Professional Reading Program

The Hero Code by Admiral William H. McRaven (USN Ret.)

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• Level 1, Follower
• Level 2, New Leader

This is an excellent and easy to read book about the importance of simple actions and virtues in leadership, and it takes a look at ten traits that contribute to the heroic leadership we see around us every day. The author is a well-respected leader who served in many leadership roles throughout his career, including serving as the Commander for all Special Operations Forces.

The Hero Code discussion guide

The Stress Effect by Henry L. Thompson

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• Level 3, Leader of People
• Level 4, Leader of Leaders
• Could be a good read for level 1 and level 2 leaders who want to take a deeper dive

Leaders in the wildland fire service are required to make important decisions quickly and while under stress. It’s critical to understand how a leader’s cognitive and emotional intelligence are affected by stress, and what you can do to mitigate the effects of stress on your ability to lead others and make good decisions. This book contains information that’s valuable for anyone who wants to better understand and manage stress in their lives.

The Stress Effect discussion guide

Fully Present by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• Any, but earlier is better since mindfulness is a tool that can be used at all levels

All leaders and followers should have a toolkit of skills and knowledge that go beyond the technical aspects of the work and of leadership and can be applied in other parts of life. An understanding of the concept of mindfulness is a valuable addition to any leader’s toolkit, and the practice itself can be hugely beneficial personally and professionally. Many respected fire leaders have advocated for firefighters to practice mindfulness, and it can be valuable at any level of leadership.

Fully Present discussion guide

Bringing Columbia Home by Michael D. Leinback and Jonathan H. Ward

Best Wildland Fire Leadership Level to read this book:

• Level 4, Leaders of Leaders
• Level 5, Leaders of Organizations

While this is not a book that has a primary focus on leadership, you can see many examples of leadership in action throughout this book. This is an especially good read for leaders of teams or organizations that can be expected to provide leadership in new or unfamiliar settings (the wildland fire community was a huge player in the response to disaster.) The lessons learned from NASA's experience in responding to the event could be scaled and applied to any organization that conducts operations in the wildland fire environment.

Bringing Columbia Home discussion guide

Sailing True North by Admiral James Stavridis (USN Ret.)

This is an excellent book about the importance of character in leadership, and examines the lives of ten Admirals from various backgrounds and times in the context of character and leadership development. The author is a well-respected leader who served in many leadership roles thought his career, including serving as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO.

Sailing True North discussion guide

The Thirtymile Fire by John Maclean

One of the best ways to make sure the lessons of the past are passed on to the next generation is to read the stories of those who went before. This book is an in-depth examination of the Thirtymile Fire of July, 2001, in which 4 firefighters perished. Since 2021 is the 20th year since this fire, it’s an excellent time to revisit the events and the lessons learned in order to honor those who lost their lives. While not a leadership book per se, it's a book that covers an important part of our cultural history as wildland fire managers and leaders, and should be on every fire leaders reading list.

The Thirtymile Fire discussion guide

Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff

Leaders and followers should have a “toolkit” of skills and knowledge that should extend beyond the technical aspects of fire management and leadership. An understanding of the concept of self-compassion is a valuable addition to any leaders toolkit, and the practice of self-compassion can be hugely beneficial both personally and professionally.

Self-Compassion discussion guide

A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

While this is not a book that focuses on leadership explicitly, if you pay attention you can see that the subject of the story, Virginia Hall, exhibited a wide variety of leadership skills in very challenging situations. As an example of applied leadership in extremely adverse and chaotic conditions, her story offers a number of lessons for astute leaders and followers to learn from and apply in their own lives.

