Human Factors Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association Team Leader Training

 Objectives  Leadership and supervision  Risk management  Team safety  Psychological health and safety  Tr ansportation Human Factors

 A team leader must be able to  Lead  Supervise Team in a safe and efficient manner  Direct  This involves recognizing hazards due to physical or psychological demands, and taking into consideration the different personalities and skill sets present within the team Leadership

 The team leader must be able to be both a  Leader  Supervisor  They must be able to  Coach  Manage  Resolve conflict  Counsel Leadership and Supervision

 The team leader must have a thorough understanding of effective two-way communication skills including  Body language  Appropriate language – written and verbal  Active listening  Giving and receiving feedback Communication

 Break into groups  What are 10 POOR ways of communicating information (write out your responses on flip carts provided)  Then discussion – how can these poor communication skills be corrected? Tabletop Exercise

 The team leader must understand  Characteristics of an effective team  Principles of conflict management  Coach skills  Ability to address inappropriate actions by team member Group discussion question – How, as a team leader, can you address a team member regarding inappropriate behaviour? Team Leader

 Break into groups  What are some attributes of a good leader? (Write out your responses on flip carts provided). Tabletop Exercise

 Knowledgeable, competent and relevant experience  Safety mindedness  Decisiveness  Respect  Good judgement  Credibility  Problem solving – adaptability  Motivator  Ability to Delegate  Mentor  Interpersonal skills  Compassion and empathy  Motivator Leadership Attributes

 Four Behavioural Types  Directing  Directing – decisions made by the leader and passed to the team  Coaching  Coaching – the leader seeks ideas and listens to suggestions from the team  Supporting  Supporting – the leader facilitates and supports the team’s efforts and decision making  Delegating  Delegating – control is with the team. The leader assigns a task and the team makes the decisions Leadership Styles

 Coaching is a form of guidance, and is an interactive process  How to Coach  Team leaders can provide constructive feedback by  Describing specific and changeable behavior “I”“you”  Using “I” statements (less accusatory than “you”)  Being respectful  Emphasizing strengths as well as weaknesses  Checking for understanding  Not dwelling (once feedback has been given, move on) Coaching

 Coaching is most effective and relevant if given soon after the behaviour is observed  Guidance can occur anywhere  However, while praise can be given in public, constructive criticism should always be delivered in private Coaching

 As a team leader you will have to deal with conflict and this will require a blend of different approaches to keep the team focused on carrying out assignments  It’s important to be flexible when dealing with members with different personalities and past experiences Conflict Management

 Avoidance approach  Avoidance approach – “tomorrow” or “no way”  The issue is of low importance  It’s necessary to reduce tension in the situation  It’s necessary to buy some time  The immediate needs of the mission outweigh the need to resolve the conflict Approaches to Conflict Management

 Compete approach  Compete approach – “my way or the highway”  The situation requires quick action  An unpopular decision needs to be made  The issue is of vital importance  It’s necessary to protect self-interests or safety of others Approaches to Conflict Management

 Accommodate approach  Accommodate approach – “it would be my pleasure” or “your way”  It’s necessary to demonstrate being reasonable  It’s important to create good will  The goal is to keep the peace  The issue is of low importance Approaches to Conflict Management

 Compromise approach  Compromise approach – “meet me halfway”  The issue is of moderate importance  There are time constraints requiring a temporary solution  There is a strong personal commitment to resolution  There is an equal power relationship with the other party Approaches to Conflict Management

 Collaborate approach  Collaborate approach – “two heads are better than one” or “our way”  The issues are too important to compromise  Attempting to gain commitment  The situation requires a merging of perspectives  The conflict is important to those trying to find an integrated solution  Trying to improve relationships Approaches to Conflict Management

 Break into groups  Scenario 1-You have a team member that is posting pictures on Facebook of an active search  Scenario 2: Two team members are going through a divorce and are not working well together  Scenario 3: A team member continuously interrupts a training exercise to demonstrate they know more about the topic than you do Within your group decide which approach will work best for each scenario. Then we will discuss together Tabletop Exercise

 A team leader must initiate corrective action when performance within the team is adversely affected  They must also be prepared to respond to a request for assistance to solve a personal issue  The team leader should assist the member to discover the solution to their problem Counselling

 The team leader plays a key role when it comes to identifying, assessing and managing the risks to which team members may be exposed  At any time the team leader can suspend or terminate the assignment if the safety of the team would be compromised Risk Management

 In order to assess risk, the team leader must understand potential hazards on a search such as weather, wildlife, terrain etc.  They must also know how to anticipate and assess level of risk and strategies of dealing with risk  Further details and steps to identify hazardous environment/situations will be covered in Section 10 Risk Management

 Team safety should be given first priority in the implementation of search assignments from beginning to end  Safety information needs to be provided when briefing the team  Team members’ capabilities need to be considered  Monitor physical conditions throughout the assignment  Ensure the safe operation of vehicles and equipment  Ensure health breaks and rests Team Safety

 Team leaders can do many things to ensure safety during an assignment  Break into groups  In groups, let’s brainstorm and come up with lists of ways leaders can accomplish this during search operations Tabletop Exercise

 Personal issues may affect a searcher’s ability and effectiveness  It is important to be familiar with how to assist team members who may be affected by an incident and suffering from stress  The team leader should be able to recommend resources available post-search Psychological Health and Safety

Questions