October 13, 2023
The titles of my last two blogs were, “Are You Personally and Professionally Developing?” You may have a plan for development, but is it diluted and weak?
The fuel spill
Throughout my career as a firefighter, I responded to a wide variety of incidents, including fuel spills ranging from small puddles to gasoline flowing from a tanker due to a damaged valve.
During the summer of 2017 we responded to a report of a fuel spill over ten gallons at a local convenience store. Arriving on scene, I saw that nearly three quarters of the parking lot was covered with diluted gasoline floating on water.
The clerk came over to my vehicle and said a customer drove off from the pumps with the nozzle still in the tank. The emergency shut-off properly engaged but not before gasoline had spilled onto the ground.
Dilution equals pollution
The problem became much larger due to the actions taken by the clerk before we got there. Although the employee had good intentions and wanted to help, she created a larger issue by washing down the fuel spill with a garden hose. What had been a small area of gasoline turned into a large, diluted mess covering most of the parking lot. In other words, the dilution created pollution.
What about you?
What about your personal development and growth? Was your growth plan diluted in 2020 due to Covid and it has not yet recovered? Are you waiting for your chain of command to send you to classes? Is the training chief telling you to wait until 2024 when the new budget cycle begins? Have you become complacent regarding your personal and professional development?
One method of personal development is by enrolling in online learning such as the companion course to my book The Furnace of Leadership Development. This eleven-module course aligns with each chapter in the book and includes short videos, action guides, bonus material, and a PDF copy of the book.
To access the course click this link: The Furnace of Leadership Development Companion Course – Fire Officer Leadership Academy.
You may also email at [email protected] to learn more about how I can help you avoid diluting your personal and professional development.
©2023 Rick Davis. Artificial intelligence (AI) WAS NOT used to generate this content.
