Leadership and Team Building

Jeffrey M. Goldberg, FPEM, CHS-IIIRob Shelt, FPEMPalm Beach CountyDivision of Emergency Management

Introductions

Who are you?Where are you from?

Shhhhhh……

• Arrange yourself into order by birthday month and day

• DO NOT SPEAK WHILE DOING THIS! • Non verbal only• You have 3 minutes!

Discussion Question

Why is leadership an essential element of successful incident/ event management?

Discussion Question

What is the difference between a Leader and a

Manager or Leadership and Management?

Worth 1000 Words

Leadership

• Leadership means . . . . . . providing purpose, direction, and motivation for responders working to accomplish difficult tasks under dangerous, stressful circumstances.

Management

• Management means . . . . . . the act or manner of managing; handling, directing, or controlling.

Leadership Qualities

• Who is identify a highly effective leader you have known or know about?

• What are the main qualities of that top leader?

Common Leadership Responsibilities

• A good operational leader will:– ENSURE safe work practices.– TAKE COMMAND of assigned resources.– MOTIVATE with a “can do safely” attitude.– DEMONSTRATE INITIATIVE by taking action.

Common Leadership Responsibilities

• A good operational leader will:– COMMUNICATE by giving specific

instructions and asking for feedback.– SUPERVISE the scene of action.– EVALUATE the effectiveness of the plan.– UNDERSTAND and ACCEPT the need to

modify plans or instructions.

Leadership & Duty

• Take charge within your scope of authority.

• Be prepared to step out of a tactical role to assume a leadership role.

• Be proficient in your job.• Make sound and timely decisions.• Ensure tasks are understood.• Develop your subordinates for the future.

Leadership & Respect

• Know your subordinates and look out for their well-being.

• Keep your subordinates and supervisor informed.

• Build the team.

Building & Damaging Respect

What leadership actions can damage and build respect?

Leadership & Integrity

• Know yourself and seek improvement.• Seek responsibility and accept

responsibility for your actions.

Communication Responsibilities

• To ensure sharing of critical information, all responders must:– Brief others as needed.– Debrief actions.– Communicate hazards

to others.– Acknowledge messages.– Ask if they don’t know.

Building Trust

Trust

• Relationships are built on a foundation of trust.

Trust me . . . I’ve never done this either!

What Is Trust?

– A relationship based on mutual confidence that we will:• Do what we say.• Be honest.• Be respectful.• Maintain confidentiality.• Interact unguardedly.

– A state of mind based on actions– A combination of trusting others and being

trustworthy

Your Capacity to Trust

• Do you trust yourself?• Do you trust others?• Do you tend to assume that others can

be trusted until proven otherwise, or do you wait for people to prove they are trustworthy?

Deciding to Trust

• Influenced by:– History and experience with the person– The person’s level of competence– How much risk is involved– The person’s relative power– The organizational environment

Trust-Reducing Behaviors

• Concealing motives• Falsifying relevant information• Attempting to control or dominate• Not discussing or meeting others’

expectations• Trying to evade responsibility• Accepting credit for others’ work• Not honoring commitments• Gossiping

Restoring Breached Trust

• Accept responsibility.• Admit your mistake.• Apologize.• Act to deal with the consequences.• Make amends.• Pay attention to the impact your actions

are having on rebuilding trust.

Leadership Self Assessment

Benefits of Self-Knowledge

• Self-knowledge helps leaders to:– Understand others and their reactions to

others.– Appreciate others’ points of view.– Leverage their strengths.– Compensate for weaknesses.– Earn trust.– Be aware of how they impact others.– Have more self-confidence.

Self-Reflection

• Helps ensure that actions are sound.• Helps us learn from experience.• Allows us to notice habitual ways of

responding.

Self-Reflection Methods

– Taking a time-out– Journal writing– Note taking– Talking to others (thinking out loud)– Speaking into a tape– Meditation– Drawing pictures

Encouraging Feedback

– Know why you are asking.– Ask only when you are open to hearing it.– Listen! Take notes.– Do not be defensive.– Restate to be sure you understand.– Ask follow-up questions.– Thank them.– Follow through and make changes.– Ask infrequently until you show changes.

Team Building

Thank You!• Jeffrey M. Goldberg, FPEM, CHS-III

Planning ManagerPalm Beach County Division of Emergency Management561-712-6337jgoldber@pbcgov.org

• Rob Shelt, FPEMAssistant ManagerPalm Beach County Division of Emergency Management561-712-6317rshelt@pbcgov.org