Leading on the Spectrum

(Photo credit: Kim Steele/Thinkstock)

Spectrums and scales can be found throughout the wildland fire environment. Here are a couple.

Integrity: Know Yourself and Seek Improvement

Integrity: Know Yourself and Seek Improvement

• Know the strengths/weaknesses in your character and skill level.
• Ask questions of peers and supervisors.
• Actively listen to feedback from subordinates.

[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS]

Respect: Employ Your Subordinates in Accordance with Their Capabilities

Respect: Employ your subordinates in accordance with their capabilities.

• Observe human behavior as well as fire behavior.
• Provide early warning to subordinates of tasks they will be responsible for.
• Consider team experience, fatigue, and physical limitations when accepting assignments.

[Photo credit: Brian Childs]

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.