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No cost for Texas residents
$150 for Out-of-State attendees

Rick Lasky

"Life's Turns: It's All About Family —
Values Based Leadership"

As we travel down our life’s roads, we often face decisions as to which way to turn. Depending on the choice we make and the turn we choose, we either enjoy success or feel the sting of failure. But when our decisions are based on strong family values combined with a “workplace community,” the results prove to be extremely successful. When you look at every success story, examine how it all happened. One thing stands out. One area continuously rises to the top. Family!

Rick Lasky, a 40-year veteran of the fire service, served as chief of the Lewisville (TX) Fire Department for 12 years. He received the 1996 ISFSI “Innovator of the Year” award for his part in developing the “Saving Our Own” program. He was the co-lead instructor for the HOT Firefighter Survival program at FDIC for more than 10 years and is a member of the editorial advisory board for Fire Engineering and FDIC International. He is the author of Pride and Ownership-A Firefighters Love of the Job and co-author of Five-Alarm Leadership: from the Firehouse to the Fireground and is the co-host for the podcasts “The Command Post” heard on FireEngineering.com and “Old School” heard on iTunes. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award.

Why Should I Attend?

The annual TEEX Leadership Development Symposium is open to all who want to be inspired to become better leaders. While the focus is on emergency response personnel such as fire, EMS, nursing, and public safety, many of the sessions are geared toward general leadership topics that are relevant to most organizations. Network with those who have gone through similar issues and learn what worked for their organization.

Where is the Symposium Held?

The 2020 event is at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in San Marcos, TX. 

Please note: The special price room block at the Embassy Suites is sold out. Visit the Symposium event page for updated hotel information.

Have more questions? See our frequently asked questions.

Mark E. Lee
Fire Chief
Garland Fire Department

What Makes a Great Leader?

When I think of great leaders there are many faces that come to mind. Some were fire chiefs and some were not even in the fire service. What commonalities do they have? Some are women and some are men. All different age ranges and diverse backgrounds are represented. So again, what do all of these people have to make them be seen as leaders?

I’ve given it some thought and here are the characteristics that I’ve identified in them. Those traits are honesty, courage, trustworthiness, good communicators, and defenders of what’s right. Some were better at some traits than others but I think they all had these characteristics about them.

6 Ways CEOs can Prove They Care about More than Shareholder Value
—hbr.org

Whatever they thought they were doing, the 181 CEOs who signed the Business Roundtable’s breakthrough statement on the purpose of corporations embraced a much wider interpretation of corporate responsibility—signalling the beginning of the end for the shareholder primacy cult. 

Leadership: It's Not about You
—forbes.com

One of the greatest things about leadership is that we all bring something different to the table. If you were to read articles on good leadership qualities, you would usually see factors like integrity, effective communication and influence. These are all wonderful qualities of a leader, but I am going to share something I believe has made me stand out as a leader.

There is No Success without a Successor
—cpse.org

The success of any fire department is contingent upon the organization’s ability to proactively address problems before they become a crisis. This is applicable to both emergency and non-emergency responses.

Support the Symposium!

The Leadership Development Symposium is looking for premier supporters to sponsor this event.

Please contact Robert Barron for more information.
Leadership.Symposium@teex.tamu.edu or (866) 878-8900

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