Article Library
Thoughts on Leadership
Of Starfish, Spiders and Distributed Leadership - November/December 2010
Posted on November 29, 2010
Organizations can look like spiders, with the spider's eight legs representing organizational divisions and units controlled by a central head. Or, organizations can look like starfish, with multiple arms, each representing a separate neural network without need for a central head. Cut off a spider's leg and you have a spider with one less leg. Cut off the spider's head and the whole spider dies, including all the legs. But, cut off a starfish's arm and, not only does the starfish not die, but it grows a new arm, the cut arm survives, and it may even turn into a new starfish. We want our organizations to be more like starfish, de-centralized, independent and resilient. A Leader I Would Like to Meet - September/October 2010
Posted on November 29, 2010
I admire leaders with wisdom. Wisdom is how we use our knowledge and experience in our daily lives, Dr. Eleanor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano is a woman of firsts. The first Filipino-American to become a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Mariano was also the first military woman to serve as the White House Physician to the President, and the first woman Director of the White House Medical Unit. I recently heard the Doctor interviewed, and when the interviewer asked her how she was able to accomplish what she did in the Navy, from her response, I took away these important lessons. Inspiring People to Action - July/August 2010
Posted on November 29, 2010
Leadership is not about individual people, but a process between people. Leadership happens when people interact to influence one another to bring about change reflecting their common purposes. This concept of leadership requires breaking free from our traditional thinking about the meaning of leader and follower. Leaders and followers are not different people or different kinds of people; they are different roles in the process of leadership. I have been considering the advice I might give, to help people meet their goals when it comes to inspiring other people to act on important initiatives. I recently tumbled onto two ideas that are really shaping my thinking on this. Wisdom - May/June 2010
Posted on November 29, 2010
Wisdom is how we use our knowledge and experience in our daily lives, and use them sensibly with insight and good judgment. Wisdom is how we incorporate our knowledge, experience, skills and values into our decision making process. Leaders must be credible, and part of leadership credibility involves knowing the job and understanding the jobs of the people we wish to lead. However, knowledge and experience do not equal wisdom. For me, besides knowledge and experience, leadership effectiveness requires a depth of character and personal maturity, an understanding of people, and the ability to keep things in perspective. For me, a good leader incorporates their knowledge, experience, skills and values into their decision making process in all aspects of their lives. Satisfied and Motivated - March/April 2010
Posted on May 3, 2010
American workers have reached a 20 year low when it comes to their contentment at work. According to the Conference Board, we cannot blame the recession for this level of dissatisfaction; this year’s results continue a decline in worker satisfaction that they have tracked since 1987, when they first began the survey. Considering the demographic make-up of most wildland fire agencies these days, the declining job satisfaction of young people represents a trend to which leaders and would-be leaders must pay careful attention. Effective leaders will pay serious attention to people’s satisfaction, particularly if they want to attract a new generation of young workers to their organizations, keep them around, and prepare them to lead the organization. People need challenge and fulfillment from their work.
Longer Articles
Action Review Cycle (ARC)
Posted on December 16, 2011
Action Review Cycle (ARC) Managing the Meaning of Leadership
Posted on February 13, 2010
Managing the Meaning of Leadership A Method for Evaluating the Fireline Leadership Training
Posted on October 17, 2007
This is the master’s thesis of Michael DeGrosky, CEO of The Guidance Group. This project developed a quantifiable and, where appropriate, a statistically supportable method for collecting and analyzing training related data to support the National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group (NWCG) leadership initiative with the intent of validating that the L-380 (Fireline Leadership) training is on track. It also could provide a model or template for ongoing evaluation of, not only the L-380 course, but also the broader NWCG leadership curriculum. It was a paper submitted in partial requirement for DeGrosky’s Masters of Liberal Studies in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University, and was completed under the guidance of Dr. Curtis Brungardt. Risk Leadership
Posted on January 26, 2007
This paper provides a primer on the emerging leadership theory known as "Risk Leadership." The five-page article is available for download. Improving After Action Review (AAR) Practice
Posted on June 28, 2005
This paper suggests ways to improve AAR practice within wildland fire agencies, and advocates three strategic actions necessary to systematically and comprehensively use the AAR process in wildland fire agencies.
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