Half of the battle in leading is knowing ourselves best. If we know ourselves, we can know how we naturally react to certain situations and if our repsonses aren't helping, how to modify our behavior.

What traits do you realize you have that you have had to modify?  How can we best point the people we are mentoring into recognizing their weaknesses and learning to work within those traits to be better leaders?

An article on the Buddhist Channel website quoted His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, as he "called on people to be responsible human beings, to think more of the entire world they live in, rather than caring about their own narrow interests alone, as a way out of the global crisis." The Dalai Lama went on to say that avarice and short-sightedness were to blame, adding that people were guided by emotion and did not think of the long-term consequences.

Later int he article, the Dalai Lama was quoted as having said: "To establish harmony in these relations, we need to learn other religions. If you focus on traditions of different religions, you'll see that there are many similarities. If there are some 'bad' people among representatives of one religion, one must not judge by it about religion as a whole."

I was speaking yesterday with my officers as I made my rounds.  A few weeks back I sent a questionnaire to my personnel, asking them, basically, to conduct a SWOT analysis of our organization over 2011.  If you aren't aware, SWOT is an acronym for "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats".  This is a tool you can use to perform  analysis prior to conducting strategic planning for your team.

When the surveys were returned, there were some things that I took personally.  That's not hard to do when you have ownership of your organization and I have always believed if there were problems, I could take care of them and I don't wait for others to take action.  But before reacting to those statements, I stopped and reflected a little bit.  When I spoke with my officers, as always, I reiterated to them that many of our problems, not just in our department, but in society, come from an unwillingess, or an inability to see the situation from another person's point of view.  In this case it was evident that I thought I had all the answers and it was not the case.  In fact, my involvement in some situations may very well have exacerbated some of the problems.

I give my officers a considerable amount of leeway because they have my trust,  And so you know, this isn't that feel-good Kumbaya "I trust you even when you screw me on every instance I leave you alone" kind of trust either.  My officers earned my trust and they make good decisions, not just to support the organization, but even more so, on behalf of the community we serve.  So when they tell me they have a problem with me, it isn't them complaining, it's the feedback I asked for and the feedback I deserve.

Any time you have a problem with someone, it really helps to reflect on the situation and ask yourself if there was a possibility you had something to do with that problem.  It may be that we weren't clear, or we trusted too much and didn't provide any preparation, or there may have been some other sort of issue.  But regardless, it is up to us to put ego aside and determine what the cause of the problem was and instead of pointing fingers, to determine what we can do to resolve the issues, educate everyone involved, and to move forward.

So here you are and its a new year.  What better time to look at things from a new perspective and to better understand the issues you deal with daily?  Instead of focusing on who screwed up, try focusing on what happened to get us in this jam to begin with, and then, what can we do to avoid having it happen again.  I have heard it said before, if you spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror, you are very likely going to crash into whatever is in front of you.

As the first act of this year, let's resolve to do less pointing of fingers and more walking a mile in another's shoes.  I think by approaching some of our challenges this way we might find more commonalities than differences, and in changing, find healing and growth. 

How is it that I can be even remotely positive?  Well, things pop up that cause me to think deeply about what it is we are called to do and how we go about it.  For example, I'm sitting here in our warehouse at a workstation I'm not normally at, planning on a quick Zen Zone post.  Instead, my eyes are drawn to a page from the publication Our Daily Bread, folded open to where one of our colleagues has apparently put it for inspiration.  In response to Isaiah 26:1-9 - "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you" – it reads, "When we put our problems in God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts."

I found a certain amount of peace during my most challenging periods in life. This year I think I have failed to do that on many occasions. I found myself arguing internally with what I have been taught and what I have seen.  In the very beginning of this year, we witnessed tremendous suffering among many and callousness of those who profited from that suffering.  We experienced great disasters, we experienced personal loss, and we experienced challenges to values we considered to be right.  And we continue to be faced with hypocrisy, profiteering, and greed, while a great many simply gawk at the problems and assume someone else will save us. 

