Challenges: 2023 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign - In Service Of Others

Challenge #1

​Effective leaders are servants first.

• Download and read “Servant leadership: How to lead by serving your team.”
• Join us on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal for a robust learning experience. (Portal registration required. Search for “Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign.”)

Challenge #2

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

• Download and read Chapter 1 of “The Journey to the East” by Hermann Hesse.
• Join the discussion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. (Portal registration required. Search for “Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign.”)

Book Study Discussion Questions:

• What barriers exist for me to tell my story?
• Who is your “League”?
• Do you have, or have you had, such a deep-seated commitment to your “League”? If so, what was it that made you feel such loyalty?
• How committed are you to the Wildland Fire Values (duty, respect and integrity) and Principles?
• Do you personally need to experience something to learn from it? Is this the same view you have of those your serve?
• “Does not each generation by means of suppression, concealment and ridicule, efface what the previous generation considered most important?” How does the following quote relate to the previous question?
  • “All history is remembered history.” – Colonel Eric Carlson, paraphrased from The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich
• What are you personally seeking? (What is your Journey to the East?) What are "we" seeking as a wildland fire service?
• Do you have someone on your team who looks out for the well-being of the team and identifies issues? Is it you or someone else?
• Have you had a team member leave the team? How did this affect team cohesion?
  • If the member came back to the team, how was that member treated? How did the return affect team cohesion?
• Have you ever "lost your way" along your journey? How did you/do you intend to get back on track?
• How can we be individuals on a group mission?
• How do we bring the past and the future into the present moment? (Answer personally and as a team in the wildland fire service.)
• How do we mitigate getting so caught up in our own world that we fail to see the needs of others?

Challenge #3

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

• Download and read Chapter 2 of “The Journey to the East” by Hermann Hesse.
• Join the discussion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. (Registration required. Search for “Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign.”)

Book Study Discussion Questions:

• Discuss a time of chaos when you felt alone.
• Do you consider the wildland fire service a resilient organization?
• How does a team move on without a leader/servant-leader?
• Has politeness/respect lessened since you first joined your team?
• Who/What provides the cohesion for your team?

Challenge #4

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

• Download and read Chapter 3 of “The Journey to the East” by Hermann Hesse.
• Join the discussion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. (Registration required. Search for “Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign.”)

Book Study Discussion Questions:

• Reflecting upon the last couple of years living through a pandemic, was there a point you felt alone and without a leader? If so, how did you deal with the situation? Did you ever feel helpless? If so, have you recovered? What words of wisdom can you give others?
• Has your passion for the thing you seek waned over time? If not, what helped keep the passion alive? If so, what do you intend to do (if you do) to revitalize that passion?
• Who are the “elders” (those with knowledge and/or experience) in your sphere of influence?
• How does a leader know when they can get no more from someone with whom they serve?

Challenge #5

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

• Download and read Chapter 4 of “The Journey to the East” by Hermann Hesse.
• Join the discussion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. (Registration required. Search for “Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign.”)

 Book Study Discussion Questions:

• When were you the most happy?
• Discuss your reaction to the following statement in Chapter 4:
  • “…what person really knows another or even himself?”
• Do you have a support system within your team that engages in times of despair and need?
• How do you handle personal mistakes? How does your team handle mistakes?