What is Your Conflict Style?

 Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire

Have you ever conceptualized the way that you handle interpersonal conflict? I started to take a hard look at how I engaged in conflict after my relationship with a past manager deteriorated while working as a handcrew assistant/detailed handcrew captain over the course of seven years. When I was done being angry at the manager, and when I accepted that my actions were the only ones that I had agency over, I supposed it was time to change my tactics.

The first lesson learned was that conflict is unavoidable. If you're living life with the goal of zero conflict and “all good vibes” it's not going to work. The next lesson that comes on the coattails of the first is that conflict is a gift. Through uncovering your, or your opposing party’s position, you have a clear anchor point to begin addressing the issue from. In other words, if you uncover the “no” you know where the boundary is and can then work to find an alternative.

There is a simple model - the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) - that defines five behaviors that humans use when addressing conflicts with others: competing, avoiding, accommodating, compromising, and collaborating. In the model, the behaviors are organized spatially on a graph (see figure). One axis represents the importance of one’s goals, and the other axis represents the importance of their relationship with the other party. When you look at a person’s behavior in managing conflict as a ratio of prioritizing their goals vs. prioritizing the relationship, it depersonalizes the issue.

Source (A.O. Nichols. Making Conflict Suck Less: The Basics. Boise State Pressbooks. 2020)

If you have a shred of empathy, you can acknowledge that the other party is a human with their own set of values and motivations, right? Those values and motivations dictate their actions and goals in conflict, just like yours. Knowing how you prefer to engage in conflict and understanding the spectrum of conflict behaviors increases your situational awareness. I have come to view interpersonal conflict as being similar to wildland fire suppression in that different situations call for different strategies and tactics. We are all capable of switching from direct to indirect tactics when fire behavior forces our hand. Why couldn’t we switch from accommodating to competing behavior in conflict when an issue is very important to us? Better yet, why couldn’t we have the patience to work with the other party to collaborate on a solution that satisfies both of our goals and strengthens the relationship by co-creating a resolution?

Over the seven years I spent on my last crew - the one that I desired to one day run - I had primarily employed the conflict behaviors that prioritize the relationship. When faced with conflict I avoided, accommodated, or compromised. This led to the formation of resentments for the manager I worked for, who primarily employed the conflict behavior of competing. I wanted a good working relationship, they wanted personal goal fulfillment. We were going north and south in terms of how we were engaging in conflict. Sometimes I wonder if events could have played out differently if I had advocated more for my own goals in conflict with this individual.

What was the last issue over which you had open disagreement with another person? Draw it up in your mind. Did you address the issue with the person directly? Did you wait a little while, think it over, and bring it up later? Did you bury it without addressing it? If you did bring it up, how did you go about addressing the issue? There is no shame in any posture when it comes to handling conflict. What matters is knowing which conflict strategy you typically employ, and that there are other strategies available to you to work toward resolution. What matters more is having the courage to do it.  

A fire leader’s ability to navigate conflict effectively with others is a core skill. A personal anchor skill. As part of our duty to develop our subordinates for the future, we must create a culture of respect while building our teams. Fire leaders must show integrity in knowing themselves and seeking improvement, accepting responsibility for their actions, and setting the example. Do not hesitate to address conflict. Do not show discouragement when faced with setbacks. Do choose the difficult right over the easy wrong. Show your supervisors, peers, and subordinates that you are comfortable with conflict to build the kind of culture that embraces it for the gift that it can be.

I have included a link to a free version of the Thomas-Kilman conflict styles assessment below.

Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Styles Assessment: https://www.usip.org/public-education-new/conflict-styles-assessment

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a handcrew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire.

What Is Your Favorite Part of the Book? Which Chapter Was Your Favorite?

 

Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

How do we develop leadership and growth in our younger crew members between classes?

The Diamond Mountain Hotshots have adopted a unique strategy for fostering growth and leadership within their crew. Recognizing a gap in leadership development after completing the L-280 course "Followership to Leadership", a crew member highlighted the lack of intermediate training opportunities that could further enhance leadership skills.

Meghann Gunther, a member of the crew, articulated this concern. Gunther underscores the necessity of supplemental training to bridge the gap between foundational courses like L-280 and higher-level leadership roles. She emphasizes that such training is vital for not only her personal development but also for cultivating the leadership potential within her crew.

“There were no additional resources given to the building our leadership skills during our upcoming season and it felt more like an event to simply check boxes for wildfire qualifications. It's content was made up of well-intentioned material, but it felt sterile. I didn’t come away with a lot of that translated to me on an operational basis at my GS-3 level. Maybe I was put through that class too early. However, it was the next step in leadership training available and it was an opportunity to attend and participate.”

