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These are articles on the SAMatters blog.

Situational Awareness Matters!

Technology Can Help AND Hurt Situational Awareness

You don’t have to look far and wide to locate clever marketing campaigns that make outrageous claims to improve our lives or solve our problems. I’ve been noticing this trend now as it relates to products claiming they “create” situational awareness. I was recently at a conference and had an opportunity to have a discussion […]

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Positive and Negative Clues and Cues

As we train our leaders to improve situational awareness it is important the lessons include a list of both positive and negative clues and cues. In the context of developing situational awareness, positive and negative does not mean good and bad. Rather, positive and negative means present and absent. Let me explain.

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Positive Reinforcement of Undesirable Behavior

In this article I am taking on a topic often discussed in my leadership programs more often than in my situational awareness programs – motivation. I’m not going to get in to depth on the topic of motivation as it takes me a solid four hours in a classroom session to demystify the topic and

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More on Training For Failure

Since I announced the release of the Training for Failure live program (and the DVD recording of the program) I have received a lot of emails from firefighters and training officers asking me to tell them more about the program’s content so I thought I’d share with you a snip-it of the catastrophically important content discussed in that

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Mission Myopia: A situational awareness barrier

The primary mission in all emergency situations is to save lives and property. In some agencies when a new member is inducted into the organization they take an oath of office that includes pledging their commitment to this mission. The mission is an important – even noble – calling. But what happens when a responder

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Situational Awareness Matters

Nine Dangerous Mindsets: Part 9 – The Synergist

Welcome to this, the last of the nine part series on dangerous mindsets. From the feedback I’m getting, this series hit some chords with readers. I appreciate the kind words about my observations and the advice I’ve dispensed throughout this series. In this installment I’m going to talk about the Synergist – the person who

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Situational Awareness Matters

Nine Dangerous Mindsets: Part 8 – The Slacker

Welcome to part eight of the Nine Dangerous Mindsets series. In this installment I’m going to take on one of the most challenging and perhaps one of the most frustrating mindsets – the Slacker. This mindset is dangerous to situational awareness because a Slacker does so little to ensure his or her personal readiness for

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Nine Dangerous Mindsets – Part 7: The Superman/Superwoman

Welcome to installment seven of the Nine Dangerous Mindsets series. While these mindsets may have many dangerous implications, my focus is to bring light to how they can impact situational awareness and team safety. I have been receiving some amazing feedback so far on this series. Readers are sharing that I have struck a chord,

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Situational Awareness Matters

Nine Dangerous Mindsets – Part 6: The Silent

Welcome to part six of this nine-part series on dangerous mindsets that can impact situational awareness. I appreciate all of the very kind feedback I have been receiving on this series on Facebook, Twitter and by email. Your positive feedback energizes me so much. Thank you. In this segment we’re going to discuss the Silent member.

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Situational Awareness Matters

Nine Dangerous Mindsets – Part 5: The Stubborn

Welcome to the fifth of the nine-part series on dangerous mindsets that can impact situational awareness and, subsequently, the safety of your team. In this article I am going to address the stubborn team member. This individual can be described as one set in their ways, closed minded and perhaps even defiant. Their narrowed view

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