A Woman of No Importance discussion guide

Presence by Amy Cuddy<200b>

This is a great book to use to tie into the 2020 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign – “Do You Know Who You Are?” () as it focuses on many things that a leader can use to better understand themselves and develop command presence. You may have seen the TED talk associated with this book, as it’s been hugely successful and widely shared.<200b>

Presence discussion guide

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

It has long been recognized that mindfulness training and practice is a valuable skill for firefighters and other fire managers, with fire leaders like Paul Gleason and Ted Putnam advocating for mindfulness practice in the fire organization. This is an excellent introduction to the concept and practice of mindfulness, and contains many helpful tips and ideas that can be applied anywhere.<200b>

Wherever You Go There You Are discussion guide

Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis and Bing West

In this book, Jim Mattis shares leadership lessons earned over decades of service as a leader in the U.S. Marine Corps, at every level from early leader to a senior advisor to the Commander in Chief. This memoir is a gold mine of ideas and lessons for leaders of all levels in an organization, and many of the concepts found inside can be directly transferred to leadership in the wildland fire setting.<200b>

The Call Sign Chaos discussion guide

Hal Moore On Leadership by Hal Moore and Mike Guardia

Hal Moore is probably best known for his book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, and this book contains his ideas and lessons on leadership developed over a long and active career in the U.S. Army. While some of the language in the book is from another era, the leadership concepts and advice are still valid today, especially in the wildland fire service.<200b>

Hal Moore on Leadership discussion guide

The Leader’s Bookshelf by James Stavridis and R. Manning Ancell

A books on books that contains some basic ideas about the value of a reading program in leadership development, and a list of 50 books recommended by over 200 military leaders. Each book on the list has a section on why it was recommended, what the author’s background was, what the book was about, and what leadership lessons can be learned from reading it.<200b>

The Leader's Bookshelf discussion guide

The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

The follow up title to Extreme Ownership, this is another book that is full of practical leadership concepts and tools that can easily be applied to all levels of wildland fire leadership, from firefighter two to area command. This is a great read as a standalone title, and it’s even better if you’ve read Extreme Ownership. The leadership skills described in the book are field tested, and born of experience.

The Dichotomy of Leadership lesson plan

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

This is a must-read for fire leaders. It’s a book that takes a deeper dive into the leadership skills and behaviors that are absolutely essential for high-quality leadership, but are often ignored or misunderstood. Definitely a book that will spark discussion and reflection.

Dare to Lead lesson plan

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

In this book, the author explores what kinds of culture contribute to successful organizations across a variety of disciplines, and examines the mindsets, actions, and behaviors that make them work. This is an excellent book to read for leaders and followers who want to work on creating or sustaining a leadership culture in their organization, whether that’s a squad, crew, department, or agency.

The Culture Code lesson plan

Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

Not a leadership book per se, but one that really takes a different look at decision-making, which is a fundamental skill for wildland firefighters and leaders at all levels. This is a book that examines some of the ways that we make decisions, and offers some tools for making better decisions in situations where we don’t have all the facts, which of course is relevant to leadership in wildland fire.

Thinking in Bets lesson plan

You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader by Mark Sanborn

A great little book full of ideas about leadership at all levels, with lots of potential applications in the fire environment. It’s a quick and easy read, and the concepts described are easy to transfer to the workplace and personal life alike.

You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader lesson plan

Tribe by Sebastian Junger

A book that’s not about leadership per se, but is about how we as humans are wired to interact in small groups, and how modern society has changed how we interact. It’s also a great study into how individuals cope with traumatic events from warfare to natural disasters. It’s a book that should make most of us think about those around us and how we interact with each other in the fire community.

Tribe lesson plan

Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Ret.)

While the title seems like it should belong to a children’s book, this is actually a great read for fire leaders at every level. Based on a commencement address from 2014, it takes some simple, actionable ideas from the authors experience as a Navy SEAL and applies them to the bigger picture in leadership and life. As is to be expected, there are plenty of ways to apply these ideas in the fire world.

Make your Bed lesson plan

Brothers Forever by Tom Sileo and Colonel Tom Manion, USMC (Ret.)

A great book that doesn’t so much tell us how to be leaders as it does show us an example of what leadership can look like. A moving story about two friends and their families who paid the ultimate price leading from the front. It’s a book that can inspire us all to be better leaders and individuals.

