Moments of Truth

Over the last two years, we have talked a lot about leading and learning in the wildland fire service. Having been immersed in the two for my professional career, I continue to question how we learn lessons and develop our character. 

Remembering the Dream - Servant Leader Spotlight

 

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michael Hyatt wrote a great piece on Martin Luther King, Jr. titled "Eight Leadership Lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr." in which he presents what he believes King's "I Have a Dream" speech provides insights into what it takes to be a truly great leader. Be sure to watch the video and then reflect upon how do you measure up to Hyatt's eight characteristics?

Challenge #49 - 2022 WFLDP Campaign

Challenge #49: Leaders share what they learn.

• Routinely share lessons learned between your team members.
• Ensure all members of the team contribute.
• Document lessons learned and shared.

IGNITE: There are No Secrets to Success

'

There are no “secrets” to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure. - Colin Powell

[Photo: Lassen IHC]

IGNITE: Learning Lessons

 

Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned. - Frank Sonnenberg, author

[Photo: Midewin IHC]

WOR 2022 - Day 4

It is clear that fire will continue to be an important resource-management tool. But it's a tool as delicate to manipulate as a surgeon's scalpel. Fire is also a ruthless and unpredictable teacher, as the lessons of Mack Lake demonstrate. We can only hope that future lessons will be learned in less-destructive ways, and will help us understand better how we can use a capricious natural phenomenon to our best advantage - and that of our planet. - Louis Borie, American Forest writer, July 1981

Remembering James Lee Swidersky

[Photo: Kari Greer/USFS]
#WOR2022, #honorthroughlearning, #neverforget

IGNITE: A Willingness to Fail

 

We have to be willing to fail, to be wrong, to start over again with lessons learned. - Angela Duckworth, Psychologist

[Photo: Tallac IHC]

Challenge #22 - 2022 WFLDP Campaign

Challenge #22: Effective leaders cultivate learning organizations to pass on lessons.

• Subscribe to the LLC’s “What’s New” e-newsletter.
• Share lessons and reports with your team.

Opportunities for Inquiry and Dialogue - Lesson Identification

 

The intentional passing on of lessons observed from past fires and all-hazards incidents to the next generation of firefighters is a characteristic of a learning organization.

All the rules of engagement currently used by wildland firefighters have evolved from hard won lessons on the fireground. Developing staff rides from previous incidents and operations for such lessons is a valuable method of inquiry.

Challenge #19: 2022 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #19: Effective leaders know what motivates their team.

• Read “Magnets” in Learning in the Wildland Fire Service, pp. 27-28.
• Work with team members to identify personal and team “magnets”—things that draw you in and things that repel you.
• Select a past event. Apply the concept of “magnets” as you review the incident.

IGNITE: Learning History versus Learning Lessons

“Learning history is easy; learning its lessons seems almost impossibly difficult.” — Nicolas Bentley, British author

[Photo: Devil's Canyon Veterans Handcrew]

Learning to Learn from Accidents

Accidents—and the reviews and investigations that follow—have been part of the wildland fire service since the time before the pulaski. And over the years, the focus and the tone of accident reviews have changed.

Sharing Lessons Throughout the Organization

 

Leaders evaluate performance at all levels to understand the causal factors of successes and failures. All those involved learn incrementally, applying today’s lessons to the next assignment. This focus on continuous process and product improvement brings with it a responsibility to share lessons learned throughout the organization.

In a learning organization, leaders treat honest mistakes as opportunities to do better next time. Understanding that failure is a part of learning, they establish command climates in which young leaders are motivated by a desire to succeed rather than a fear of failure.

[Click here to download Learning in the Wildland Fire Service.]

Challenge #8 - 2022 WFLDP Campaign

 

Challenge #8: Leaders build learning organizations.

Select at least one Rapid Lesson Sharing submission from the LLC’s database.

In your journal or with your team discuss the following:

• What happened?
• What are the lessons?

IGNITE: Understanding Our History

 

We need to understand history so that we can learn from it, so we can see the true costs of arrogance, of appeasing evil, and taking shortcuts, as well as the glory of courage, justice, and temperance. ♦ The Daily Stoic, blog♦

[Photo: Justin Vernon]

#fireleadership

IGNITE: Recognition Before an Emergency

One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. - Arnold Glasgow

[Photo: Team Wildland Firefighter]

IGNITE: The Seeds of Lessons Learned

Every failure, every adversity, every heartache carries with it a seed of an equal or greater benefit. - Napolean Hill

[Photo: Kyle Miller/Wyoming IHC]

IGNITE - Light and Key

History is a light that illuminates the past, and a key that unlocks the door to the future. - Runoko Rashidi, American Historian

[Photo: Lassen National Forest]

#fireleadership

Leading Through Hard Times: Lessons From 9/11

(Photo: RAWS/Robbie Swofford, BLM)

Thanks to Paul Brown, FDNY IMT (retired), for sharing Leading Through Hard Times: Lessons From 9/11 us.

The NWCG Leadership Committee and members of the wildland fire service have walked beside FDNY since 9/11. Whether through the initial response (the Type 1 Alaska IMT, RAWS personnel, or other resources) to the Gettysburg staff ride and beyond, the partnership is invaluable.

Take a moment to read and share through your spheres of influence.

A Catalyst for Change

(Redding IHC at South Canyon Staff Ride 2014; photo credit: Shane Olpin)

The 1994 fire season was a pivotal year in United States wildland fire operations. Thirty 38 wildland firefighters lost their lives in job-related activities. Fourteen of those deaths occurred on the South Canyon fire. This tragedy became a catalyst for change.