Article Library
Thoughts on Leadership
The Importance of Transferring Training to the Workplace - May/June 2012
Posted on June 5, 2012
Real training results are those that we can verify. Practically and politically, fire organizations must evaluate the most significant driver of training effectiveness, their aptitude for creating learning that transfers. When we cannot show evidence that trainees learn and that their learning produces lasting workplace performance, we cannot demonstrate that leadership development training represents a worthwhile investment of the organization’s resources. Why Does Leadership Matter - March/April 2012
Posted on June 5, 2012
Since the dawn of recorded human history, people have shown a tremendous curiosity and preoccupation with what I consider the big leadership question. Why do people follow other people? For students of leadership, that question leads to others, like: what is the fundamental nature and purpose of leadership? In other words, what is leadership and how does it work? People have always wanted to know how some people get other people to follow their lead and why people choose to allow themselves to be influenced. Experience, Personal Mastery and Lessons Learned - January/February 2012
Posted on June 5, 2012
Individual leadership does not assure group success but, without it, no shared leadership occurs. While organizational effectiveness and efficiency ultimately depends on organizational leadership and organizational learning, we cannot ignore the fact that these organizational capacities build on the experience, personal mastery and learning of individual people. Choose Your Role Models Carefully - November/December 2011
Posted on June 5, 2012
An organization functions most effectively and efficiently when its personnel perform their jobs competently, willingly and collaboratively, with little need for direct supervision. Leadership enables a group of people to operate on its own, with a clear direction, without depending on any one individual for success. When this happens, people and organizations have performed the leadership function adequately. Solitude, Focus and Relationships - September/October 2011
Posted on June 1, 2012
I view leadership as an inherently social and collaborative process; something that people engage in together. William Deresiwicz argues that leadership requires solitude, focus and meaningful relationships. Without those three things, he says, a would-be leader struggles to arrive at thoughts that are truly their own and develop either the moral compass or moral courage necessary to act on those thoughts. I am a convert to the Deresiwicz view, because I can see that the ability to think for oneself requires the solitude necessary to allow for introspection; concentrated, focused work; and the ability to engage individual people in prolonged, uninterrupted talk.
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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