Brothers Forever lesson plan

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willinks and Leif Babin

A great book on leadership with lots of applications in the fire environment, at the personal and organizational level. A must read for fire leaders. If you read only one book on leadership this year, this should be it.

Extreme Ownership lesson plan

Team of Teams by retired Army General Stanley McChrystal

A book on leadership that focuses on changing from top-down traditional leadership to dynamic leadership that’s more effective in the modern “information” era. Focused on organizational leadership with many applications for fire leaders at any level.

Team of Teams lesson plan

The Art of Authenticity by Karissa Thacker

While it’s focused heavily on the corporate business environment, it also has many ideas and concepts that translate well into the fire world. Authentic leadership matters regardless of who you are or where you work.

The Art of Authenticity lesson plan

Resilience by Eric Greitens

Leadership starts with leading of self, and this book is a great tool for self-improvement as a leader and a person. Leadership starts with you, and as the author says, you need to get yourself right before you lead others.

Resilience lesson plan

We also recommended a handful of other titles in addition to the focus books, including:

The Invisible Gorilla by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons

Not a leadership book per se, but leadership is made better with understanding of how we perceive the world around us, and how our brains interpret what we perceive. A wonderful book on how we see, or don’t see, the world around us.

 

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

A book that examines what it means to be a good leader, and why we instinctively follow some leaders and not others. Many of the ideas will be familiar to wildland firefighters.

 

Between Two Fires by Stephen Pyne

For anyone wanting to dive deeper into fire policy and history, we highly recommend reading Between Two Fires by Stephen Pyne. It explains quite well many of the reasons we got where we are today.  A very thorough history of the American fire scene from the early days until recent events. Closely examines the events, policies, and agencies that shaped American fire management. A lot to absorb, but well worth it for those looking to really think about how and why fire is managed the way it in America.
 

In addition, we're recommending that folks pick one of Stephen Pyne's Fire Survey books (currently California, Florida, the Southwest, and the Northern Rockies are available), and read it with a mind toward thinking about how different fire and fire cultures can be in different parts of the country.

Florida: A Fire Survey by Stephen Pyne
California: A Fire Survey by Stephen Pyne
The Northern Rockies: A Fire Survey by Stephen Pyne
The Southwest: A Fire Survey by Stephen Pyne

A combined series of essays and short stories about the people, places, and organizations that shape each fire region. A great way to learn more about the cultures and natural process of places you may not have experienced.

Yes to the Mess by Frank J. Barrett

Leading well in dynamic, complex environments, where conditions are frequently changing, chaos and confusion are common, and innovation in the face of adversity is needed.

Yes to the Mess lesson plan

Brain Rules by John Medina

Leadership is at its core a human interaction. Understanding human factors, including the way our brains work to interpret what happens around us, is an important part of being a competent leader.

Brain Rules lesson plan

It Worked For Me by Colin Powell

Colin Powell shares leadership and life lessons, notes, observations, and insights that he has acquired over a lifetime of experience in the military, the State Department, and his personal life.

It Worked For Me lesson plan

Turn the Ship Around! By L. David Marquette

The author explores how he empowered his followers to be leaders at all levels in the high-stress operating environment of a modern nuclear submarine.

Turn the Ship Around! lesson plan

Smokejumper by Jason A. Ramos

The author takes readers alongside his personal journey as a wildland firefighter, from his early years in California to his time spent as a smokejumper in the Washington Cascades.

Smokejumper lesson plan

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand.

The book is focused on the story of Louis Zamperini during World War Two, but also looks at his life before and after the war, and the tragedies, challenges and triumphs that he experienced. As a value-added feature, readers are encouraged to venture into the Leadership in Cinema realm and watch and discuss the film version.

There are several themes in the book that carry over into our realm of leadership and wildland fire. Two in particular spring to mind: Resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity; and being a leader, even when you have nothing to lead but yourself. This theme, of leading oneself, ties in to the WFLDP’s 2015 campaign of “Followership is Leadership.” Even when we’re not in command or even in control, we can still lead ourselves. To quote William Ernest Henley, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”