As we prepared to ring in the new year, the
Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP) we challenge our followers to take the
2015 Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge. This year's theme is
Followership to Leadership.
New in 2015 is a change from an inwardly-focused
campaign to an interdisciplinary challenge. Looking beyond self, the
wildland fire service is challenging those within its sphere of
influence to join our movement to IGNITE the Spark for
Leadership—wherever we may live and work.
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Mission: The mission of the
Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program
is “to promote cultural change in the workforce and to emphasize the
vital importance of leadership concepts in the wildland fire service by
providing educational and leadership development opportunities.” The
challenge provides potential local or self-directed leadership
development resources focused on a central theme with the intent of
strengthening the wildland fire service and the community as a whole.
Theme: The theme for the 2015 challenge is
Followership to Leadership. The
Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program
recognizes “followership” as the first level of leadership. Leaders
cannot lead without good followers. Good followers provide a foundation
upon which better leaders of people, leaders of leaders, and leaders of
organizations is built.
Task: Provide an
opportunity for personnel at the local level—whether collectively or
through self-development—to focus leadership development activities
relating to the national challenge theme:
Followership is Leadership.
Purpose:
- To foster a cohesive effort to promote leadership development across disciplines.
- To provide a template that can be used to encourage leadership development at the local unit level.
- To provide a mechanism to collect innovative leadership development efforts and share across disciplines.
End State: Creation of a culture that willingly shares
innovative leadership development efforts in order to maintain superior
interdisciplinary leadership.
Dates of Challenge: Any time between
January 1, 2015, and
November 30, 2015.
Length of Challenge: Determined locally to meet the goals and the objectives of the local unit or team.
Audience: The
target audience is all wildland fire personnel—line-going and support;
however, we encourage other disciplines to IGNITE the Spark for
Leadership and take the challenge.
Implementation:
The challenge is flexible. Local units or teams may use or adapt any or
all materials contained within this document or develop a program or
activity spotlighting the challenge theme. Challenge coordinators are
encouraged to think outside the confines of the template and develop a
program that meets local and individual needs. Innovation should fuel
your challenge delivery: workshops or tailgate sessions, to kick off
staff meetings, as a team activity or self-directed, etc.
Measuring Success:
- Local: Local unit leaders and managers will determine what “success”
looks like and how participation will be recognized by those involved.
- National: A committee formed by the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee
will recognize one unit’s contribution to the challenge through the
IGNITE the Spark for Leadership Contest. (See complete details below.)
Recognizing Local Unit Participation:
- A sample certificate is available at the end of this document to
acknowledge students of fire participating in the leadership challenge
at the local level.
IGNITE the Spark for Leadership Contest – From the Field for the Field
Throughout
the nation, leaders are building teams and developing their people
using tools they have found or developed themselves. Imagine if our
leaders and their subordinates shared their experiences and successes
with each other. Consider the possibility of going to a website and
having a ready-made palette of leadership development tools from which
to choose—items from the field for the field.
Using the
spirit of healthy competition, the IGNITE the Spark for Leadership
Contest is intended to be one of the mechanisms used to collect
innovative leadership development efforts to be shared across
disciplines.
The IGNITE the Spark for Leadership
Contest is an optional component of the Wildland Fire Leadership
Challenge and limited to entities with a tie to the wildland fire
service. Items to submit:
- Required:
- Written summary not to exceed ten (10) pages. (See “Judging” section for what to address.)
- Recommended:
- Supplementary materials not to exceed thirty (30) pages or pieces.
May include, but is not limited to, photos, videos, and materials used.
- Optional (but highly encouraged and can be done with coordination of the NWCG Leadership Committee Logistics Coordinator):
- Promote your leadership challenge through social media networks such
as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Provide a social media journal (can be
very simple) and URLs for your pages.
Send your challenge documentation to:
- Mail: NWCG Leadership Subcommittee
Attention: Pam McDonald
3833 South Development Avenue
Boise, ID 83705
Judging
All entries will be judged on the following criteria:
- Local unit information:
- Name of participating unit/team
- Point of contact (POC) name
- POC contact information (telephone, physical address, and e-mail)
- Number of individuals participating—include percentage of personnel involved
- Brief description of challenge activities
- Innovation
- Creativity
- Apparent tie-in to the WFLDP values and principles
- Comprehensiveness of challenge (several elements used versus one or two and focus on challenge)
- Inclusiveness (all personnel considered target audience)
- Level of participation by target audience
- Interdisciplinary impact
Winner Recognition
The NWCG Leadership
Subcommittee will determine how award winner(s) will be recognized
(e.g., plaque, trophy) on a yearly basis. Winner(s) and those recognized
for honorable mention will also be featured on and through various
media sites and publications.
Entry Deadline
November 30, 2015
