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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.

LATET ARTICLES
Surviving 2,000 feet below the surface for more than two months on limited supplies offers key insights into effective leadership
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Firefighters leave the job for a variety of reasons, setting things in order before recruiting them can cut those losses
Device obsession harms team building and personal communication, which hurts both fire department culture and performance
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SOPs built around general expectations rather than specific behaviors will improve morale and be easier to enforce
Without knowing the root cause of the behavior problem, fixing it is sheer luck
As with EMS or hazmat training, fire chiefs must approach diversity training with a long-term view
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