For some reason, I was scanning news today and came back to Dave Statter’s February 2014 post about a college professor suggesting the firefighter’s role as a hero is largely mythical, among other issues.  While the article dates back to the beginning of 2014, I re-read it to see if I could gain any perspective […]

Compassion is an interesting phenomenon.  I read an article that ran in Scientific American in 2012 titled “How Wealth Reduces Compassion” and there were certain aspects of it that I found intriguing.  There wasn’t any conclusion as to why this was so, but in at least five different studies using different means of observing behavior, a […]

What do we need to do to inspire others to action?  There are means of doing that through rewards and recognition, but ultimately, transactional leadership goes only so far.  We can set a positive example and drive our culture through our own actions, but that requires those we wish to inspire to pay attention.  Every expert on […]

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

You don’t just “get there”: As any parent who has driven with children can appreciate, our subordinates, peers, and bosses all want to know “are we there yet?”

There's that joke that if you are a member of a fitness club, you don't want to be there for the first two weeks of the New Year.  After that, those who resolved to go out and change their lives have pretty much given up.  People sign up with the best of intentions, only to […]

Everything you see or hear these days that involves a mistake requires someone to pay for it.

Some of the best moments I have had on this job have been sitting around a table after conferences or meetings, having a beer, and rubbing elbows with people I personally admire.

Even if we are doing the things that we consider to be right, if we are saying the wrong things, we are creating the impression that it is okay to hate.

There’s a reason Firehouse Zen isn’t the most popular fire service blog on the internet. It’s because I tell it to you like it is and hope you are listening.

Stay challenged, stay flexible, but most importantly, stay balanced.

I hope you enjoyed this series on intractable conflict.

Choose carefully what you want to fight over. Pick the battles that are REALLY worth fighting over.

There are clear pitfalls that occur, intentionally or not, when conducting negotiations.

Success will be measured not in how we deflect it and hold it at bay, but in how we engage it and mold it to benefit the needs of our community.