years, at the Professional Reading Program (PRP) webpage. 

For a video overview and introduction to the PRP, check out this video:

How to use the reading program

There’s no right or wrong way to read, or to use this program. It’s a tool that we’ve made available for anyone to use as they see fit. Most professional organizations maintain some sort of reading program, and reading followed by reflection is a valuable tool for leadership development.

You don’t need to read all the books on the list, although that’s great if you do. For each of this year’s titles we’ve put together a basic “why should I read this” document with some simple questions meant to spark discussion. Feel free to use these discussion questions or come up with your own. You don’t have to agree with the authors, or even like what they have to say. The important part is to read, think about it, and talk about it!

This year we are working to integrate the Wildland Fire Leadership Levels with the reading list. Each book will be associated with the leadership level that would most benefit from the information and topics in the book. However, this shouldn’t limit the readers choice of books, as all of the books on the list can be useful at all levels of leadership. Some might just be more relevant and applicable at the identified leadership level.

Self-development is an important part of being a leader, and reading and reflection are valuable tools in the kit that can help you improve your leadership skills. Leadership skills need to be continuously learned, refined, and practiced, and there is a mental component as well as a physical component. Reading and reflection are two of the ways we can work on the mental aspect of leadership, and get better at implementing the physical aspects of being a good leader.

Many local libraries offer digital access to digital books and audio books to their members. There are also many options for purchasing the books in hard copy or digital format.

Happy reading!

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The Supe’s Handbook by Angie Tom

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• Level 2, New Leader
• Level 3, Leader of People
• Good read for other levels as well

It’s rare that there’s an opportunity to hear leadership advice and stories directly from wildland fire leaders, and this is a great book filled with stories and lessons learned from a wide cross section of longtime hotshot superintendents. Experience is a great teacher, and the supes interviewed for this book have a wealth of wisdom and opinions that they share with the reader.

K2: The 1939 Tragedy by Andrew Kaufmann and William Putnam

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• Level 1, Follower
• Level 2, New Leader
• Levels 3 and 4

This book is a cautionary tale about how poor communication, environmental and human factors, and external pressures can affect a person’s decision-making ability, and how those decisions can have far-reaching consequences. It offers an opportunity to reflect on the roles and responsibilities of a leader, as well as our guiding values of duty, respect, and integrity.

The Resilient Life by Dr. Susan Biali Haas

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• All leadership levels

Mental health is as important to fire leaders as physical health, and this book is full of ideas on how to manage stress and stay strong mentally and physically. It’s an easy read and contains many coaching exercises that make it easier to apply the concepts and practices in your own life.

The 5 Graces of Life and Leadership by Gary Burnison.

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:All leadership levels

This is a great, easy-to-read book (in a coffee table-style format) that focuses more on the soft skills of leadership. It’s a great book for simple, effective ideas and prompts for becoming a more authentic leader. Leading authentically; being able to better interact with those around you to build an effecting team, is something all fire leaders should strive for.

See the PRP website to download discussion guides for each book.

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If you have questions regarding the Professional Reading Program, send an e-mail to BLM_FA_Leadership_Feedback@blm.gov.

Articles and official documents that are on the Web, such as accident investigations, are linked here. Many can be downloaded and printed. Many of the books are available in libraries. Most books listed are currently available through local booksellers or on the internet.

All branches of the United States military have professional reading programs and a key part of those programs is the recommendation that every leader read at least two books a year. Many corporations have required readings for their supervisors and managers. For around one hundred dollars, a fire organization can put together a library from the titles on this list (and other titles on the master list at the website) and implement a reading program on their home unit. How many of our young firefighters know what happened at South Canyon? How many have read anything that discusses the principles of sound leadership? How many have read stories from other disciplines or endeavors that describe leaders in action?

This is not busy work; this is not drudgery. These readings will provoke reflection, discussion, and debate. The selected titles have been chosen for their intrinsic excitement as well as their content. Many of the books will be hard to put down. Let this be your roadmap to an enjoyable and rewarding reading program.

The NWCG Leadership Committee is the sponsor for this resource.