And we wrap up our series on The Pathfinder with Part III, which picks up right where we left off at the end of Part II.
Episode 090 - The Pathfinder Part II
We think that the Pathfinder concept is such an important one, that we actually recorded two separate episodes trying to get it right. But each episode went different directions, so they both ended up being valuable to the discussion.
Episode 089 - Damned Sweet
What do a fire recruit, a 70’s sitcom, and Walt Disney have to do with regret?
Episode 088 - The Pathfinder
Every organization has those persons who push the organization from the inside. They advocate passionately for change, but while they’re doing it they can cause discomfort for those around them. They challenge long-held assumptions. They champion new technologies and strategies. They hold up a beacon and ask everyone else to follow into unchartered territory.
It’s important work to any successful organization, but it can be exceptionally frustrating for those who are either appointed by the organization, or those that choose all on their own to be a Pathfinder. Beating a path through the wilderness is hard work, and it isn’t for just anyone.
Episode 087 - The Ship of Theseus
This isn’t really an outtake; it’s just a short take on a topic that wasn’t really large enough to devote an entire episode to. Bill, all by his lonesome, talks into the mic about the paradox of The Ship of Theseus and what that means for organizational identity…and maybe all of us.
Episode 086 - Be Wrong Or Do Nothing?
A listener asked us: “At what point is a wrong decision actually worse than no decision at all?”
It’s a great starting point for a roving conversation that gets into whether results matter in that calculus. We also rehash our earlier debate on the nature of luck in the fire service (Episode 082), what the role of intent is, how Pabel dissects an incident moving forward and Bill goes backwards, and the difference between being wrong and making a mistake.
Episode 085 - On Hallowed Ground with Eriks Gabliks
The National Fire Academy is the home of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial; hallowed ground for any firefighter. To borrow a phrase from President Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA (just 12 miles north of the NFA), the memorial on the NFA campus reminds us “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.”
While Bill was at the National Fire Academy for two weeks in Emmitsburg, Maryland this last August, he sat down with Eriks Gabliks, the Superintendent of the National Fire Academy. They talked about what the National Fire Academy is, what it isn’t, just how you start out as a volunteer firefighter and end up as superintendent, some of the more popular myths about the campus, why every firefighter should attend a class there at least once, and, of course, we give Eriks The Questions.
Episode 084 - For Bill Smith, A Battle Buddy
On June 6, 2021, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Smith gave his life while saving others who got caught in a rip current off the Alabama shore. Two of our podcast crew (Shane and Bill V.) worked for Bill Smith for years before Bill retired as Deputy Chief of Operations for Dekalb County and went on to his second career in law enforcement. Receiving the news that Bill died while saving others was a shock to both of them, but not a surprise since that was very much who Bill Smith was.
Last fall, Bill Smith sent Shane and (Combustible) Bill an article about the former Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel A. Dailey’s leadership tips. We’ve decided for this episode, as a tribute to Bill Smith, that we would discuss each leadership tip one at a time.
So, this episode is dedicated to Bill Smith, one of the best firefighters and best leaders Shane and Bill ever knew. And a true “Battle Buddy.”
Episode 083 - What's Better: To Be Liked or Respected?
As is the case with many of our episodes, we didn’t set out to make an episode about this. It actually was just a spirited conversation that we were having when we realized we should hit the record button.
Is it better to be liked or respected? What is the relationship between the two? And what are the advantages of being liked, respected, or even both? Can you truly be both?
Episode 082 - Firefighter Luck
How do we as firefighters deal with luck? How honest are we about what part luck plays in our successes? More specifically, how much do we count on the same luck at our next fire?
That’s where we start anyway, and we don’t exactly see eye to eye about it in the beginning. But that discussion moves to a very open conversation about how we evaluate our performance on fire scenes, and the process by which each of us thinks we should be judging ourselves.
Episode 081 - What Do You Do When You Don't Get Promoted?
You make the case that you’re the best person for the next step up; only you don’t get chosen. What do you do then? When does a natural amount of disappointment turn into an unhealthy perception of being slighted? How hard is it to get behind the person who got promoted instead of you? And what about those folks who choose to burn the organization down when they aren’t promoted?
In this episode, we discuss what we each personally have done after not getting chosen, what we wish we did better after past promotional disappointments, and how we each hope to process disappointments that are in our futures.
Episode 080 - Joy, the Job, and Some Questions from Austin Kohler
For this episode, we talk with “backstep” Firefighter Austin Kohler, who is only a few years into his career in the fire service. We ask him what he enjoys about the job, and what he didn’t expect about it. And about halfway through, we give Austin the upper-hand and let him ask us questions like:
How do you perfect your craft in a position without the upper echelon thinking you’re a “turd” for not wanting to move up?
