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Life's beauty is inseparable from its fragility. - Susan David
If you were to ask me what I felt was a strength, I would tell you it is sharing my vulnerabilities in a male-dominated occupation. Known as the "heart and soul" of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee, I have been known to cry or show my compassion for others or my passion for something. I don't try to be someone I am not in order to be accepted. I am who I am.
As I watch interviews with other females within male-dominated cultures, I hear women share their stories of hiding their femininity. I also see men cling with a death grip to their masculinity. Are we running from our emotions? Are we hiding our authentic selves for the sake of the job only to hurt the very things that matter to each of us—ourselves and those we call our "family."
What if we could stop suppressing our emotions and create subcultures where being vulnerable was okay? What if we stopped denying the fact that something is wrong in our organizations? What if we stopped pointing fingers and looked deep insider ourselves to make our world a better place? What if we had the emotional agility to handle conflicts before amplification of the conflicts handled us?
"When we push aside normal emotions to embrace false positivity, we lose our capacity to develop skills to deal with the world as it is not as we wish it to be." - Susan DavidWildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper
- Watch and discuss with your team Susan David's TEDTalk "The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage."
- If you don't already, correspond with yourself through actions like journaling.
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About the Author: Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development and member of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee. The expressions are those of the author.
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