I just want to share.....

Well, here I am, trying to get these words out of my head and onto paper.  Well, virtual paper at least.

I was encouraged to write by some friends who have seen some value in a few of the leadership lessons I have shared.  I am writing here for several reasons:

• Leadership should be free,
• Leadership should be available to everyone,
• Not everyone has (or wants) a Facebook account.  

A little background about me if you aren’t familiar with my history, who I am, where I came from or what qualifies me to share these notes.  In this day and age, anyone and everyone is blogging.  I am no better than the next, just wanted to put some of it down so perhaps you can use it. 

I grew up in a modest home, the son of a mailman and mom that worked off and on at odd jobs.  My parents were post depression era babies raised through WWII.  While neither graduated from high school, they did a fine job of providing for my 2 siblings and I.  We never went hungry, always had new clothes at the start of the school year and took road trip vacations.  

Being the first to graduate high school in my family, I didn’t get a lot of “career planning” growing up.  In fact, September after graduation, my mom asked me “what are you going to do?”  When she received a blank stare, she replied “Why don’t you join the volunteer fire department until you figure it out!?”  I never figured it out.  

I got into the fire service in 1982 in Des Moines (Washington) as a volunteer and was hired on in 1985 at the same department.  In 2006, Des Moines and neighboring Federal Way Fire merged to form South King Fire. (SKFR), allowing me new opportunities.  I left SKFR in 2015 to chase a dream in Colorado to be the Training Chief and Operations Chief.  The fire service has been amazing but I am thankful I jumped out in September of 2019.  

Across my career I have held many ranks and roles.  Volunteer, Resident Volunteer, career Firefighter, Lieutenant, Captain, Training Officer-Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief-Training, Deputy Chief-Operations.  All have presented unique opportunity and challenges, each with it’s own rewards.  My favorite role?  Easy......mentor/coach/confidant!!  

Personnel development has long been the favorite part of my career behind “helping Mrs. Smith” and the reason is easy.  My helping others do their job better, I increased my ability to “help Mrs. Smith.”  Simple as that.  If it helped others reap more reward from their career also, that’s a bonus.  

Across these pages I hope to share the lessons I have learned along this journey.  These lessons don’t come from years of research conducted on the way to a PhD or Masters degree.  In fact, I have neither.  My education stopped after an Associates and a Bachelors, but my learning did not.

I hope to create thought and discussion, to inspire you to be great and perhaps provide you with a nugget you can use or share.  I hope you enjoy what I have to share as much as I have enjoyed reflecting and writing it.