As a new chief hired from the outside, the instructor quickly learned his education and experiences did not prepare him for the complex personnel issues that would come before him. Of all the challenges the organization was facing, the issue of “difficult people” would be the most damaging. He tells his story, which made headline news and could have ended his life as he came face to face with a difficult employee. He uses the lessons he has learned to spark interest in his students to reshape their organizational policies and practices to better their departments. He leads attendees through the history of the fire service to review the important role of firefighters, then moves into defining a “difficult person” and how our generational differences (beliefs, work ethic, and so on) require frequent adjusting to tune the elite team we need to become. Students learn how to resolve conflict and bad behavior through role plays of several of the typical personality types encountered inside the fire stations and how to handle them. This workshop gives students the information they need to better their interpersonal skills.
