More Just Builds More...

"It is really important to lay out an overall plan. What are we trying to accomplish? Are we doing just one task at a time and the person you are leading is only aware of one task at a time? That doesn't allow them to be very forward thinking. It doesn't allow them to see the things that you are missing. That's where leadership either exemplifies itself - or fails."
- Colorado First Responder

Morning and Happy Monday. How was your weekend?

For me, it was time spent with family and friends plus a little reflection on last week. What a great week. I was blessed to be able to spend time with an outstanding leader from Public Safety followed by multiple interviews with folks in the first responder community. That time brought great insight and even more respect for all of these folks and the job they do every day. Thank you seems so inadequate. These are truly special people with a sheepdog's heart.

Was last week all a great success? Nope, there were moments where disappointment came calling but hey - it didn't last long and I know that's part of this journey. So I press on with the passion and commitment that brought me to this season in my life. Never say never.

This week is shaping up to be super busy as I have the opportunity to ride-along with Law Enforcement on Wednesday and Thursday to get an up-close look at their job and how they get on the same mental frequency for situational awareness. This will be a first for me so stay tuned for some blog posts on these ride-along experiences.

I was up early this morning to continue the review of the audio recordings from last week. Some important statements I heard as I sipped my coffee as the sun streamed through the window in to my personal CollabZone. Training, leadership and the concept of forward thinking...

• Communication is massive - "That's just not communication, but communication prior-to. When you are in the thick of it, you don't have time to discuss or argue theory or whatever. That comes before, at breakfast or coffee table chat. It also comes from a good leader and his or her expectations - if you can't meet them, why?"

• Training brings people together - "...train, train, train, train. Continuing education and a well displayed idea on [a leader's] expectations are super important."

• Good team cohesion - How do you build a tight team? Here is one first responder's experience described under the umbrella statement that "more just builds more."
• "Well understood standard operating guidelines built on years and years of experience on how we do this...and why."
• "Very similar ideas, similar faiths, similar work ethics, similarities within personalities."
• "Off times they enjoy each other - families get along."
• "Six months to a year, you know that when you get on scene everybody does their thing."
• It's not just a job. It is a calling for a lot of people. It's a passion. It's a career, not just a job to get you by..."
• Life happens at the firehouse too ... we know a lot about one another. You know when your buddy is having a hard day and you have his back. You take care of each other."

These areas are of great interest to me, especially when it comes to an operations center and how they collaborate internally and externally. A bigger question is - is it possible that your team is not collaborating? Maybe they are simply coordinating or cooperating? These are three very different concepts with different meanings and something I will talk about in a future blog post.

What does your train like you fight approach look like for your Incident Command Post (ICP) or Emergency Operations Center? How forward thinking is your team and do they have each other's back when things go sideways? How are you building that tight, team cohesion that this first responder spoke to at length?

or...does your collaborative teamwork during an incident resemble a pick-up basketball game?

All of this is hard work and... there is not a piece of technology or process enhancement  that will address these challenges.

More just builds more - how is your team doing?

Humbly,

Collabman