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Posts Tagged: Motivation

What’s your story?

It's been a great, long, hot summer --- causing me to take some time away from blogging to spend with my family and friends. Although I haven't been writing much, I have been doing a lot of reading and observing. And, it's my observation that the need f… Read More »

What a Difference… A Minute Can Make

We must be able to decode the “mess” into “opportunity”. It is paramount that we focus on the concepts that it shouldn’t be this way, but we can make it something else. Read More »

Customer Service: A Bad Concept?

While we can quantitatively point out that having a customer service attitude benefits us in public support, there should be a much more altruistic reason for our embracing that belief. Read More »

Leadership Influence

An officer best exemplifies leadership by devoting a major portion of his/her time to stimulate continuous improvement in both subordinates and the organization. Today's leaders are utilizing contemporary leadership styles. The officer needs to know w… Read More »

Roto-Ray and Federal Q’s On POV?

By mentioning the Roto-Ray, the Federal Q, and POVs in one title, I'm going to be the high flyer of the internet. Read More »

Shaping the Future Creating leaders in our Youth

As we quickly approach a time when much of the fire service leadership will be retiring we are destine to face the loss of great leadership in the fire service. This could prove to be a tragedy for our profession or we can make it a positive bench mark. … Read More »

Nontraditional Classroom Education

Classroom and hands on are super important. But even more important is learning from each other's experiences. Read More »

Run-to-the-Curb Radio: Chief Tim Sendelbach

It’s like “Run-to-the-Curb Radio” — but better! “Firefighter Storytellers” is a natural outgrowth from my popular “Run to the Curb” series — as it offers a radio show designed simply to facilitate kitchen table type discussions bet… Read More »

Power Is Like A Flame

Power is like a flame. If you hold it too tight, it can smother. If you hold it too tight it will also burn. Read More »

The Weekly Weasel – Your Jealous Eyes

Remember Shakespeare's Othello? Envy, people get killed, suicides occur, and the plot is exposed. Your basic Shakespearean tragedy, as it were. Sounds like work. Read More »

The Courage of a New Leader

Often in my travels and teaching I am asked by you officers and aspiring officers what it takes to be a good leader or how to become a good leader. I usually respond to that question with a question “What do you think it takes to become a good leader?… Read More »

Get Fit. Get Safe. Make It Personal.

[caption id="attachment_1745" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="My Three-Part Risk Management Plan: Alex, Laurie and Kathleen"][/caption] Despite the fact that I wrote this piece for Fire-Rescue Magazine last year, I'm pretty sure its content is … Read More »

Where Were You That Night?

It was inevitable that something bad would happen, given what we know now. All we can do now is honor the lives of those who go before us, pray for the families and help them deal with this tragedy, and hope we all learn from the events that evening. Read More »

Back To Work

While the supervision of children isn't that much of a stretch from my real job (supervising firefighters), it does bear discussion here, since it doesn't seem that all fire officers have the same understanding. Read More »

Pink Heals Tour

You have to see the bigger cause of the organization and realize that the department is part of the community. Read More »

Raising a flag about lowering THE FLAG!

It's after Memorial Day-2010 and I've been working on this blog for about a week, in hopes of having it finished prior to the start of the holiday weekend but life got in the way and that didn't happen. In retrospect, I'm glad I procrastinated. I'm gl… Read More »

Run-to-the-Curb is Top Story

[caption id="attachment_1811" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="That's me with Past Chief John Latimore, one of my best friends in the fire service and the neighborhood I grew up in."][/caption] It's been more than a month since my presentati… Read More »

Sometimes We Need A Kick In The Head

Motivation to learn is directly proportional to the perceived benefit of the education. If there is no perceived benefit, we have to change that perception to achieve the team goals. Read More »

FHZ Does “Sharing The Wealth” – First Due Blog Carnival

Until I met Chief Harry Diezel, who at the time was the Chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, I didn’t really have a vision of what my future in the fire service would be. He inspired me to be visionary and innovative, and to not be afraid of change. Read More »

@FireRECRUITER: Make the Right Investments

The following article tells of a small city that is threatening to stop collecting a voluntary public donation that has brought thousands and thousands of dollars in mission-critical equipment to their combination (paid/volunteer) fire department.  A… Read More »

@FireRECRUITER: It’s EMS Week – Roll With It!

From www.FireRECRUITER.com: In honor of EMS Week-2010, I thought I’d promote the (dare I say) sexiest video I’ve ever seen come to volunteer recruitment and retention. “Roll With It!” is a part music video, part movie trailer — full-on hig… Read More »

Let’s Get Excited

Are we just going through the motions to do what is expected of us, or are we devoting a certain amount of energy to the event? If we don’t have a certain amount of passion about what it is we do, how can we expect to create any excitement about what it is we do in order to motivate the people willing to follow us? Read More »

The Weekly Weasel – Installation #1

Integrity is an important trait because it fills in the biggest blank in a personal relationship; it tells everyone that if presented with an ambiguous situation, you will do the right thing. Read More »

Pay Attention: Vote for Leadership

I believe people who exhibit real dedication, leadership, and community stewardship should be rewarded. Our communities need real leaders who value their people as much as they value their customers, and they value their customers like they value their neighbors. Because they are. Read More »

Conflict

Conflict is inevitable. Conflict will come regardless of how much you try to avoid it. Because it is inevitable, as a leader, you need to know how to deal with it. Read More »
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