The superintendent of the Diamond Mountain Hotshots, Daniel Dobyns recognized an opportunity to invest in his crew’s growth and took proactive steps to address their needs. By engaging in open dialogue and asking thoughtful questions, he worked with the team to identify areas where development was most needed. Together, they devised an innovative plan to foster leadership and communication skills: a weekly reading and discussion group, or “book club.” The crew began reading and discussing chapters from the Extreme Ownership Workbook, a guide rooted in the principles of leadership and accountability outlined by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

Each Monday, they dedicated time to reflect on the reading, sharing insights and exploring ways to apply the lessons in their daily work. In addition, Megahnn Gunther  introduced Dale Carnegie's classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, recognizing that strong communication skills were crucial for both individual and team success. This dual focus on leadership and interpersonal development exemplifies the crew's commitment to holistic growth, ensuring that each member not only performs well in their roles but also gains the skills necessary to lead and collaborate effectively.

This approach underscores a significant leadership lesson for superintendents, engine bosses, and captains: the value of incorporating underutilized methods to foster growth and engagement within crews and engines. Our personnel are eager for opportunities to develop their skills and leadership potential, creating a synergistic relationship where we as leaders are learning from them incorporating a growth mindset. By offering innovative and alternative strategies to meet these needs, leaders can achieve both individual growth and increased crew buy-in. While foundational leadership courses provide an essential starting point, they are not sufficient to sustain motivation and development throughout a firefighter's career.

In today’s challenging environment of retention, creating positive opportunities for growth and engagement is critical to keeping talented personnel excited about their work in wildfire management. Resources like the NWCG Professional Reading Program offer a wealth of tools, including curated books and discussion guides, to support self-study and facilitate meaningful growth for individuals and crews. By leveraging these resources and encouraging creative approaches, leaders can cultivate a motivated, cohesive team ready to face the dynamic demands of wildland firefighting.

Christopher Ayer is a Captain/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

Leading Self and Self-Care

Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire

One of the most impactful lessons I have learned recently has been the importance of self-care. Along with mental health, self-care is a buzzworthy topic in the wildland fire field. But there's a good reason for that: we are burning out at an alarming rate (not a news flash by any means in 2025). It has taken me a few years to realize it - and it’s an admission of vulnerability in doing so - but I was approaching a burnout event the year that I got injured and had to sit on the bench for fire season. Looking back, I was not making enough effort to adequately manage my stress levels. What I have realized is that it really doesn't take much.

In some recent leadership coursework for my graduate program at Boise State, we examined principles of self-leadership. This work was based on the concept that we must be able to lead ourselves before we can lead others effectively. What is your personal value system and how does it line up with the mission statement of your organization? What are your personal motivators that move you to go to work? What’s your definition of leadership? What are your practices of self-care that sustain you in your work and life? If you are unsure of your answers to any of these questions, it's time for a tactical pause.

If you would have asked me these questions in the years leading up to my injury and burnout event, I bet I could have given you an answer that sounded good. It would not have been genuine. The self-reflection that I have undertaken since then has given me some great perspective, but it wasn’t easy. Any venture that involves cutting yourself open and examining what is inside can be easy to shy away from. This has to be why many of us (my former self included) resist doing this work.

The good news is that there is low-hanging fruit on the leading self tree. Assess your current self-care practice. Do it by casting a wide net - a self-care practice can be as unique as the person practicing it. It is also a Personal Anchor Skill for wildland fire leaders. Diet and exercise, journaling or creative writing, meditation, sleep, quality time with family and friends, random acts of kindness and charity, setting aside time to build or create (or destroy). It's all about what fills your cup and what works for you.

What are you currently doing that improves your mental and physical health? Are there opportunities to expand on those practices? What could you stop doing or easily start doing that will benefit you? Write it out on paper and identify the small actions you could take now. Translate those actions into goals and put them on

your calendar. For example, when do you want to accomplish the goal, or how often will you take the action? Take it one step further and set reminders for self-care goals on your personal device.

Start by setting the bar low! Sometimes we fail to implement self-care practice because we want the “gold standard” option. Use the infrastructure that you already have in place. The example I will give from my own self-care plan was using the mindfulness feature on my fitness tracker watch. I have kept a daily morning meditation practice for a few years now that has improved my focus and lowered my stress level. Using my fitness tracker feature to break up the day with a few short (three minute) mindfulness breaks amplified the benefits considerably. It was easy to add to my routine and it produced measurable results. The lesson learned was that a few feet turn into miles quickly when you put some thought into your self-care practice.

The ability to know yourself and take care of yourself so you can show up for others is a core skill - a Personal Anchor Skill. You can’t fill any cups if yours is empty; and in all aspects of their jobs, wildland fire leaders have plenty of cups to fill. We have a Duty to develop our subordinates for the future. It is a two-fold measure of Respect to be able to do so effectively - respect for ourselves that translates to respect for the people we lead. For those of us in the later stages of our careers, maybe the best we can do is to have the Integrity to model the good self-care practices for the next generation of wildland fire leaders.

Read more about leading self and self-care here:

“We Cannot Lead Others Without First Leading from Within.” Lolly Daskal. TED Talk. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGIw1G7Kpgk

“Serious Leaders Need Self-Care Too.” Palena Neale. Harvard Business Review. 2020. https://hbr.org/2020/10/serious-leaders-need-self-care-too

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a handcrew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire.