Ready to Lead

Doomsday. 2012. End of the Mayan calendar. Zombie war. Apocalypse. Geomagnetic reversal or pole shift. Loss of biological diversity. Solar flares. Collision of Planet Nibiru. Black holes. Global warming. Arrival of the next solar maximum. Galactic alignment. Timewave zero. Alien invasion. Photon Belt. Supernovas. Web Bot project.

Doomsday, as a figure of speech, means a variety of things to different people. Leadership can also have different meanings, but can ultimately be defined as the art of influencing people in order to achieve a result. So, doomsday and leadership? All disasters and chaos require leadership to step up, push through and overcome obstacles to return a state of normalcy.

As a leader, you provide duty, respect and integrity as your values and principles. Duties include proficiency, sound decisions, follow through and development. Team building, providing information and looking out for your people creates respect. Integrity applies to taking responsibility, improving and setting the example.

Leadership is about doing the right thing including setting a vision, direction, goals and plans. Every person has some leadership qualities. Such qualities consist of self-confidence, professional competence, sound judgment and appropriate decision making, ability to communicate and leadership styles. Leadership styles range from telling others what to do, convincing others by analyzing the good and bad, consulting others to participate in the decision, and joining others in the consensus of the decision. When disaster strikes, a mixed-style of leadership may be the most useful approach.

Whatever doomsday you may or may not think may happen, leadership will be needed and leaders should be ready. Whether to lead a group through that zombie war, to safety or shelter from an asteroid collision or evade an alien invasion, you, a leader, will be needed. Prior to the chaos, figure out what kind of leader you will be and what qualities you can improve. Take on doomsday and be ready to lead…Others will follow…

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Thanks to Jenn Smith, NWCG Leadership Subcommittee Communications, for this article.