Leadership Conversations @ The Kitchen Table

Battalion Chief Jarrod Sergi of Norfolk Fire Rescue (VA) and author of the book "No Nonsense Leadership," A Realistic Approach for the Company Officer talks "There is no greater privilege than the privilege to lead people." Jarrod talks about how being an instructor is one of the most important roles in a company officer. He also talks accountability, time management and the fact that company offi...

Deputy Chief Chris Stewart formally of the City of Phoenix Fire Department talks "No more good dudes" leadership in the fire service. It takes so much more than being just a good dude or good gal to be a strong leader. You must be highly credible and highly competent to be effective. Chris says, "Operational effectiveness and safety must go hand in hand, not either/or." He also talks the 4 compone...

Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb (ret.) of the New York City Fire Department talks the "Winning Mindset." He unpacks his cornerstones of leadership: Training, Teamwork & Mentorship. Mentorship in the FDNY is engrained in their DNA. Departments and its people must make mentorship a part of their everyday culture. Competency is a must, but the strongest leaders know how to match the hard skills...

Fire Chief Dennis Doan of Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One talks about the 5 dysfunctions of a team. Your first team should be the team that you are on, not the team that you lead. You gotta step up if you want to make positive change. No silos, leaders must weigh in to have buy in. Everyone should strive for the platinum rule, "Treat people how THEY would like to be treated!" Chief Doan challenges...

Fire Chief Tony McGuirk (ret.) of several fire departments in the United Kingdom and one of the original founders of the Community Risk Reduction concept talks extensively about the "What if" in delivering customer service as a fire service. He discusses ways in which the United Kingdom continues to put the community "first" in several of its innovations. He encourages that everyone need be a cust...

Battalion Chief Corley Moore of the Moore Fire Department in Oklahoma, Founder of Firehouse Vigilance, "The Never Ending Battle to Fight Complacency," as well as host of the fire service leadership podcast, "The Weekly Scrap," joins the Kitchen Table to talk about fighting complacency. Author of the book, "The 9 L's" and "Challenge your Leadership," both are must have's in any leader's library. Co...

Deputy Chief Steve Prziborowski (ret.) of Santa Clara County Fire Department and president and founder of code3firetraining, talks about his new book Courage Under Fire Leadership. Concepts unpacked include the followership crisis, how trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity as well as having haters is simply the cost of leadership! Steve encourages leaders to "have" a mentor(s)...

Captain Troy Gibson of Hawai'i Fire Department talks about your wolfpack. Do you have one? If not, get one. Build relationships with people inside and outside your fire department, so you don't find yourself in an echo chamber. Make sure those in your wolfpack are honest with you, tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear, challenge them while they challenge you to become the best...

Captain Anthony John (AJ) of South King Fire & Rescue out of Federal Way, Washington dives deep into mentorship and simply being intentional about what it is that you want to do. This includes having an all in attitude, building your relationships and with how you lead and mentor others. Leaders must always be listening and seeking out as many opportunities to learn about a diverse range of to...

Retired Captain Bob Shannon of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue emphasizes that your organization is perfectly designed to get the outcomes that they are getting, as every organization has a leadership curriculum, formal and intentional, or accidental and by default. Bob dives into the two types of leaders: Positive impact leaders and negative impact leaders. Bob describes the leadership power quadrant...

Disney Executive Lee Cockerell reveals the magic of Disney customer service. From poor farm kid to running Disney operations, Lee talks about the importance of having a good attitude, being reliable and having empathy. EVERYONE is watching! The secret is to hire the right people, train them right and treat them right! Don't underestimate your influence in the world, negative or positive, and don't...

Fire Chief Matthew Vinci of Vashon Island Fire & Rescue talks about the importance of networking, building relationships and listening to perspectives in order to get things done. Everybody at the table adds value, whether you agree or disagree with them and the lack of inclusion is simply a non-negotiable. Matthew talks about the strength in "pausing" in decision-making. The 24hr rule is ofte...

Fire Chief Mark Emery (ret.) of East Valley Fire District talks the Essentials of Honorable Leadership. He emphasizes that leadership is not synonymous with management and supervision, and leaders must differentiate between the two. Leadership is the influence of yourself and you take it with you everywhere you go. He quotes legendary coach and leader John Wooden in that "Success is peace of mind...

