Employing Our People in Accordance with Their Capabilities

Teams are comprised of individuals, each with his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Some are stronger; others are faster. Some are better with numbers; others are better with words. Some are good with machinery, and others are better with people.

Challenge #30 - 2021 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #30: Leaders acknowledge what right looks like. 

• Review your team members’ leadership actions.
• Has anyone exhibited exceptional leadership worthy of recognition?
• Visit the WFLDP website and download the Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award nomination form 
• Send us your completed nomination by 12/31/21 → BLM_FA_Leadership_Feedback@blm.gov

IGNITE: By Example Not Force

 

(Photo: Josh Shroyer)

A leader leads by example not by force. - Sun Tzu

Bush and McIntosh Recognize for Motivation and Vision

 

(L: Eric Bush, R: Jeremy McIntosh)

Eric Bush
National Rappel Specialist
USDA – FS WO Fire and Aviation Management


Jeremy McIntosh
Equipment Specialist
FS WO Engineering NTDP

Category: Motivation and Vision

Congratulations to Eric Bush and Jeremy McIntosh for being selected as one of the recipients for the 2020 Paul Gleason Lead by Example award. Four individuals and one group from across the wildland fire service have been chosen to receive this national award.

Resilience

The ultimate team result is resilience: teams that can bounce back when problems or errors threaten cohesion and synergy. Resilient teams practice behaviors that reinforce situation awareness, communication, and learning. 

Team Results

Leaders create teams that focus on the team result. This requires us to articulate a clear end state, specifying success criteria so that team members can turn intent into focused and decisive action. 

The important human element of morale is related to this focus on team results. High morale is a visible expression of team cohesion, and channeling the team’s energy to a common focal point builds strong cohesion. 

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]

Challenge #29: 2021 WFLDP Campaign

Challenge #29: Leaders establish a sense of order in the leadership environment.

• Review the SOP information on the WFLDP website.
• Using this information and the examples provided, develop and/or update your SOPs.
• Send us your SOPs so we can share with others → BLM_FA_Leadership_Feedback@blm.gov.

#2021WFLDPcampaign #fireleadership

IGNITE: SOPs - A Framework for Safety

 

SOPs provide leaders the framework to conduct business safely by allowing them to focus on critical decisions instead of routine ones thus enhancing their decision-making ability in stressful situations. ♦ Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program/www.fireleadership.gov ♦


[Photo: La Grande IHC]

Peer Accountability

Leaders create teams in which team members hold each other accountable. More than any system of reward and discipline, more than any policy, the fear of letting down respected teammates and peers represents the most effective means of accountability. 

Flashback: The Courage to Create a New Culture

 

"Leading change in any organization requires the courage to start, commitment to stay the course, and the character to set the bar and more importantly to admit when we are wrong. Firefighting is the province of danger and courage is a critical element of the firefighter. Courage is hard to describe but easily noticeable when displayed."

IGNITE: Adherence to SOPs

“In demonstrating technical proficiency, fire leaders adhere to professional standard operating procedures, following established best practices.” - Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, p. 25


[Photo: Gannett Glacier Fire Crew]

Commitment

Leaders create teams committed to the mission. To increase the level of commitment, leaders seek input and delegate appropriately.

Challenge #28 - 2021 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #28: Leaders develop their people for the future.

IGNITE: Safe Passages

 

An environment that grants safe passage to learning opens the buds of potential, cultivating confidence, resilience, and independence. ♦ Dr. Timothy Clark, "The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation.” ♦

[Photo: Ventana Handcrew]

Healthy Conflict

Leaders create teams that engage in healthy conflict: enabling a dynamic exchange of ideas, the voicing of diverse viewpoints, and, ultimately, innovative solutions. 

To enable healthy conflict to flourish, we focus on the what not the who. By concentrating on what should be done or considered instead of who is right, we help team members resolve issues more quickly and keep everyone’s focus where it needs to be—on the team and its mission.

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]

IGNITE: Tactical Decision Games

“TDGS provide a simple, adaptable, and effective method of repeatedly challenging a firefighter with tactical situations that include limitations of time and information.” - Design and Delivery of Tactical Decision Games, p. 1

 
[Photo: Michigan DNR/WildlandFirefighter.com]

Trust

Leaders start by building a foundation of trust in teams. Trust is the underpinning of all cohesive teams; without it, teams are merely collections of individuals that can never hope to achieve synergy.

Recognizing that communication is the key to building trust, we communicate openly with teams and make sure we convey the essence of our values, mission, and vision. In doing so, we also communicate information about ourselves because our teams must, first and foremost, trust us.

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.] 

