IGNITE: Bringing Out the Best

“Leading with positive ethical values builds trust and brings out the best in people, which brings out the best in the organization, which leads to great results.” – Linda Fisher Thornton


[Photo: Gannett Glacier Fire Crew/AK]

NEW! - NWCG Wildland Fire Staff Ride Guide

Hot off the press! The revised NWCG Wildland Fire Staff Ride Guide (PMS 470) is available for download. Get your copy today!

"A View from the Future"

On September 24, 2012, The U.S. Naval War College invited acclaimed futurist Edie Weiner speak to their students. They posted her lecture "A View from the Future" on YouTube for the public to enjoy.

IGNITE: Leadership vs. Leading

 

Leadership is a noun. Leading is a verb. – The Daily Coach blog 

[Photo: Canon Helitack]

Challenge #34: 2023 WFLDP Campaign

Challenge #34: Servant-Leaders actively learn how to create vision.

• Read Paul Hammett’s article “Strategic Foresight: A Critical Leadership Competency.”
• Read Justin Irving’s article "Strategic Foresight: The Past, Present, and Future Focus of Leadership."
• Dig deeper on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal.

IGNITE: Hire for Attitude

You don’t hire for skills; you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills. - Herb Kelleher, former Southwest Airlines CEO

[Photo: Baker River IHC]

A Daughter's Perspective

(Photo: Jim Bell)

Today on our blog, we share the raw words of Cristyn Bell, the 15-year-old daughter of Region 3 wildland firefighter Jim Bell. She shares the family perspective of wildland firefighting.

Thank you, Cristyn!

IGNITE: Bring Someone With You

If you have the opportunity to do amazing things in your life, bring someone with you. - Simon Sinek

[Photo: Union IHC in Canada]

Challenge #33 - 2023 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #33: Servant-leaders permit and nurture creativity in themselves and others.

• What are three ways you can be creative before the end of the day?
• Dig deeper on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal.

IGNITE: The Human Side of Innovation

“Innovation is an act of love—or at least it should be. Always. It is a gesture of empathy, respect, generosity, of one human being's devotion to another.” - Mauro Porcini, The Human Side of Innovation

[Photo: Eric Pelletier/BLM]

Stepping Back to Step Forward and Build the Team

(Photo: George Risko)

As I reflect on recent events, my focus rests on two groups—the heroes and family we have lost and the storytellers. (I have much love and respect for both.) I have had time to reflect upon a question I was asked early in my career—how do we pass the hard lessons on in our culture so others may be spared a similar tragedy.

IGNITE" The Doorway is Now!

"The present contains within it every potential of the future. The doorway is now. Your future self is built from what you do with the moment you’re in." – The Daily Coach blog

[Photo: Tom Reaper Chaney/Highland Games]

Challenge #32 - 2023 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #32 – Effective leaders look back to the past in order to look to the future.

• Facilitate a tactical decision game or premortem exercise with your team.
• Tactical Decision Game Library
• Conduct a debriefing of the situation.
• After Action Reviews
• o Dig deeper on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal.

IGNITE: Foresee the Unforeseeable

The leader needs to have a sense for the unknowable and be able to foresee the unforeseeable. – The Contemporary Servant as Leader

[Photo: La Grande IHC]

Hazardous Work, Long Hours, and Shared Cultures

Over the last few months, we have seen extraordinary fire behavior to our counterparts up north and a slow start to our normally busy Arizona season which has given me some time to catch up on reading and writing. Which brings me to the focus of this blog—recruitment and retention. Recruitment and retention have been problems for my agency and for everyone around me.

IGNITE: The Gift of Foresight

Foresight is not about looking into a crystal ball to see the future. Foresight is about actively learning. – Justin Irving

[Photo: Canon Helitack]

IGNITE: History Seldom Repeats Itself in the Details

History seldom repeats itself in the details, but frequently does repeat its patterns.- James Sipe and Don Frick, Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership

[Photo: Kyle Miller/Wyoming IHC]

Remembering Mann Gulch While On Higgins Ridge

(Photo: Montana PBS)

In a remote area of Idaho in the early 1960s, 20 smokejumpers found themselves in a challenging situation. Thanks to a heroic effort, and as mentioned by the survivors interviewed, leadership and the lessons from Mann Gulch saved lives. 

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

• Watch Montana PBS's documentary Higgins Ridge.

• Reflect upon the following questions:
• What are you doing in your organizations to share lessons? 
• Is leadership a part of your culture?

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Do you have any ideas or questions about experiential learning or other tools within the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Toolbox, please reach out to us today. Click here for the WFLDP roster. 

IGNITE: Healing Through Story

All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story. - Boris Cyrulnik, French doctor

[Photo: Mann Gulch/George Risko/Florida FS]

Remembering Mann Gulch

(Photo: George Risko)

For years, the wildland fire service has conducted staff rides using military events. This year the roles reversed a bit and members of the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment participated in the Mann Gulch Staff Ride. National Wildfire Coordinating Group partners from the Florida Forest Service and U.S. Forest Service,  collaborated with personnel from the Helena National Forest to walk the Rangers through the staff ride process. We are excited to tell you about the learning experience in future blogs as we prepare for the 75th anniversary of the Mann Gulch Fire which took the lives of 13 smokejumpers. Until then, take a moment to reflect upon the event using some of the same materials the Rangers used to prepare for their learning opportunity.

IGNITE: Without Action...

Without it [action], thought can never ripen into truth. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Photo: Lunch spot/Mann Gulch 1949/USFS]

Challenge #31 - 2023 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #31: Servant-Leaders think systemically.

• Watch: Awaken Your Foresight by Dr. John Demartini

• Dig deeper on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal.

IGNITE: The Cost of Learning

“There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for the acquiring.” - Ernest Hemmingway, author


Photo: Mann Gulch/George Risko/Florida Forest Service