2021 PRP List Announced

 

“The WFLDP is announcing the 2021 Professional Reading List!  The four books chosen for this year are: Sailing True North by Admiral James Stavridis (USN Ret.); The Thirtymile Fire by John Maclean; Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff; and A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell.

The intent of the challenge is to promote the reading and discussion of the books throughout the year. Discussions are encouraged on the WFLDP Facebook page and anywhere you can find two or more people willing to chat about books and leadership.

There are discussion guides for these titles, and discussion guides for books selections in previous years, at the website for the Professional Reading Program.

Alright, now that you’ve read the boilerplate announcement, let’s get into it. Why should you pay attention to the Professional Reading List, and how does it tie into the Wildland Fire Leadership Values and Principles?

As I see it, reading is a great professional development tool that should be an integral part of a leader’s toolkit. If you look at the values of Duty, Respect, and Integrity, I see a few of the Principles that can be directly related to using reading as a self-development tool.

First, under Duty, is Be proficient in your job, both technically and as a leader. Now to me, reading is a great way to become more proficient at your job. Whether it’s reading about aviation safety, risk management, fire ecology, or weather, it’s a great tool for gaining technical knowledge. And guess what? You can also gain leadership knowledge from reading books on human factors, leadership biographies, histories, and leadership topics… and you can put them into practice immediately.

Second, still under Duty, is Develop your people for the future. Reading is a great, low-cost, fairly simple way to develop yourself and those in your organization. Especially in the current COVID-19 working environment, picking a book or two and have your module or unit read it is a great way to promote self-development even if the “normal” self-development options are limited. No special protocols or mitigations needed, just pick up a book, read it, and then talk about it!

Third, under Respect, is Know your people and look out for their well-being. Books on human behavior offer a great way to get better at understanding the people around you, and what makes them tick.  If you understand people it’s a lot easier to work with them, and look for them as a leader and as a follower. Simple as that.

Fourth, under Integrity, is Know yourself and seek improvement.  There are a LOT of ways that reading can support this principle. There are more books on self-development and self-help than you can shake a stick at, and reading is a great way better understand yourself in a variety of ways. And reading is always a straightforward way to find ways to be a better you, no matter the topic.

Fifth, and lastly, under Integrity, is Set the example. This is pretty simple – by using a reading program as a leader you set the example for those around, be demonstrating that it’s worth the time, and that it has value as a leadership development tool. It’s easy to tell folks that you support their self-development, but it’s sometimes hard to take it farther than supporting them in getting fire assignments and training opportunities through the established channels… it’s not easy to take the initiative and work outside the usual methods to promote self-development as a leader.

The Professional Reading Program is intended to be a toolbox for leaders at all levels – and speaking of leadership levels, have you checked out the new NWCG Leadership Committee Leadership Levels page? If not, you should.

A toolbox is only as good as you make it… a box of tools that’s never opened, explored, or shared isn’t any good. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to make sure we take advantage of all the tools we have access to. After all, Leaders are Readers!