2020 Professional Reading List Announced!

The 2020 edition of the NWCG Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program Professional Reading List is now live on the Professional Reading Program website.

	Presence by Amy Cuddy​ This is a great book to use to tie into the 2020 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign – “Do You Know Who You Are?” as it focuses on many things that a leader can use to better understand themselves and develop command presence. You may have seen the TED talk associated with this book, as it’s been hugely successful and widely shared.​ Link to Presence discussion guide
	Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn It has long been recognized that mindfulness training and practice is a valuable skill for firefighters and other fire managers, with fire leaders like Paul Gleason and Ted Putnam advocating for mindfulness practice in the fire organization. This is an excellent introduction to the concept and practice of mindfulness, and contains many helpful tips and ideas that can be applied anywhere.​ Link to Wherever You Go There You Are discussion guide
	Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis and Bing West In this book, Jim Mattis shares leadership lessons earned over decades of service as a leader in the U.S. Marine Corps, at every level from early leader to a senior advisor to the Commander in Chief. This memoir is a gold mine of ideas and lessons for leaders of all levels in an organization, and many of the concepts found inside can be directly transferred to leadership in the wildland fire setting.​ Link to The Call Sign Chaos discussion guide
	Hal Moore On Leadership by Hal Moore and Mike Guardia Hal Moore is probably best known for his book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, and this book contains his ideas and lessons on leadership developed over a long and active career in the U.S. Army. While some of the language in the book is from another era, the leadership concepts and advice are still valid today, especially in the wildland fire service.​ Link to Hal Moore on Leadership discussion guide
	The Leader’s Bookshelf by James Stavridis and R. Manning Ancell A books on books that contains some basic ideas about the value of a reading program in leadership development, and a list of 50 books recommended by over 200 military leaders. Each book on the list has a section on why it was recommended, what the author’s background was, what the book was about, and what leadership lessons can be learned from reading it.​ Link to The Leader's Bookshelf

Why participate in a reading list? It’s all about self-development… if you want to be a better leader and follower, reading and reflection are great tools to help you get there.

All branches of the United States military have professional reading programs and a key part of those programs is the recommendation that every leader read several books a year. Many corporations have required readings for their supervisors and managers. For around one hundred dollars, a fire organization can put together a library from the titles on this list (and other titles on the master list at the website) and implement a reading program on their home unit, or expand on the one they have.
This is not busy work; this is not drudgery. It is a task well worth the time and effort. These readings will provoke reflection, discussion, and debate. Leaders are Readers!

Contact Justin Vernon via email BLM_FA_Leadership_Feedback@blm.gov regarding questions, concerns, and book suggestions.