In speaking about the strength of belief before, I pointed out that belief can be very powerful and even dangerous.  Conversely, belief can be life-changing, inspirational, and healing.  I know first hand of instances where profound belief, even in complete contradiction to science, has proven to be miraculous.  A mentor of mine, whose wife has been dealing with congenital heart and lung malformations for decades, was told he would lose his wife if she were not to have a heart and lung transplant.  This was back around 1983 or so that he as told this.  She is still with us, and science hasn't been able to justify any reason why.  But I can assure you, she and her husband are examples of people with a tremendous amount of faith.  You can't look at them and knowing all they have been through, think anything other than faith heals.

We can't answer a lot and science tries daily to put our lives into context, only to open more questions. I heard once that when asked about the schism between science and faith, a researcher said that you can't be a scientist and not believe, because when one door is opened, it just seems to reveal more doors.  Life itself is still too complex to even be answered by science.

Belief is more than about religion.  Belief transcends religion.  In my eyes, religion is just a way for us to frame the existence of God in a manner we can understand.  We have no way of knowing if and when any of the world's religions are right or wrong, but they all certainly have the shared themes of justice, discipline, and virtue, among other qualities.  In these shared values we should all be working toward a better existence rather than trying to decide how we are going to divide up the globe.

In looking back on the issues that faced us in 2011, I found much in the way of rhetoric from our leaders and very little in the way of solutions.  In an amazing year when solutions should have been pursued to make lives easier, political, religious, governmental, non-governmental, and educational leaders failed their followers on any number of occasions.  And when a leadership vacuum occurs, something is going to fill the void.  In our case, I'm not sure I like the looks of that eventuality.

I choose to believe that there are people out there who really care about others and care to make our world a better place to live.  I believe that there are those who are good and just individuals and will fight to preserve the rights of those who can't fight for those rights themselves, those being the young, the elderly, the poor, and the oppressed.

Leadership starts at the roots.  If you are a leader, it doesn't start at the moment you hit the firehouse doors, it is a life choice.  If you are truly a leader, you live it at home, in your work, in your church, in your community.  At this time in our lives, we really need good leaders.  We need those of you with values that encourage hard work, belief in others, justice, and civility to step forward and take on some of these pseudo-leaders.  This isn't an issue of what party you are a member of, or what church you attend, or what school you graduated from.  It is an issue of being an example for those who need to see what an example of good leadership is, of being a good steward of your community, and of serving others.

When 2012 rolls around, I am hoping that those of you who read this share it with those who can also fill the post, and each of you pass it along to create a new "virus" of good, not evil; love, not hate; of peace and fairness; of prosperity for those who strive for it and earn it rather than for those who happen to have access to the backroom deals. 

This should not be a time of anarchy.  Anarchy is definitely NOT what we need right now.  We need leaders who understand what their followers are going through and are empathetic.  We need people to stand up to the bullies and to advocate for those who need it most.  We need to be tolerant of each other and have the difficult conversations without those conversations lapsing into angry diatribes and accusations.  We need leaders who believe in the good to rise up and to cause positive change to the status quo.

In this season of celebration, our entire world should be celebrating the changes that came about when the oppressed finally shrugged off their bonds, in places like Egypt, Libya, and many others.  We need to allow those who will speak against the entrenched to do so, even in our own nation, without fear of persecution.  But regardless, we have to believe in one another, we need to have faith, and we need to be looking right now to whatever we believe in to help bring us together, because we are all one people, and we should be sharing our burdens to lighten the load, picking up some of the load for others who need help, and being a real member of the human race, not just a sheep pretending to be.  Actions speak louder than words.  Do something in 2012 to help others.

If you are doubting in the events happening around our world, contemplate what is really happening around you.  Realize that there are deep, deep connections we have to one another and that nobody, not even those religious or scientific, can explain how they work.  But if we can have faith in others, in ourselves, and in a higher being, however it manifests itself, we can reflect on those problems and work toward a better solution. Even when things seem dark, take a moment and meditate on what you are being presented wth, understand it, and see it for what it is.  Every door we open is to another room with other doors.  Create opportunity, focus on the goal, and move forward.

