Trouble with Transitions

In the fall of 2010, I had the opportunity to take a graduate course in instructional and workplace performance. I quickly learned that one of the most vulnerable spots in productivity is the transition point. Yhe likelihood for error increases during transition.

According to Peter Bregman in his HBR blog post titled “The Secret to Ensuring Follow-Through,” poor communication is a major contributing factor. Bregman supports the use of checklists to improve communication. Checklists, an integral component in wildland fire, have their proponents and critics; but few can deny that checklists provide a consistent operating mechanism.

Bregman’s checklist includes the items listed below. You checklist may be different in order to focus on your specific transition trouble spots.

• What do you understand the priorities to be?
• What concerns or ideas do you have that have not already been mentioned?
• What are your key next steps, and by when do you plan to accomplish them?
• What do you need from me in order to be successful?
• Are there any key contingencies we should plan for now?
• When will we next check-in on progress/issues?
• Who else needs to know our plans, and how will we communicate them?

An excellent resource cited by Bregman is a January 2010 podcast interview with HBR by Dr. Atul Gawande, author of The Checklist Manifesto, titled “Using Checklists to Prevent Failure.” I highly suggest that wildland firefighters listen to Gawande’s podcast interview

Rest in Peace, Caleb

Today we lay to rest Bonneville Hotshot crewmember Caleb Hamm who lost his life in the line of duty in Texas on July 14, 2011. Our condolences go out to Caleb's family, crew, and friends.

• Caleb's obituary


• Abilene Fire Department and Texas Forest Service tribute

Do You Believe in MAGIC?

If you are like me you’ve sat through training sessions and presentations where “death by PowerPoint” did little for the educational experience. Leaders who can share purposeful stories are invaluable. The power of storytelling is a tool that can help leaders convey information.

Jeremy Bennett provided a great blog post recently about students of fire such as Paul Gleason who developed storytelling into an art—an art that had huge impacts on those around them.

In an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Peter Guber talks about the power of storytelling and provides great insight about its use as a leadership tool. Feel free to read the interview transcript or listen to the audio.

Storytelling is MAGIC

Guber believes that stories should have MAGIC.

M – You have to motivate.
A – Try to engage your audience emotionally, not intellectually.
G – All storytelling narrative is goal oriented.
I – All storytelling is interactive.
C – You have to have good content.

Helpful Hints

• Storytelling is a tool that is used purposefully.
• Practice pays off.
• Move people’s hearts and emotions before you move their feet or their tongue.
• Stories are often shared, often virally.

Word of Caution

A good story often “spreads like wildfire.” Therefore, storytellers must surrender control. Lt. Col. Eric Carlson shared the following quotes from Paul Tillich during the 2011 Gettysburg Staff Ride:

• All history is remembered history.
• The meaning of history lies beyond history.
• There are two periods in history: one of preparation and one of expectation.

Tell your story with purposeful narrative and allow it to grow and impact your listeners. You may not affect everyone and the story may change from storyteller to storyteller, but most stories live on, relatively intact, long after the storyteller has gone on, impacting future generations through belief.

Additional storytelling references:

• Denning. Stephen. The Leader's Guide to Storytelling. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005.
• Stories from the Fireline, blog post from June 17, 2010

Thirtymile Turns Ten

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of when 14 members of the Northwest Regular Crew #6, along with two civilians, were entrapped by the flames of the Thirtymile Fire in the Chewuch River Canyon on the Okanogan/Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state. Four of those entrapped lost their lives in the line of duty. We remember Tom Craven, Devin Weaver, Jessica Johnson, and Karen Fitzpatrick.

Take a moment to review the incident and observe lessons learned from this tragedy.

Thirtymile Fire Resources:

• Thirtymile Fire Investigation Report
• Thirtymile Staff Ride
• Lessons from the Thritymile Fire (PowerPoint presentation)

Remembering South Canyon

Today marks 17 years since 14 wildland firefighters lost their lives on Storm King mountain during the South Canyon fire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Here are a few references you may want to share with your teams:

• South Canyon Fire Staff Ride
• South Canyon - Reflections and Leadership Perspective, Chapter 2, A Walk up South Canyon with Mike da Luz (Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center)
• Storm King 14 - tribute YouTube video with music by John Lowell & the Medicine Bow Bluegrass Band

To Infinity and Beyond or Bust?

If you are a space junkie like me, you are well aware that the final space shuttle mission is scheduled for launch Friday, July 8, 2011. So what is next for the space program?

This morning I clicked on a FedSmith.com article tickler titled "I've Never Seen NASA So Screwed Up" which linked to The Washington Post article "Final NASA Shuttle Mission Clouded by Rancor." The article debated whether or not NASA has clear vision--something many organizations experience during times of change and uncertainty.

