What can business and organizational leaders learn from a fire chief? Quite a bit. Adrian Sheppard shares his perspective on leadership when the role is highly public, you have competing constituencies, and service is a matter of life and death.

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Adrian Sheppard is the Fire Chief for the City of Redmond, Washington, overseeing all of the city’s fire, rescue, and emergency medical services.

“I see leadership as this competency-based power curriculum. You’re always spiraling up and learning more as you go along. But it’s built upon the things you learned previously.”

— Adrian Sheppard

Adrian Sheppard is a distinguished fire service leader deeply committed to public safety, community service, and the principles of social justice, equity, and environmental sustainability. His multifaceted career, enhanced by a tenure as a commissioned officer in the military, showcases unparalleled leadership, strategic foresight, and a dedication to crisis management. Adrian’s educational background includes advanced degrees from Penn State University, the Naval Postgraduate School, Grand Canyon University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, underlining his pursuit of excellence and lifelong learning.

His certifications, such as Executive Fire Officer and Fire Officer II, further highlight his commitment to professional development. Adrian’s leadership philosophy extends beyond emergency response, emphasizing creating inclusive and equitable environments and implementing sustainable practices to ensure the well-being of communities and the planet. He envisions a fire service that responds to emergencies and actively contributes to building a just and sustainable society for current and future generations.

He currently serves as the Fire Chief for the City of Redmond, Washington; previously served as Fire Chief in Richmond, California; and started in fire service by rising through the ranks from Firefighter to Battalion Chief in Oakland, California.

For more than 30 years, Sharon Richmond has partnered with C-level executives from mid-size and small, fast-growing companies who want to up-level their leadership and build companies they are proud of. Clients accelerate their leadership by embracing mindset and behavior changes, building self-awareness and self-management skills, and focusing on the three things all leaders must ensure: focus, energy and delivery.

Sharon’s purpose as an executive coach is to help leaders 10X their impact by leveraging the power afforded by their roles to build organizations that are forces for good, both economically and socially. She also advises CEOs on shaping organization culture and leading change.

Sharon has taught leadership at Stanford GSB, where she now helps leaders increase influence, manage conflict, and prepare to build high-performing teams.

To see a list of Sharon’s clients, please visit LeadingLarge.com.

Special episode note
At the 22:46 mark, Chief Sheppard mentions actions his department took to learn from the tragic death of Elijah McClain at the hands of paramedics in Aurora, Colorado. For more information and details on this case, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Elijah_McClain.

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee
Sharon’s website: LeadingLarge.com
City of Redmond Fire Department: Redmond.gov/161/Fire

Credits:
Host: Sharon Richmond
Producer: Cynthia Lamb
Assembled by: Andrew Chapman
Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario
Executive Producer: Danny Iny
Music Soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely
Making our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio

Music credits:
Track Title: Escaping Light
Artist: Aaron Sprinkle
Writer: Aaron Sprinkle
Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Track Title: Bright Future
Artist: Be Still The Earth
Writer: Marshall Usinger
Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Special effects credits:

24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.

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