"Do I look like a cat to you boy? Am I jumpin' around all nimbly bimbly from tree to tree? Am I drinking milk from a saucer? DO YOU SEE ME EATING MICE?" – Trooper Foster, Super Troopers

Sometimes you just have to laugh.  That's a quote, too, from The Wonderpets. If you take yourself too seriously, you won't be much fun to be around.  But laughter has many other benefits, one of which is the ability to improve your outlook and increase your positivity.  At some point when things are pretty bad and you have a moment to yourself, reflect on something you find funny about the situation.  And it should go without saying that I stress "to yourself" because when things get pretty bad, sometimes the attempt at humor isn't shared.

However, having a smile to yourself, even in private, works wonders.  And like Springsteen once said, "Someday we will look back and it will all seem funny". Note that he specifically didn't say it would "be" funny.  Seeing even some dark humor in a bad event can sometimes at least help you cope. And in our business, being able to cope means that you can live for another day.

Keep it together and watch out for one another.  Stay safe during this holiday season.  And find time to laugh.

Giving freely of oneself without any expectation of recieving something in return is at the core of all the world's greatest teachings.  The enlightened leader exhibits a giving and generous spirit, and this attitude is the antithesis of greed, possessiveness, and selfishness.

Look at any great leader, great in the sense of respect, love, and honor, and you can see these traits in their everyday being.  Exhibiting magnamimity, allowing subordinates to grow, trusting them to reach forward, and gently correcting their mistakes provides an atmosphere of learning and encourages people to take chances.

The wise master teaches more through being than doing. Leading often requires us to be still and listen.  Only with an open mind and appreciation for another's point of view, do we learn ourselves.

If you want someone to listen to what you have to say, there is the necessity of "speaking the language".  That might sound intuitive, but when I say that I mean REALLY speaking the language; taking into account body language, pauses, culture, and everything else that is being conveyed.  You can speak all day but if you are talking to those who have already tuned you out, you might as well be talking to a wall.

Once we can understand the perspective of our adversary, we can see the path that they are going to take and meet them there.  If you refuse to see where they are going, any path could be the wrong one, or worse, the fatal one.  

Years ago (and when I look back on it, it WAS years ago), when I signed onto what was then a fledgling internet forum on fire service issues, I imagined a place on line similar to some of the think-tank type collaborations I have at times, found myself participating in.  You know, or maybe you don't: beer, talk about deeper issues of the business, stimulating thought, laughter, and long-term friendships.  I have seen some pretty crazy ideas come out of some of those live skull sessions and revolutionize the way we operate emergency services in this nation.

I remember joining with some of the other internet monsters at the time to discuss a certain firefighter training fatality that didn't have to happen.  And while the discussions got hot sometimes, we were forging into uncharted territory.  As a result, I have "met" people on the internet who have inspired me and kept me going on some of my ventures, as I hope I have done the same for. Some of you may even recall those days, in the early days of the International Association of Crusty Old Jakes.  I wasn't a plank holder, but they quickly welcomed me in and I was humbled to be allowed to come join in their side conversations. 

A recent project I am working on has brought me together with some principals in the business and we are spinning an idea we had into something that could be so, so cool.  And we're playing with it.  And the conversation is light, thoughtful, and insightful.  It's really what I want, it is really what I thought this all would really be about. I enjoy having insightful conversation with people who get it.  I know not everyone does, so I am also happy to talk to those people.  But when the party gets crashed by the loud, the obnoxious, the pretenders, and the wannabes, it is then that I move along.  But that's the beauty of this place here, Firehouse Zen, I guess.  We haven't drawn interest from that crowd, so it's comfortable, it's entertaining, and I like the people I'm hanging with.  And a few of the projects I am working on right now seem to be moving in the same direction.

If you want to recharge your batteries, hang out with those who engage you and challenge you, but enjoy being with them. It's enjoying these people that gives you the energy to create.

There are some things going on in our world today that I have come to believe are intolerable.  There are a faction of those in our society who don't understand that their "screw everyone else" mentality is drawing us closer and closer to a breaking point.  The sad part is that I don't believe that they even care.

There are few in this world who really know me.  I mean REALLY know me.  But if there's something I want you to understand, it's that I have no political leanings.  There's no reason for me to follow one party or another. I have no loyalties that encumber me to some faceless entity with a meaningless list of planks that I either ascribe to or I am not invited. And while this is supposed to be a blog about change and leadership, it is for this reason I am even writing this today.

