Self-Reflection and You

(Photo Credit: Leadership Freak)

Author: Pam McDonald, BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development

If you are a member of the wildland fire service, you are aware of after action reviews. Good leaders conduct them after every operation, but do you conduct personal reflections? Practicing the art of self-reflection on a regular/daily basis is a valuable exercise. I

 

Why is self-reflection important to personal growth? 

In "Self-Reflection: How To Make The Most From Every Experience," Adam Sicinski shares the following benefits:

• Learn from your failures, mistakes, and experiences.
• Clarify your values, priorities, and strengths.
• Release emotional attachment to people, things, and events.
• Make better choices, independent decisions, and new associations.
• Remove inner roadblocks that hold you back from achieving your goals.
• Examine your habitual behavior patterns and intuitive feelings.
• Uncover hidden dreams and aspirations as well as undiscovered potential.
• Gain deeper insights into your thoughts and a vast array of experiences.
• Expand your perspective and understanding of people and situations.
• Better spot potential problems and opportunities in advance.
• Respond calmly and appropriately to challenges that may have otherwise hindered your progress.

A Personal Experience

In 2016, I had the unique opportunity to attend the Faith and Leadership Week at Kellogg School of Management on the campus of Northwestern University. Leaders from all over the world come to Kellogg for personal development from some of the world's best leadership development instructors. The session with Harry Kraemer was my favorite. Harry had released his book From Values to Action a few years earlier. I got to personally hear Harry discuss his four principles of values-based leadership: self-reflection, balance, true self-confidence, and genuine humility.

In his book and in the session, Harry asks the following questions:

• If you are not self-reflective, how can you truly know yourself?
• If you do not know yourself, how can you lead yourself?
• And if you cannot lead yourself, how can you possibly lead others?

Make Personal AARs a Regular Practice

We are never too busy to take time for ourselves. We must take care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Consider personal AARs a little PPE for the soul.

How you reflect is a personal preference. Whether you journal, blog, meditate, talk to yourself or someone else, make it a deliberate and regular practice. You will be better for practicing this art.

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

• Read Dan Rockwell's Leadership Freak blog "5 Ways to Rest and Rejuvenate."
• Read From Values to Action or watch Harry Kraemer's keynote below.

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About the Author: Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development. The expressions are those of the author.

Leadership Descends from Character

("Character matters; leadership descends from character" by Aaron Gustafson is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.)

Only a leader with strong character and a strong sense of security can feel so certain of the blamelessness of his heart that he invites the scrutiny of his peers. C. S. Lewis calls this quality, "Leaders with chests." Lewis likened the properly ordered soul to the human body: the head (reason) must rule the belly (the sensual appetites) through the chest (character and spirit). The chest is the indispensable liaison between reason and the appetites. Without a strong "chest," men would succumb to excuses, relativism, and compromise. Lewis called those with no character or integrity, "men without chests." 

 [Excerpt from The Maxwell Leadership Bible quoting Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis]

"Character is the foundation of command presence. All people reveal their character in every interaction, and character shapes and permeates a leader’s command presence." (Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, p. 20)

IGNITE: The Ultimate Test of Integrity

 

“The ultimate test of integrity is what we’re willing to risk to uphold our core values.” – Adam Grant

[Photo: Kari Greer/USFS]

IGNITE: Happy Independence Day

 

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. – Peter Marshall


[Photo: Ben Li/BLM]

3 Cookies @ 11:30

Failure. Defeat. Frustration. Collapse. Floundering. Mistakes. Oversight. These are powerful words and very descriptive of not completing something and not achieving or thriving. Are any of you feeling these words a month into the new year?

IGNITE: Do The Right Thing

Always do the right thing, always be exciting, always be encouraging, and always be learning something new! Zig Ziglar

[Photo: Lassen IHC]

Challenge #45 - 2022 WFLDP Campaign

    

Challenge #45: Leaders and students have integrity.

• Journalize about your journey with integrity.
• Know yourself.
• Seek self-improvement.
• Seek responsibility.
• Take responsibility for your actions.
• Set the example.
• Set one goal to accomplish in 2023 to further your development.

IGNITE: The Hardest Thing

 

The hardest thing to do is often the right thing. - The Daily Coach

[Source: Colton/Baker River IHC]

Instilling Joy Through Leadership

INSTILLING JOY THROUGH LEADERSHIP
by Michael DeGrosky

[Wildfire Magazine, July 2022, International Association of Wildland Fire]

In the last year, I started following the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program on Twitter (@WFLeaders.) I really like what the organization is doing in the Twittersphere, including regularly posting thought-provoking questions for followers. A few months ago, @WFLeaders posed a three-part question that caught my attention and got me thinking, in part because it was so different from conventional leadership fare. The post asked “What brought you joy today? This week? This month?”

IGNITE: Teach and Give

 “When you learn, teach.

When you get, give.”

Maya Angelou

[Photo: Kari Greer/USFS]

IGNITE: Making a Better Word

 

A “leadership course” should not be about “making better leaders.” It should be about helping leaders make a better world. - Tom Peters, American Author


[Photo: Midewin IHC]

IGNITE: A High Consideration Factor

“The best leaders have a high consideration factor. They really care about their people.” - Brian Tracy, motivational speaker

[Photo: Asad Rahman/BLM]

Integrity - Summary

 

Integrity is how we value ourselves. We cannot be in charge of others unless we are in charge of ourselves. People of integrity separate what is right from what is wrong and act according to what they know is right, even at personal cost. 

• Know yourself and seek improvement.
• Seek responsibility and accept responsibility for your actions.
• Set the example.

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]

Moral Courage - Stories from the Fireline

 

The horrifying tangle of bodies and fire shelters on the side of Storm King Mountain after the afternoon blowup spoke of chaos and desperation—an attempted escape gone terribly wrong.

Moral Courage

Wildland fire leaders demonstrate moral courage by adhering to high ethical standards and choosing the difficult right over the easy wrong. We avoid ethical dilemmas by directing team members to operate in ways that are consistent with our professional standards and by directing them only to actions they can achieve ethically.

Character

 

Character is based on values. It is the combination of actions and words that others appraise to determine if we can be trusted to do the right thing. Character is the most valuable asset we have as leaders because it, more than anything else, promotes or hinders the development of trust.

Setting the Example

Fire leaders set the example by exhibiting strong character, by showing optimism and encouraging others, even when facing setbacks.

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]

Fitness for Command

Our position as leaders requires us to take people into unpredictable situations where mediocre leaders can be quickly overwhelmed in a crisis and make dangerous errors in judgment.

Seeking and Accepting Responsibility for Our Actions

Fire leaders seek responsibility and accept responsibility for their actions. We also accept full responsibility for poor team performance, credit subordinates for good performance, and keep superiors informed.

[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]

Increasing What is Known

Fire leaders seek and accept feedback to maintain accurate situation awareness about ourselves. We are willing to examine and probe blind spots, seeking feedback from others. Because blind spots can lead to problems, leaders accept and act on feedback as part of the responsibility to mitigate error.