Challenge #27 - 2021 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #27: Leaders take care of their people and their families.

Honoring our fallen during #WOR2021 may have exposed the residue left from years of pain.

• Check in with one another and the families of those lost in the line of duty.
• Seek peer support and/or professional assistance.
• Listen to Mike West talk about his journey.

#WOR2021 #honorthroughlearning #WeekOfRemembrance

NAFRI Training and Training Support Receives 2020 Lead by Example Award

NAFRI staff James McGury, James Wheeler, Julio Ibarra, and Brian Hicks accept the 2020 Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award. USDA Forest Service photo.

National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute (NAFRI)
Training and Training Support
Tucson, AZ

Category: Initiative and Innovation

Congratulations to NAFRI Training and Training Support for being selected as one of the recipients for the 2020 Paul Gleason Lead by Example award. Four individuals and one group from across the wildland fire service have been chosen to receive this national award.

IGNITE: From Intention to Being

 

“First, it is an intention. Then a behavior. Then a habit. Then a practice. Then a second nature. Then it is simply who you are.” ♦ Brendon Burchard, High Performance Habits ♦

[Photo: AZ Central West Zone Type 3 IMT, Rafael Fire 2021]

Building the Team

Fire leaders build cohesive teams—not simply groups of individuals putting forth individual efforts—to accomplish missions in high-risk environments.

Week of Remembrance 2021 - Day 7

Preparing for Our Future 

Today is the twenty-seventh anniversary of a single shift on the South Canyon Fire that took the lives of 14 firefighters. We use this solemn day to remember that instance as we culminate a week of reflection to honor all our sisters and brothers who have perished in the line of duty. We honor them through learning.

Week of Remembrance 2021 - Day 6

 

Thirtymile Fire – The Days After

Following release from the scene and check-ups at the hospital, everyone involved were told to meet at the North Cascades Smokejumper Base (a facility able to house the large group) where an official debrief was conducted. While well intended, the way this debrief was conducted wasn’t well received by many of the participants.

Week of Remembrance 2021 - Day 5

Thirtymile Fire – July 10th, After the Shelter Deployment

Watch Learning from the Thirtymile Fire video from 1:19:00 minutes to the end.



When it appeared safe, and there was communication with air attack, everyone from the road exited their shelters. After 15 minutes, moving to the sandbar they joined the crew member in the river. One of the squad bosses radioed for help, saying they were not in a condition to self-extricate. The Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) that had already organized for a rescue operation had to make two attempts to access the entrapment site due to heat and fallen snags. Upon arrival, the IHC Superintendent assumed control of the incident until local law enforcement arrived.

IGNITE: Fourth of July 2021

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: Superior National Forest Fire & Fuels Program
#fireleadership

Week of Remembrance 2021 - Day 4

Leadership Level 3: Leader of People (Develop Intent)

Leaders of people accept responsibility, not only for their own actions, but for those of their team. Leaders of people act to develop credibility as leaders: placing the team ahead of themselves, demonstrating trustworthiness, mastering essential technical skills, and instilling the values of the organization in their teams.

Keeping Our Leaders Informed

Just as communicating with the team builds trust, so does communicating with supervisors. When our leaders are out of the loop—whether intentionally or unintentionally—we bring about a host of negative effects: what is unknown increases; we are seen as unpredictable; our leader’s trust decreases. We keep our leaders informed to gain their trust and to prove ourselves capable of increased responsibilities.

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]

Week of Remembrance 2021 - Day 3

Leadership Level 2 - New Leader (Convey Intent)


A New Leader begins transitioning from a follower to a leader of small groups to achieve a common goal. They begin to implement team cohesion, accept responsibility for self and team, and apply effective communications.

Challenge #26 - 2021 WFLDP Campaign

Challenge #26: Leaders honor their fallen by learning.

• In your journal, reflect upon the first three days of #WOR2021.
• Create a tribute page to our fallen
• Draw pictures or words displaying your emotions/lessons learned or cut out/write findings from reports.
• Refer to this page throughout the year.

#WOR2921 #WeekOfRemembrance #2021WFLDPCampaign #fireleadership #honorthroughlearning

WOR 2021 - Day 2

Leadership Level 1, Follower (Provide Action)

Followers have several responsibilities: to become competent in basic job skills, take initiative, learn from others, ask questions, and develop communication skills.

IGNITE: The Power of Social Connectedness

“Social connectedness is one of the strongest protective factors against stress reactions and is linked to emotional well-being and recovery following trauma and adversity.” - Dr. Patricia Watson

[Photo: Shane Olpin/USFS, Dolin Fire 2020]