Step Up Your Teamwork

Through powerful stories and proven principles, Step Up Your Teamwork teaches how to create momentum, prepare for success, prevent collapse, and turn a group of individuals into a high-functioning team. Frank Viscuso encourages each person to tap into individual talents, skills, and abilities and recognize how to use these skills to improve the team as a whole. The book discusses various proven firefighting team-building methods you can implement immediately.

In his new book Step Up and Lead, Frank Viscuso--author, speaker, and career deputy chief--shares the secrets of effective fire service leadership, introduces the traits and skills essential for successful fire service leaders, and discusses the importance of customer service. Designed to help you reach the top of your profession, this new book is considered must-read material for anyone who is ready to step up and lead!

In his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni laid out a groundbreaking approach for tackling the perilous group behaviors that destroy teamwork. Here he turns his focus to the individual, revealing the three indispensable virtues of an ideal team player. In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle’s company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues. Beyond the fable, Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players. Whether you’re a leader trying to create a culture around teamwork, a staffing professional looking to hire real team players, or a team player wanting to improve yourself, this book will prove to be as useful as it is compelling.

“If your desire is to effect change or have more influence on a software team, you could either stumble around in the dark for a few years, experimenting with different techniques, or you could buy, read, and apply the techniques in this book. This choice, of course, is up to you.”–Matthew Heusser “Jim Brosseau’s understanding of the true dynamics of the IT workplace shows through in Software Teamwork. For those on the IT solution delivery front lines, and for those who manage them, his insights and wisdom will lead to not only better projects, but a better work life as well.”–Bruce A. Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Accendor Research, Inc. Optimizing the Human Side of Software Development: Real Solutions Based on Real Data and Experience Software Teamwork is a compelling, innovative, intensely practical guide to improving the human dynamics that are crucial to building great software. Drawing on years of work with a wide range of teams, Jim Brosseau shows how to drive powerful improvements through small, focused changes that deliver results. These changes are designed to work for the whole team and respect existing organizational culture. Better yet, Brosseau identifies solutions you can start implementing right now, as an individual, without waiting for executive buy-in. Whatever your methodology, technology, or organization, Software Teamwork demonstrates how to apply solutions to realistic development challenges involving complex sets of stakeholders. Along the way, Brosseau shares important new insights into the attitudes, motives, and personal relationships that project management software just can’t track. Software Teamwork is a revelation–and an invaluable working resource for every project team member, leader, and stakeholder. Preface xv Acknowledgments xxi About the Author xxiii Part I: The Problem Space Chapter 1: Why Are We So Challenged? 3 Chapter 2: Do the Right Thing 23 Part II: Individuals Chapter 3: The Right Stuff 39 Chapter 4: A Quality Focus 53 Chapter 5: Facing Challenges 65 Chapter 6: Proactive Effectiveness 81 Chapter 7: Sustainability 95 Part III: Groups Chapter 8: Communication 109 Chapter 9: Motives and Expectations 125 Chapter 10: Playing Well Together 143 Part IV: Teams Chapter 11: Alignment 161 Chapter 12: Organization 177 Chapter 13: Coordination 199 Chapter 14: Guidance 217 Part V: Stakeholders Chapter 15: Customers 235 Chapter 16: Setting Goals 243 Chapter 17: Specification 259 Chapter 18: Prioritization 273 Chapter 19: Change 283 Chapter 20: Progress 295 Part VI: Putting It All Together Chapter 21: Pick Your Battles 311 Chapter 22: Flexibility and Rigor 323 Chapter 23: Progress Revisited 335 Chapter 24: Change Revisited 345 Chapter 25: Constant Vigilance 361 Part VII: Appendix Appendix: Core Tools 375 Index 387

What makes a good team? What makes a good team leader? How can I develop my team? If you're looking for answers to these questions, you'll find the answers in this book. Through thirty years of climbing expeditions with friends, Walter Wright has learned a lot about mountaineering, about his teammates and about working on and leading a team. He shares with us the tales of expeditions (successful and not so successful) and the lessons he and his team have learned from those experiences.

Organizations are only as productive as the interactions that take place between individuals, teams and divisions. This book is a short, engaging guide for dramatically improving the quality of these interactions. The four 'keys' that Judith Katz and Frederick Miller provide offer a framework and a common language for creating an open, honest and supportive workplace, one where people aren't afraid to speak up and where everyone feels respected. The four keys are: - Lean into Discomfort: Be willing to move beyond your comfort zone, and help create an environment where others feel the same way. - Listen as an Ally: Try to find ways you can support fellow employee's ideas. - Share Your Intent and Intensity: Make it crystal clear how committed you feel to any idea you raise. - Share Street Corners: Your perspective - your corner - is only one point of view. Actively encourage people from other ""corners' to offer their perspectives.

Chief Steve Prziborowski reveals more than 101 tips for getting promoted and becoming a vital asset to your fire department, family, and community. From soft skills to hard truths, this book covers what you need to move up the ranks the right way. FEATURING: • Sound advice for personal growth and personal improvement for any firefighter of any rank who wishes to advance • Insights, tricks, and tips for avoiding the pitfalls while preparing for a comprehensive promotional testing process • Bonus: Guidance from 37 professional, knowledgeable fire service veterans What others are saying: “Just like firefighting, getting promoted and moving up isn’t something you can succeed in alone­—it takes a team. Steve has assembled a whole bunch of good fire service veterans who own their very personal experiences, bumps and bruises along with their successes, to help you figure this out. Sit back and prepare to soak up decades of advice based on experience so you can start the climb up.” —Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder (Proudly bumped and bruised since 1973) “After years of teaching thousands of aspiring fire rescue officers, Steve Prziborowski has documented his highly successful training information. You need this book if you are looking to get the edge up on the competition and demonstrate to the hiring authority that you are ready for the job. If you are serious about being a successful fire rescue officer at any rank, do yourself a favor and add this text to your personal library today!” —Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin “Committing to taking a promotional exam requires a Herculean effort, a never-looking-back attitude, and a willingness to give up your life as you know it until the exam is over. The book is an invaluable resource to guide your journey. Study hard and then study harder. Good luck.” —Deputy Chief (Ret.) Anthony Avillo, North Hudson Regional (NJ) Fire and Rescue

Read this book so YOU can start teaching classes in the fire service. Instructor 1 for Fire and Emergency Services by Phil Jose provides the information necessary to become certified as a Fire Instructor 1 according to the National Fire Protection Association's 1041 standards. It covers lesson plans, learning styles, how to construct a lecture, audiovisual equipment and classroom setup, mentoring, distance learning, and testing. Features: - Provides the information you need to become certified as a Fire Instructor 1 - Meets the requirements for Fire Instructor 1 in NFPA 1041: Standard for Fire and Emergency Service Instructor Professional Qualifications - Points of Performance highlight effective teaching methods - Provides sample lesson plans, skill sheets, and courses - Builds a solid foundation for your fire service teaching career