Candice Ashby

39 years of combination experience. A Battalion Chief on B shift with the Indianapolis Fire Department. Doctorate of management in organizational leadership. I wanted Candice to come on and share her story of how and why she got into the fire service but also wanted her to preach on Organizational leadership challenges and issues within departments across the nation and she did not disappoint. Often, problems aren't solely the fault of one individual, but rather indicators of flaws in the organization's systems or processes. A "blame culture" focuses on who to blame rather than what went wrong and how to fix it. When employees fear repercussions for admitting mistakes or taking risks, they may be less likely to collaborate, share ideas, and take ownership of their actions. Instead of focusing on assigning blame, organizations should prioritize learning from mistakes and identifying ways to improve. I would like to encourage all crews to listen to this interview, together if possible. Absorb the information being said, process it then ask yourself if you fit into this category.