What if...

(Photo credit: fancycrave1/Pixabay)

As a leader, do you take time to think about what could be or are you happy with what is? Effective leaders tend to buck the status quo and embrace change, often being the agents of change. If we settled for what is, we would stagnate and perish. Innovation (and sometimes mistakes) take us beyond our comfort zone and into the world of what could be.

IGNITE: Know Your People

Leaders learn about people as individuals, developing an understanding of what motivates them and how they derive satisfaction from their work. - Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, page 45

[Photo credit: Brian Gales/USFWS]

IGNITE: One Conversation at a Time

(Photo credit: Platte Canyon Wildland Fire Module)

"Our careers, our companies, our relationships, and indeed our lives succeed or fail, gradually, then suddenly, one conversation at a time."  

Susan Scott , author of “Fierce Conversations—Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time

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Teamwork on the Fly

"The issues we face today are so big and so challenging, it becomes quite clear we can't do it alone, and so there is a certain humility in knowing you have to invite people in."

I recently read a statement by Granite Mountain Hotshot survivor Brendan McDonough. He stated, "We have gone from a fire season to a fire year." There is always a fire season somewhere; however, where there were fire seasons with the occasional off-season response, we now have year-round responses. This presents a myriad of problems. For this blog installment, I want to talk about the effect on our teams and the importance of leadership in today's wildland fire service.

IGNITE: Preparation Matters

(Photo credit: Levi Sensening/Cedar City IHC)

“You can’t hope to make progress in areas where you have made no application.”

Epictetus œ

IGNITE: Learning Lessons

[Photo credit: Union IHC]

If you didn’t learn these thing in order to demonstrate them in practice, what did you learn them for?  - Epictetus

IGNITE: The Power of Group Culture

(Photo: Kyle Miller/Wyoming IHC)

Group culture is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. - Daniel Coyle

Whose the Fairest of Them All?

(Pencil art credit: Ractapopulous/Pixabay)

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?"

How much influence do you have over your people? Where do you fall on the charisma spectrum? Most importantly, do you consider yourself the "fairest" leader of them all?

IGNITE: Discover Your Gift

(Photo: Redding IHC)

Discovering your unique gift to bring to your community is your greatest opportunity and challenge.

 Bill Plotkin œ

IGNITE: Leadership - A Sacred Trust

(Photo credit: La Grande IHC)

Leadership is a sacred trust. The decision to lead is the decision to be responsible for the growth and development of your fellow human beings. - Tom Peters

Murmurations

(Photo: Geralt/Pixabay)

Wouldn't if be great if our teams could function like a flock of starlings during a murmuration? Imagine what we could do and where we could go.

Now, I am going to be transparent. I am not fond of the bird itself. They are, in my humble opinion, a very loud, dirty bird, and annoying bird. However, I didn't really know much about murmurations until a project I am involved with recently adopted the starling and their murmurations as a way for various groups with similar missions to come together as a whole.

IGNITE: Creating Safety

(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Wildland Fire Module)

Creating safety is about dialing in to small, subtle moments and delivering targeted signals at key points. - Daniel Coyle

IGNITE: Better Leaders - Better Human Beings

The development of our character is at the heart of our development, not just as leaders, but as human beings.

John Maxwell

What Defines Your Team?

Ethos n. The distinguishing charter, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group or institution. (Merriam-Webster)

Ethos defines how crew members embody the values of the mission-driven culture within the leadership environment. This ethos represents a professional code of conduct clarifying expectations for member behavior and forming the foundation for relationships. A team committed to exemplify these values stand the best chance of building synergy and successfully achieving their mission. Examples include:

IGNITE - Freedom: The Opportunity to Do What is Right

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. - Peter Marshall

[Photo credits: Fire, Kari Greer/USFS; flag, DWilliams]