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Linda Willing

Leading the Team

Linda Willing is a retired career fire officer and currently works with emergency services agencies and other organizations on issues of leadership development, decision-making and diversity management. She was an adjunct instructor and curriculum advisor with the National Fire Academy for over 20 years. Willing is the author of On the Line: Women Firefighters Tell Their Stories and was co-founder of Women in the Fire Service. Willing has a bachelor’s degree in American studies, a master’s degree in organization development and is a certified mediator. She is a member of the FireRescue1/Fire Chief Editorial Advisory Board. Connect with Willing via email.

LATEST ARTICLES
Thinking you know what will happen exposes you to flawed size up of fire situations and people
To lead effectively is to communicate effectively, long before a situation goes critical
An effective fire department leader must keep fact and conjecture separate when dealing with firefighters
Isolation and the hierarchy of power can leave officers vulnerable
Company officers have enormous power when it comes to managing expectations among their crew members
It is not acceptable to use the excuse, “Well, we’ve always acted this way, so either get used to it or leave”
Learning to manage inappropriate agreement as well as disruptive conflict is a vital part of the company officer’s role
The potential problem with texting as a substitute for other forms of communication is that it is extremely low context
When expectations are clear, consistent, and honorable, people will do anything within their power to meet them