Leadership Level 4

The distance between the leader and the led increases the challenges of leading. Subordinate leaders frequently work in other locations, so face-to-face communication is not always possible.

As a result, the circumstances for building trust are more complex; even so, the trust must withstand the pressures of time and distance, enabling leaders to confidently communicate intent and delegate responsibility. These leaders act as the conduit between the organization and the people on the ground, interpreting the vision into mission and translating abstract ideas so subordinate leaders can take definitive action.

Description

• Function as a mid- to senior-level organizational leader.
• Utilize leadership tools to provide strategic direction and influence others to achieve organizational goals.
• Develop personal leadership skills and command presence to increase effectiveness within the organization.
• Fulfill the responsibilities of an effective team member and contribute effectively to upper management decisions.
• Perform as an effective organizational leader within one’s functional area.
• Communicate the needs of subordinates up the chain of command.

Behaviors

• Demonstrates expertise in job skills to advise senior leaders and to coach and mentor junior leaders.
• Provides direction in situations with significant consequence to ensure mission accomplishment and reduce organizational risk.
• Propagates creativity and innovation to ensure organizational efficiency and relevance and to increase team member engagement.
• Propagates consistent leader's intent and supports upper management decisions to minimize internal and external friction and ensure alignment with broader efforts.
• Demonstrates a commitment to continuing education and self-development to ensure personal and organizational growth and positive change.
• Utilizes appropriate strategies to motivate the team to accomplish organizational goals.
• Effectively delegates workload to develop future leaders and increase organizational work capacity.
• Influences team and organizational change to ensure continual performance improvement.
• Demonstrates the ability to use planning tools and leadership doctrine to produce an action plan to meet organizational goals.
• Demonstrates emotional intelligence during interactions with team members and external stakeholders to build trust and influence team and organizational outcomes.
• Demonstrates moral courage in difficult situations to build team trust and enhance personal character.
• Demonstrates the ability to focus on team success over personal success in the service of the common good.
• Applies doctrine and values within the team decision-making process.
• Shares pertinent information to all team members to facilitate a shared understanding of salient components and maintain a common operating picture.
• Demonstrates ability to use a variety of communication methods, including listening and questioning, to identify gaps in understanding or risks to the operation.
• Demonstrates ability to provide meaningful self-assessment, team member assessments, and an overall team assessment to improve performance and strengthen team ethos.
• Applies knowledge of styles and methods to defuse conflict in a high-stress environment.
• Demonstrates adaptability and versatility in complex environments.
• Demonstrates ability to accomplish mission while effectively managing team's timelines.
• Uses vision to create a foundation for organizational success and forward thinking.
• Promotes and propagates positive team climate and organizational culture.
• Utilizes reward and recognition to motivate team.
• Applies and adapts mentoring and coaching techniques.
• Demonstrates ability to contextualize outputs from the risk management process to assess, modify, and implement organizational strategies.
• Fosters organizational opportunities for team and individual growth and development.

Knowledge

• Perform a critical assessment of personal staff ethos and how personal core values can guide decision-making.
• Propagate command staff values, culture, and climate throughout team and organization.
• Define the difference between vision and intent.
• Understand various techniques to deal with conflicting stakeholder goals and interests.
• Understand the responsibility that comes with position power.
• Understand how stress physiology and psychology affect team health and performance.
• Define how to build organizational resilience.
• Understand the spectrum of firefighter health and well-being.
• Exercise conflict resolution in a high-stress environment.
• Identify inefficient personal habits that work against the team.
• Understand situational awareness at the organizational level.
• Develop strategies for creating common understanding of organizational environment.
• Understand the importance of a common operating picture.
• Discern relevant information from available information.
• Develop and propagate consistent leader's intent up and down the chain of command.
• Understand perspective audience, and develop and deliver appropriate messages.
• Analyze how to manage emotions and self.
• Understand, recognize, and apply personal emotional intelligence.
• Initiate and sustain changes in leadership behavior.
• Understand the ripple effect of decision-making at the organizational level and unintended consequences.

Development Goals

• Complete L-480, Organizational Leadership in the Wildland Fire Service, and/or L-481, Advanced Leadership for Command and General Staff.
• Read three books from the Professional Reading Program.
• Read Communicating Intent and Imparting Presence on the Briefing and Intent webpage.
• Facilitate a Leadership in Media discussion.
• Develop a local staff ride.
• Participate in the annual Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign.
• Study an outside organization's leadership lessons.
• Serve as a lead instructor for a training course.
• Serve as a conference group lead on a staff ride.
• Maintain mentor relationships.

Self Study

• Leadership Self-Study - Level 4