Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire
Wildland fire is a highly dynamic work environment. We all
know that. Because of this, I believe most of our workforce handles change on
the fireline exceptionally well. Line gets burned over. Fine, we got Plan B, C,
and D. But how do we handle change off the fireline? And what happens to our
fitness for change over time? As wildland firefighters, are we taught to manage
change well? Honestly assess your workplace culture and attitudes. How do you,
your peers, your supervisors, and your subordinates react when posed with
changes in the workplace?
What do you feel when you are told you have to learn a new
process for timekeeping? How do you react when you are told that you need to
take another yearly recurrency training? Think about it. Do you meet change
with acceptance or resistance? As leaders, our behaviors are always on
display and people are always watching. Your reactions and
attitudes in response to change will send ripples through out your
organization. 100 percent. Whether that ripple be witnessed by a large audience
or a single individual – maybe the “greenest” rookie firefighter that doesn’t
know any better – the way you handle yourself will have an influence.
The ability to handle change in a productive manner is a Personal
Anchor Skill, and an absolute necessity for wildland fire leaders. So now
ask yourself this one; as wildland firefighters, are we taught to manage change
well? I don’t think we are. I think back through my years on crews, working on local
units for leaders that took the “company line” stance and promoted a process
change they were handed because it was their duty. But I could always sense when
they were not on board with the change. What does it say when you watch a
leader do this?
I strongly disagree with the school of thought that leaders
are born. This implies that true leaders are not learners, and they start with
all the tools they need. Set aside all those individuals that are born with a
high fitness for change, this post isn’t for them. The rest of us need to build
our fitness for change through experience. But what opportunities exist – in
our interagency fire training curriculum, our respective agency training
catalogs, or personal lives – to build our fitness for change in our careers
off the fireline?
Last question: what happens to our fitness for change over
time? Does all the dynamic change that we experience on the fireline impact our
ability to embrace change in our day jobs? Or maybe at home? I think it does. I
have observed within myself, the development of a strong need to control my
environment during times of increased stress and change after years on the
fireline. It’s not good or bad, it just is what it is. It’s the behavior I was
trained to exhibit as a crew member and leader of handcrews. But is it the
appropriate behavior to exhibit when I am not in a dynamic environment but
happen to be stressed? Probably not.
We have a Duty to develop our subordinates for the
future. We must have Respect for our jobs and build the team within our organizations.
We must have the Integrity to always set a positive example no matter
the audience. I believe that a high fitness for change is a core skill – a
Personal Anchor Skill – that fire leaders must model to fulfill the values of
Duty, Respect, and Integrity.
I would like to hear what you think. There is good
information out there that can help deepen your understanding of resistance to
change. Check out the sources listed at the end of the post and throw some
comments back at me with your thoughts on how we could collectively improve this
Personal Anchor Skill.
“What Leaders Need to Know About Change.” Taylor Harrell. TED
Talk. 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvkGX_lr1A
“The Real Reason People Don’t Change.” Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. Harvard Business Review. 2001. https://hbr.org/2001/11/the-real-reason-people-wont-change
Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland
firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a hand
crew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to
pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management
and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a
diligent student of fire.
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