It’s easy to poke and prod at the things we need to improve in our comm centers. It’s a legit exercise, this poking and prodding, but an important fact gets lost when we focus solely on what needs to be fixed: Our comm centers are filled with absolute badasses doing sheer badassery. Yes, badasses doing…
Human beings work in 9-1-1. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that. Dispatchers train hard to assist our citizens unemotionally and efficiently. Doing the job well requires us to set our feelings aside. But our human side is always there, and we are always vulnerable. In the 90’s I worked with an intensely likable, jovial guy…
Far too often, leaders in 9-1-1 centers are becoming overly defensive with — and disconnected from — their people. Make no mistake – there are many absolutely heroic leaders out there doing incredible things in their comm centers (I’m fortunate to know several of them). Forward-thinking leaders who are putting their people first and using…
For the love of all that’s holy, get control of your compulsion for sustained, ineffectual, soul-draining meetings, people. Let’s be perfectly honest – meetings are a necessity. Well planned and executed meetings can get people on the same page, infuse groups with energy & purpose or share important messages. But I’m not talking about purposeful…
There’s a simple fact about one of the most damaging scenarios you hear about whenever you talk to 9-1-1 teams: It’s universally curable, despite its ugly prevalence. The scenario: A handful of deeply resentful and bitter employees spew bile and cause strife, all while running rampant and completely unchecked. Except for the select chosen few…
Nothing leaves a more lasting impression at work than the way we talk to each other. This is true of nearly any workplace scenario in which talking is necessary – but it’s especially true when we are communicating with each other under duress in a 9-1-1 center. When we are at our most raw and…
