A firefighting story captured my attention and daily provides reflection for myself and clients. I hope it does the same for you.

Old story, though new to me, it is a true example of how professional identity can become a trap, how team trust can save lives, and how both shape innovation.

In this time of radical change, this story of fire feels very relevant.

The true story: Wag Dodge and the Mann Gulch fire on August 5, 1949.

Smokejumper foreman Wagner “Wag” Dodge and 14 other smokejumpers, joined by district fire guard James Harrison, were trapped in Mann Gulch, Montana, when a sudden wildfire blowup raced up the slope.

Realizing they could not outrun the wall of flames, Dodge ordered the men to drop their heavy tools and packs. Most kept their tools continuing uphill, attempting to outrun the fire.

Then Dodge did something radical and unprecedented: he lit a fire in the tall grass in front of them, told the crew to step into the burned area, the “black,” and laid down in it himself.

Dodge lay face down in the ashes with a wet handkerchief over his mouth while the hurricane of the main fire passed over him. He emerged unhurt, but tragically, 12 smokejumpers and fire guard James Harrison lost their lives that day.

Dodge’s escape fire became one of the most consequential innovations in wildland-fire survival thinking.

What is so rich about this story for me falls into three categories:

1. Running
2. Tools and identity
3. Team trust

Running

My only personal experience of “running for my life” is being chased by a Rottweiler while riding my bike. I get the physical demand to “step up the speed.” Yet in regular life, running, or urgency, can blind us from solutions and awareness about what we are doing.

I observe many of our work cultures advocate some continual level of urgency in our performance.

There isn’t a fire or a Rottweiler chasing us; it’s often a made-up demand.

That urgency often brings tension.

What do you think allowed Wag Dodge to recognize the futility of what they were doing—and to innovate in a crisis when the fire was literally too hot?

There is a fine balance between being present with the task at hand and having the awareness to see beyond the familiar.

Dodge’s training and experience mattered. But perhaps it was his deep presence that allowed him to see what the moment required.

Presence opens us to solutions, even without complete knowledge. And sometimes our personal history, what we know, who we believe ourselves to be, and what has worked before—can keep us from seeing what is needed now.

In my martial training, I’ve learned that being “centered” serves our performance more than tension. Being centered and present slows time down so we can be more effective. It is also true that choosing to run is far more efficient when running from center, and likely faster.

Unfortunately, many people don’t get this until they’ve hit a wall of exhaustion.

Tools and Identity

The weight of a shovel is obvious in how it slows us down. Yet the 8-ounce tool most of us carry can equally—and maybe more—weigh us down and sabotage creativity, human connection, and awareness of our surroundings.

The use of AI can exponentially increase the weight of this tool as we become more dependent on its data, opinions, and ability to outsource analysis.

Are you willing to put down your “tools” to:

1. Exercise your thought process and mental capacity

More and more, I am with people who choose to set aside “let’s ask AI” and participate in dialogue. The result is a much richer exploration of the topic. Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

AI may stimulate a thought, but we must develop it further. If you want innovation and imagination, do not stop at AI: dream, think, and share with other people.

2. Engage with others and your environment to create new insights and understanding

Hearing leaders express relief that their people can ask AI rather than them is a slippery slope. You lose knowledge about what is working, what is not working, and where there may be something to address. I write about this more deeply in my article, The Double-Edged Sword.

3. Lighten your load of distraction

On a trip to Belize, my phone was stolen the first day. While it was initially very disorienting, I found it to be quite liberating. Research is clear that multitasking is not effective. The mere presence of a phone can be distracting when you are meeting with someone. Try it.

Team and Leader Trust

We might assume this team had trust. Yet they were elite specialists who had little time to build cohesion when called into an emergency. Dodge’s urgent command likely lacked the trust and shared understanding needed to be followed instantly.

In this era of bringing in temporary help, leaders and colleagues need to make an extra effort to build that trust early.

What does it take for you to have trust on your team?

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team® describes the need for productive conflict—what I call conflict mastery.

This is about having productive conversations when there are differences, especially when the answer is not obvious, the pressure is high, and the familiar way is no longer working.

Trust is not built in the middle of the fire. It is built beforehand: in the small moments when we listen, challenge one another with respect, admit what we do not know, and learn to think together.

Then, when urgency arrives, a leader’s unexpected direction is not merely heard—it can be followed.

The Montana fire story is not an argument against tools, speed, or AI. It is a reminder to hold them lightly.

In a time of radical change, we need the awareness to recognize when running harder will not save us; the courage to put down what is weighing us down; and the trust to step into a new, unproven space together.

There may not be a fire or a Rottweiler chasing us. But when we feel that familiar urgency, perhaps the better question is: What do I need to put down so I can see what is needed now?

Let's roll!  Karen
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​P.S. It is not lost on me to wonder: What if I had stopped running from the Rottweiler? Was he only in it for the chase?