But I resent like hell that when I speak my mind about something, I have people out there who pigeonhole me into whatever little category they wish in order to say their piece.  The truth is, I don't really care what someone has to say except that these days, if you happen to be openminded enough to listen to those who oppose the status quo, you get labeled unpatriotic.  Or liberal.  Or radical. Or socialist. Or traitorous.

So let me tell you a little about myself, for reasons that will become quite clear later.

I am a white male in my late forties who has held a meaningful job for over thirty years.  Throughout most of my life, I have actually held more than one job.  I am a college graduate and have some postgraduate level courses in my transcript.  I am a practicing Catholic and go to Mass at least once a week with very rare exception.  

I have voted Republican in more than one presidential election. I am a member of organizations that people would consider conservative, however, I by no means define myself as conservative or liberal.  I do not support the "distribution of wealth" that is constantly suggested as being the case if you happen to support the current President, and I do not for a moment believe he supports it either, although there are plenty of people out there who love to repeat that.  

When I was graduating high school, I scored well enough on the ASVAB that the Marine Corps came calling.  The VERY HOT blonde female recruiting sargeant told me I could have whatever MOS I wanted.  I rode with her over to Parris Island, right across the Port Royal Sound from where I live, and spent a few days over there getting toured and poured.  I was going to sign on the dotted line when in the course of a week, not one, but TWO of my close friends, who were both in the Corps, told me about how they got screwed on their placement. I chose to take the job I was offered at the fire department instead.  It turned out to be a game-changer.  But I have no hard feelings, in fact, I often wonder how things might have been different.

When the Towers fell, I was in shock.  When I learned 343 of my brothers died, I cried.  When I heard who had done it, I was okay with waterboarding or hooking electrodes up to testicles, or whatever it took to find these pieces of shit, hunt them down, and kill them one by one.  But when our government began to use those powers against other people for their own agendas, including against American citizens who really had nothing to do with terror, I found that I wasn't so willing to allow the games to continue.  But it didn't change my mind that we should hunt these f**kers down and kill them where they stood, even if it was in a friendly nation. 

Likewise, while I think we should be striving for peace and we should be helping our brothers, especially the less fortunate, when someone runs down a firefighter (or anyone else) in the street, or bites an EMT (or anyone else) who is trying to help them, I'm also okay with dragging the individual out the open window of the car and beating the snot out of them, or knocking the jerk's teeth out with a PR-24 so he won't bite anyone else.  Or if someone fires an RPG at one of our troops then hides in a church or a mosque, I say, go get 'em. A saying I have always liked: "Don't f**k with me, and I won't f**k with you.  If you hurt me, I will hurt you.  Bad."  

So as far as I am concerned, anyone who wants to characterize "all" of the supporters of the Occupy Movement as "unwashed", "jobless", left-wing", "nut job", "lowlifes",  can pretty much STFU.  And just because we are willing to listen doesn't mean that we support or reject their ideas either.

I have no idea what the Occupy Wall Street movement wants.  God bless 'em, but I'm not even sure THEY completely know what they want.  I am closely following some of the Occupy feeds, because I find it interesting and I find that I can identify with some of their points.  And I have made friends with some of the leaders, who frankly, have been pretty damn interesting. Conversely, I have also been reading some of the posts by those who don't even try to understand what it is the movement is about and tried to engage them, which has had a pretty predictable outcome.  You can't argue with someone who has already made up their mind.

So I hate to recite the disclaimer line, but it bears mentioning for clarity's sake.  I believe in hard work and honest work. I was raised in a family that didn't have money, so we worked hard to make our money.  When I ultimately married, my wife and I ate (and still do) a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches and drove old cars so we could put money away for a nice home and to send our children to college.  And we have invested in America, even though right now, it doesn't seem like America wants to invest much in me or my loved ones.

I don't want the rich to give up their worldly possessions.  I just ask that if I do what I was told would get me ahead in life, that I at least won't have what little I do have taken away.  And I'm not necessarily saying that we need a "level playing field", whatever that is, but I sure as hell don't consider insider trading, influence peddling, and corporate thuggery to even be playing in the same stadium.  And I also sure as hell don't believe that when I support a bail-out (which I did) of our "too-big-to-fail" corporations, that I should see those same individuals being rewarded with cushy bonuses during a time when my brother firefighters and cops haven't had a raise in three years (although we got a 1% increase last year) or worse, are being laid off.  