Who was the best Driver Operator you ever worked with? And what’s the difference between a good Driver and a great Driver?
How much talking on the radio is too much?
How do you motivate older firefighters with a bad case of “Don’t-give-a-damns”?
What is Blue Card? (from a previous episode)
Episode 079 - Planning, Preparation, and Pivoting with Louie Bruno
The book Leadership On The Line says a plan “is no more than today’s best guess.” So why do some in our profession get so attached to their plan that they can’t see when their plan has lost all chance to succeed?
In this episode, we sit down with Louie Bruno to talk about planning and preparation. Louie’s experiences in Technical Rescue for the last eight years have given him some valuable insight into the merits of planning, as well as the benefits of knowing when to pivot and rely on your preparation instead.
Episode 078 - The Tenth Man
What you’re about to hear wasn’t really ever intended to be an episode. It was a side conversation that took place during a recording session in December 2019 that we just happened to record. We sat on it for over a year, but we’ve decided it’s something others should hear. It’s about what to do with a great idea before you try to implement it, and how your “great” idea can be even better. It first has to be exposed to the crucible of “The Tenth Man” -- a process like forging iron that will subject your idea to enormous heat, pounding from all different directions, bending, re-heating, more pounding, quenching, and tempering so you end up with an idea that can withstand daily use and just might change the world.
Episode 077 - A Challenge for 2021, Hal Moore, and Buried Treasure
(Then) Lt. Colonel Hal Moore during the Battle of Ia Drang, 1965 in Vietnam.
We’re issuing all of our listeners a challenge in 2021. It’s only nine minutes long, but the effects could last for many years to come if you’re willing to take us up on it.
Episode 076 - A Better Version of Yourself?
We’ll wager there isn’t a firefighter in the fire service who isn’t an advocate of training. But when you call that training “higher education” you start to get somewhat mixed reactions. Make higher education a prerequisite for some promotions, and now you’ve probably got some real disagreement.
What’s the correct balance between experience, training, and formal education? How do you measure experience against the other two? Which of them, if any, are indispensable? And if you’ve got formal education, what are you doing with it?
This episode had to be recorded remotely, so forgive some deficiencies with the sound quality. But it did mean that we have video to accompany our recording, so check us out on YouTube as well as all of the podcast listening platforms.
Episode 075 - A Risky Episode: Building Your Team of Rivals
How do you figure out if someone is good for your team? Good for the organization? Good for you as a leader? What does it mean to build a diverse team, and how can different skillsets, talents, and perspectives be beneficial? Can they fill in the gaps that the team has, or that you don’t fill yourself? And when does it become unhealthy? When do differing opinions, or goals, or approaches become an obstacle to success?
In this episode, we attempt to answer all of those questions. Then Pabel proposes a system for evaluating risks and benefits, and we spend some time debating the challenges inherent in using it. In other words, what are the risks/benefits of using Pabel’s risk/benefit tool? Like the title of this episode says, you should surround yourself with people who will challenge you. We’re just practicing what we preach.
Episode 074 - Ten Rounds of Undermining and Custom Turnout Gear
Photo by Konrad M from FreeImages
When you don’t agree with a decision made above you, is it wrong to let people know you don’t agree? For this Ten Rounds we discuss whether telling those you are supervising that you don’t agree with something undermines authority or whether it actually helps you get that thing done. Then, as is the nature of these Ten Rounds episodes, Pabel takes us in a completely different direction to talk about why turnout gear should be better designed for the individual.
Episode 073 - Screw-ups Are Your BFF
No matter how hard we try to avoid them, screw-ups are going to happen. When they happen, we shouldn’t avoid acknowledging them. Don’t wear them like a badge of honor, but own them nonetheless. You’ve already paid the price for the lesson; you might as well get the benefit of learning from it.
In this episode, we go over some of our own personal biggest screw-ups (not counting the previous examples in Episodes 22, 25, 26, and 28) and how to really capitalize on the fact that you’re going to screw-up. We also take some time to talk about how to write your letter about your screw-up; what to include, and more importantly what not to put in it.
Episode 072 - Ten Rounds Of Managing Expectations
Photo by Gábor Suhajda on FreeImages
At the end of our last recording session we only had twenty minutes left to record, which isn’t enough for a full episode. So Hatch suggested we do Ten Rounds. It’s simple: any one of us can talk for two minutes uninterrupted on any topic we want. When the bell ends that round, someone else can either continue on the topic, or start on a different topic. They talk uninterrupted for two minutes, and then the next….well, you get the idea. Ten rounds of two minutes equals a 20 minute podcast.
Shane starts this one off talking for two minutes on managing expectations, and we go from there.