Battalion Chief Gary Barker of Valley Regional Fire Authority and Training Battalion Chief of Operations at the South King County Fire Training Consortium dives into "Old School Leadership" philosophies. Gary talks about how to become a respected officer, as well as the two traits that the most effective officers have in common: Being good at your job & being good with people! He emphasizes th...

Battalion Chief Ben Thompson of Birmingham Fire Department in Alabama unpacks his leadership philosophy on "to lead is to live dangerously." Don't become the lid and if you don't find yourself tired at the end of the day, you aren't doing enough as a leader. If you promote and you get the sense or feeling that you've "made it," you will not be an effective leader. Chief Thompson also emphasizes th...

President Maia Earle and Dr. Brittany Hollerbach of The Beltane Guild join the show to discuss firefighter reproductive health. The nonprofit organization works in collaboration with firefighters and researchers from across the country to raise awareness, improve safety measures, re-write policy to protect our nation’s firefighters and provide grants to firefighters needing fertility treatment. Ma...

Fire Chief Jason Hoevelmann of Florissant Valley Fire District in Missouri discusses how leadership is a practice due to constant changes and adaptive challenges. He states, "Would you want your lawyer or surgeon to be one who has practiced law or medicine in the past, or is "currently" practicing today? Chief expands upon integrity meaning doing the right thing all the time and not just when no o...

Deputy Fire Chief (ret.) Emon Usher of the City Richmond Fire Dept. in California and coaching cadre with the Firefighter Inspiration Readiness & Education Team joins us and calls for all firefighters to always remember your oath, look to serve and to serve well. Good leaders should be visionaries, be vulnerable and should speak with the 3 C's: Command, Clarity & Common Sense. Leader's mus...

Dr. Bruce Avolio, PhD., Mark Pigott Chair in Business Strategic Leadership within the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington & co-director of the Seattle Fire Dept. Executive Leadership Academy talks about how rank at times can get in the way of others having a "voice," (or psychological safety), and that leaders must be aware that sometimes the least experienced person in t...

Christina Fong, PhD, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs at the University of Washington Foster School of Business and co-director of the Seattle Fire Department Executive Leadership Academy talks the growth mindset, identity and power differences.. She emphasizes how strong psychologically safe organizations invest in cohesion and have mechanisms in place for learning from one another, provi...

Megan Lautz, RD., registered dietitian and strength coach with Fairfax fire and police, talks the power of nutrition in leadership. Vulnerability in nutrition and fitness is key in strong leaders when looking for support in your nutritional habits. Megan talks caffeine, calories on the run, timing of eating, easy firehouse recipes and understanding that priorities may change throughout your career...

Editor in Chief of Fire & Rescue Media David Rhodes dives into how building trust and relationships and being competent are must-have's in a great leader. Chief Rhodes is a retired battalion chief of the Atlanta (GA) Fire Department as well as a chief elder for the Georgia Smoke Diver Program and he encourages emerging leaders to think outside the box by going outside your organization to take...

Kevin Thomas McCarney, author of the best selling book "Big Brain, Little Brain," how to control which one speaks for you, teaching us how to use simple techniques to control our response to win positive, Big Brain legacies. The book identifies the twenty-one tools your Big Brain can tap into for better communication, as well as the fourteen avoidable traps that your Little Brain will constantly s...

Dr. Mark Abel, Ph. D., director of the First Responder Research Laboratory at the University of Kentucky and Member of the Portuguese Police Research Center (ICPOL) conducts research to enhance the safety, health, and readiness of firefighters and law enforcement officers. Mark owns Tactical Fitness Institute, LLC which develops legally defensible physical ability standards for fire departments an...

Lieutenant Annette Zapp of Fire Rescue Wellness talks about the 4 pillars of wellness for firefighters: 1) Sleep, 2) Nutrition, 3) Exercise and 4) Mental Health. She encourages all to build a solid foundation early in your fire service career as you will never be less busy than when you were first hired. Find a good culturally competent counselor early, don't wait until you are struggling, and foc...