But don't blow smoke up my ass and tell me it's sunshine, because frankly, the private sector has done a phenomonal job screwing us all between insurance, the banking and mortgage industries, and environmental protection.  I'm a cynic: "Trust, but verify."  (That's an old Reaganism, for some of you who don't realize that). I do not support the belief that socialism in any aspect is better than any other solution.  Working very closely with the state and federal governments, I know first hand that if there were a private partner that could effectively and ethically handle much of the service government provides, it would be better.  However after watching Halliburton's (and others) handling of our War on Terrorism, I am convinced more now than ever that there are those who wage war not to help nations rise and be self-sufficient, but to line their already full pockets.

I believe our federal and state governments have  managed to screw up everything they have gotten their hands on.  However, I have seen the private sector screw things up worse, and with a lot more greed and disloyalty to our nation than any bureaucrat could ever manage.  I'll take my chances, in certain things, with the government, because then at least we have some control over firing someone.  

Our nation has a chosen few who exploit their position of power to enrich themselves to the detriment of many, and have no problems sleeping at night.  They give no thought nor support to people being forced out of their homes, into bankruptcy, or becoming jobless.  But while I try to consider the fact that while I may not agree with what someone has to say, I realize that they are individuals, people with families, people who go to church (or not) or work alongside others in a community (or not), they have the right to be treated with some dignity, even though that treatment doesn't appear to be reciprocal.  But when I see brother public safety "professionals" beating defenseless individuals, or pepper-spraying them as they sit on a sidewalk, some of the offenses by those in power that have been brought to light seem even more despicable and more arrogant as they are actions being taken against those who we are supposed to be protecting.    

I've never let a bully act out against someone who wouldn't or couldn't defend themselves.  The anarchists who hide inside activist movements are simply provacateurs, with no agenda other than to destroy and to incite hate.  Like in the instance with the guy who bit the cop the other day, there ARE some people who should have the crap beat out of them.  But these individuals are just a few among the real activists, those who are pushing for peace and fairness, who unfortunately, get swept up in the tide.  If anything, we should be able to identify with being painted with a broad brush; anyone in public service should be upset when people talk about how terrible government is.  Just as we despise the inference that our jobs as firefighters are the cause for all of our taxpayer woes, those who are peacefully agitating for justice I'm sure are angry that there are those who abuse their right to free speech by acting aggressively.

I am not the first to say it, but the irony that the Occupy movement is embraced by those who have abused their power the worst (certain politicians) and is lionized by people whose ideals most agree with their basic tenets (the Tea Party) is profoundly amusing, but completely indicative of how obtuse some people are.  Our elected officials are so busy pulling to the right or to the left that they have abandoned the rest of us: those of us in the middle. And there are many, many individuals who have aligned themselves either as Democrats or Republicans who follow zombie-like to their message when the real message is this; we will tell you what to think, and you need to shut up and listen.

I'm not sure that the Occupy movement is all of what it was intended to be.  There are a lot of people suffering in this world at the hands of a few.  I don't for a minute believe the distribution of wealth is the answer, although detractors seem to make it as if it is.  No, what I would like is an equal chance to prove that hard work and investment will give my family a nice home, a decent car, and that our kids will go to the college of their choice.  But when you can manipulate markets, create back-room deals, and obtain insider information at the expense of the rest of us, or ask us to bail you out and you instead use the money to give raises to your executives and lay off the working stiffs, then you are not one of us, you are one of them.

While you all are busting your ass tonight on your third fire alarm activation, or taking Granny to the hospital, consider that there are those, those who are laughing at you right now, thinking that they'll be fine because we are too dumb to do anything about it, while advocating cutting our benefits, laying off brothers, closing up fire stations, or defunding necessary equipment and programs.  But hey, let's not raise the spectre of changing things because that wouldn't be "patriotic".