This article fits nicely with my current work on an installment for the Leadership in Cinema program showcasing NASA and a breakdown in their safety culture. The PBS documentary Space Shuttle Disaster indicated that a lack of clear vision and trust were definite problems at NASA.

Read the article and watch the video and then consider your leadership and organization compared with NASA. Contemplate the following questions adapted from "Command Philosophy" in the Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.

• Do you have a clear vision?
• Have you translated that vision into clear leader's intent?
• Do subordinate leaders who are at the scene of action understand the current situation better than does a senior commander some distance removed?
• As a fire leader, do you continually work to achieve coordination and cooperation among all forces toward a commonly understood objective?
• Do you subscribe to unity of effort?
• Do you avoid mixed messages or countermanding directives?
• Do you work together across jurisdictional lines to find common ground and act in the best interest of those responding to the incident, the public, and our natural resources?
• Do you employ multiple leadership skills to influence decisions, forge effective relationships, facilitate cooperative efforts, and ensure that objectives are achieved?

Happy Fourth of July

On behalf of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee, happy Fourth of July.

A very special thank you to all those wildland firefighters who are diligently working this holiday.

Do You Have a Sense of Humor?

One tool that every leader has in their toolbox is a sense of humor. Knowing how and when to use it can be quite powerful.

Today's blog entry comes as a recommendation from Bryan Karchut - Division Chief, North Zone Fire Management, Black Hills National Forest. Thanks for the submission, Bryan!

Jonathan Frye in his November 4, 2007, blog post titled Humor and Leadership provides a link to "Enhance Your Sense of Humor from Reader's Digest" as well as numerous quotes about humor from various leaders in history.

Additional resource:

Humor and Leadership. Blaine Anderson. Journal of Organizational Culture. January 2005.

What Matters Most to You?

Being in wildland fire since 1984, I've seen my fair share of firefighters go through significant life changes: marriages, divorces, birth of children, death, retirement, etc. Unfortunately, I've witnessed those firefighters who put their job before all else at the sake of all else.

Commitment to the job is commendable, but at what cost? This blog post is not meant to judge but to applaud those firefighters that have come up through the leadership program and are showing a new sense of balance amoung work, family, and community. These are the leaders who take a moment of personal reflection to clear their minds and focus on what matters most in order to be a better leader.

As we begin to see more and more firefighters reach mandatory retirement age, I ponder how many fire leaders are ready for the next stage of life--that beyond the fire service. Do you find your purpose in wildland fire or beyond the fireline? Are you mentoring others to take the reins up after your retirement? What matters most to you?

John Baldoni writes about planning for life beyond work in his HBR blog post titled "Make Time for What Matters Before It's Too Late."

A Culture of Resilience

“…we believe key leadership personnel, often frontline leadership, appear to have the ability to "tip" the organization in the direction of resilience and to serve as a catalyst to increase group cohesion and dedication to the ‘mission’." ~ George S. Everly, Jr., citing Malcom Gladwell

A couple of years ago, I assisted with compiling information from the High Reliability Organizing – What It is, Why It Works, How to Lead It training session sponsored by the Fire and Aviation Directorate Division of Fire Operations (BLM). I had limited knowledge of HRO at the time; however, I’ve resolved to become a student of fire on the subject. The “Mars Dead or Alive” Leadership in Cinema lesson plan has been a by-product of a commitment to better understand the topic and contribute to the betterment of the organization.

As part of my ongoing HRO knowledge pursuit, I share highlights from an HBR Blog Network post titled “Building a Resilient Organizational Culture” by George S. Everly, Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Executive Director of Resiliency Science Institutes at the University of Maryland Baltimore County Training Centers.

Frontline leaders are key to building a resilient culture. In a 2007 evaluation of L-380 Fireline Leadership, The Guidance Group, Inc. concluded that “training is producing significant improvement in performance of course participants…” These frontline leaders are modeling the attributes which Everly and his colleagues say have the “ability to ‘tip’ the organization”:

• Optimism
• Decisiveness
• Integrity
• Open communication while serving as conduits and gatekeepers of formal and informal information flows throughout the organization and enjoying high source credibility (ethos)

Everly and his colleagues suggest employing the following framework to build a resilient organization:

• Understand that people prosper from success.
• People learn while observing others.
• Provide encouragement, support, and even mentoring.
• Provide basic training in how to manage personal stress.

Resiliency traits of successful HROs:

• Resilient organizations invest in their client base.
• Resilient organizations are innovative in times of adversity.
• Resilient organizations invest in their leaders.
• Resilient organizations invest in all levels of their workforce.

Source: Building a Resilient Organizational Culture, George S. Everly, Jr., HBR Blog Network, June 24, 2011.