Given our extensive experience in Africa as educators and technical specialists–and long history of emergency operations and college-level fire training in the United States–we customize a week-long, highly interactive, facilitated “introduction to leadership” class specifically for organizational leadership and trainers. This unique course profiles successful organizations and challenges the officers’ personal and organizational norms in such a way that THEY identify the inadequacies of their present system (and in themselves) and are then challenged to identify and develop more effective paradigms.
We approach organizational challenges and personnel development with an “inside-out” approach, where solutions originate within the department through training, mentoring and accountability as opposed to a “top-down, outside-in” program of dictates and decrees. The success and sustainability of this approach relies heavily on institutional ownership and mentored, organic solutions. Developing a core of effective trainers is vital to this effort.