I'm not asking you to support the Occupy movement or to come down on it.  I'm asking you to think and digest what is going on in our world right now and come to a belief not on what you are being told to think, but on what you value and you observe to be the truth.  Then, considering that others can disagree with you and not bully you into their own ideas, agree that what we really do need is insightful, considerate action toward bringing our nation together, and taking care of our neighbors, before we end up in a new civil war.

We have people who are in power who act irresponsibly and say things that are blatantly inflammatory and throw out as a defense of their ignorance that they were divinely inspired to run for office.  And if, God forbid, we speak out, assemble, or otherwise oppose their beliefs, we are "anarchists", "socialists", "un-American" and "unpatriotic".  And if we were to speak out, like our forefathers once did, we should be run off of public property for holding rallies to say the things we see as important.

I'm aware this is a very long post, but I have been chewing on it for quite a while.  The reality is that many are willing to lay down and take a beating from those who don't give a flying f**k about whether you have a job, a home, or your next meal because they are sheep, not leaders.  If you are willing to deny the right to speak and assemble to those who seek justice, then you are sheep, not  leaders.  If you can sit there with a straight face and suggest that "we the people" are being appropriately represented, that we have "leaders" who are serving OUR interests and not the interests of corporations and the elite, and suggest that we have been supporting our most vulnerable populations: the elderly, the young, the disabled, and even more, our veterans, then there is nothing I can say to change your mind.

When did our nation become a gathering of those who tolerated bullies?  Our whole existence has been predicated upon fairness and justice, compassion for the downtrodden, for the underdogs, for the needy, for the victims and the persecuted.  But I guess these days if "you've got yours", then it's okay to say, "screw everyone else."  If that isn't being a bully, I don't know what is.

Don't criticize what you don't understand.  And even then, if you find yourself to be in a position of understanding, realize that it's still just your perception.  A little openmindedness and willingness to see from someone else's point of view would go a long way.

One of the blogs I follow is "The Stupid Way", which is written by an Irish lad who began practicing Buddhism and is currently living and teaching in Japan.  In a discussion on "Buddhism and God", Pete writes:

I’d always found it hard to believe in the idea of a God who had somehow created the universe from outside. So for me the Buddhist idea of God and the universe being the same thing was easier to accept. But Nishijima’s answer didn’t quite satisfy me. If God is the universe and the universe is God, then who made the universe? This, of course, is the big question. I don’t know why I wanted to ask Nishijima about it, because there's no way he could know. But I him asked anyway. He told me the Buddhist idea is that the universe has always existed.

While I am a practicing Catholic, I am open to the idea that there are ideas and practices in other religions that might extend into my own practice of faith.  Even more so, I find also that sometimes the things I learn from other religions or beliefs help me to understand my own experience with God, as well as in leading, following, dealing with conflict, etc. 

This ties into our discussion here in that I was meditating on the concept of culture change and I was struggling with the idea that a radical change in culture in an organization that is considered successful, seems even more frought with difficulty. If the culture is good, and if it exists because the nature of those involved in it is good, why should we consider change?  And why wouldn't you want to change things?  After all, we should be endlessly improving and moving forward, so even if things are good now, shouldn't we agitate for change so that we remain fresh?

If the culture is who we are, and we are the culture, how do we change that? Why do we want to walk away from something comfortable and working to go to the hard, cold unknown, where we can't even begin to know or understand what lies ahead?  

The answer to those in successful cultures is that we change because that IS our culture. 

Part of the reason why it seems like conflict between individuals is continually escalating is because it is.  In order for us to move out of this destructive cycle, we have to understand that society's approach to conflict, to treat it as a battle, is counterproductive.  Especially in politics, the combatants are continually competing for power over one another, rather than to develop broad, bipartisan support to solve shared problems.

Pitched battle is not a desirable tactic.  It exerts energy that could be utilized by just fighting smarter. A siege is the last type of battle anyone should want to engage in. It does not resolve the issues quickly or intelligently either.  It is best to look for opportunities, to engage when the timing is right, and to focus resources on the battle at the appropriate time and in adequate numbers.

In the meanwhile, create peace when you can, make allies when you can,  In the future, your success may be dependent on the forces you can summon not from your own stores, but from the stores of others.  Success does not come quickly or easily. But it will never come unless we start grappling with the hard problems first and use our energy wisely.