Thursday, April 30, 2020

IGNITE: Changes


"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to see the ways that you yourself have changed." ♦ Nelson Mandela ♦ 
[Photo: Nelson Mandela]

#fireleadership

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Think LCES - Keep Your Team Safe in a Pandemic

pink flagging
Every generation has a pivotal moment in their history. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of those moments. Now is the time for strong leadership. No one is immune from the impact of this pandemic. Most importantly, every person at every level of the organization has the ability to make a difference. Every one of us has the ability to lead and SHOULD lead.

What does leading in a crisis look like? The answers are as varied as the situation put before us, but maybe we could adapt LCES to heighten our response:

Monday, April 27, 2020

IGNITE: Empathy and Attunement


“Empathy and attunement are not a waste of time in today’s business climate, but essentials for success.” ♦ Daniel Goleman ♦

[Photo: Kari Greer/USFS]
#fireleadership

Friday, April 24, 2020

Challenge #15 - 2020 WFLDP Campaign

2020 WFLDP logo and challenge


Challenge 15: Teams know when their leader is authentic.


#2020WFLDPCampaign #commandpresence

Thursday, April 23, 2020

IGNITE: Wisdom - A Lifelong Pursuit

firefighter resting on a log
Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it. ♦ Albert Einstein♦

[Photo; Kari Greer/USFS]

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

What does a well-founded risk decision look like?

(Credit: Geralt/Pixabay)
What does a well-founded risk decision look like?
By Mark Smith, Mission-Centered Solutions
©Mission-Centered Solutions Version 7 FINAL (16 June 2017)

[Mark Smith has been presenting Luck Runs Out (What does a well-founded risk decision look like?) at IMT meetings, safety summits at wildfire academies, etc. Where The Big Lie was more a problem statement, Luck Runs Out is meant to focus on actionable, practical steps forward for IMTs and Agency Administrators. The information below started not as an essay but as a handout to go with presentations.]


This paper is the result of an ongoing dialog around risk I’ve had within the post-Yarnell Honor the Fallen group. One member posed the rhetorical but critical question: “Should we be risking lives for suppression efforts or not?“ That prompted my response in The Big Lie essay on the levels of risk I think wildland firefighters operate in routinely, and how we could be more intelligently accepting that risk.

Monday, April 20, 2020

IGNITE: Together We Can Prevail

log on fire


We are not alone in this fight; we are not alone in dealing with this hardship — together we can prevail. ♦ The Daily Coach ♦

[Photo: Kari Greer/USFS]

Friday, April 17, 2020

Challenge #14 - 2020 WFLDP Campaign

2020 WFLDP logo and challenge

Challenge 14: Effective leaders know themselves and their team.
  • As an individual and with your team, complete the “Values Exploration” exercise found on our blog. (https://bit.ly/2Uax4sF)
  • Write your values in your journal.
  • Post team values where all have access.
#2020WFLDPCampaign #commandpresence #fireleadership

Thursday, April 16, 2020

IGNITE: Calm is contagious!

firefighter kneeling

“Calm is contagious.”
♦ Multiple attributions, including Navy SEALS ♦


[Photo: Kyle Miller/Wyoming IHC]

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Higher Up You Go...


organization chart
(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay )
Pandemic or not, how leaders view the relationship with their followers determines the effectiveness of their leadership. The following statement by Rorke Denver says volumes:
"The higher up the chain of command you go, the more people you are in service to." - Rorke Denver