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Leadership in the Line of Fire
Leadership in the Line of Fire episodes
- How Can Leaders Recognise Their People When There’s No Budget?
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How do you recognise your team when there’s no budget for bonuses, gifts or awards? In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck explores why your most reliable people can feel overlooked, even when you regularly thank them. What happens when the reward for doing a great job is simply more work?
Through firefighting and business examples, Brad shares three unexpected ways to make people feel valued without spending money. Whether you lead employees or volunteers, you’ll learn how to make appreciation meaningful, notice contributions you’ve been taking for granted and take one simple action today to show someone their effort matters.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
17 min - Do I Even Want to Be a Leader? Is It Worth It?
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Is being a leader still worth what it costs you? In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck explores the question many managers, business owners and volunteer leaders quietly ask: “Do I even want this anymore?” When leadership stress and growing responsibilities follow you home, it’s worth examining what needs to change.
Drawing on firefighting lessons and workplace research, Brad shares three unexpected ways to assess your leadership role and decide what comes next. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, trapped by responsibility or guilty about wanting to step back, this episode will help you think clearly about whether to stay, change the conditions or prepare to move on.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
14 min - How Do I Stop Doing & Start Leading?
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Busy leaders can become so focused on tasks, deadlines and daily problems that they stop noticing what’s changing around them. Warning signs are missed, team members feel unheard and an effective plan can quietly become the wrong plan.
In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck explores the weekly leadership questions that help you uncover blind spots, improve team communication and make better decisions. Drawing on lessons from the fireground, you’ll learn how a simple leadership check-in can strengthen situational awareness and help you act before small problems become major fires.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
12 min - Better Leadership Starts With Better Questions
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Busy leaders often become so focused on getting work done that they miss the warning signs building around them. Small changes in the team, the plan or the working environment can quickly become bigger leadership problems when nobody stops to notice them.
In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck shares a simple weekly leadership check inspired by fireground situational awareness. Discover how better questions can uncover blind spots, improve communication and help you adapt before small problems become major fires.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
13 min - Dodge These Leadership Traps New Leaders Fall Into
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Stepping into leadership changes more than your job title. In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, I explore common new leader mistakes and why the pressure to prove yourself can quietly damage trust. Through firefighter leadership lessons and workplace examples, discover how to move from capable team member to confident, trusted leader.
Whether you’re a first-time manager, volunteer leader or business owner, this episode will challenge your assumptions and help you lead people more effectively. For one-on-one leadership mentoring, visit leadershipinthelineoffire.com.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
13 min - What Firefighters Do Before Sunrise
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The habits firefighters build before a shift starts, and how the same five leadership routines work in any business.
Discover the leadership secrets firefighters use every day to make better decisions under pressure. In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck explores why strong leaders plan their escape routes, set clear trigger points, let the right things burn, listen to every person on the team and adapt when conditions change.
You’ll also learn why protecting your team’s energy is essential for performance, safety and resilience. These practical firefighter leadership lessons will help business owners, managers and emergency service leaders stay calm, communicate clearly and lead confidently through uncertainty. For practical leadership mentoring, visit https://www.leadershipinthelineoffire.com
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
19 min - How to Lead Under Pressure
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Seven lessons about how to lead under pressure that you only learn the hard way — unclear roles, strengths turning into weaknesses, and the cost of waiting
How do you lead under pressure when conditions change, information is limited and your team is looking to you for direction? In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck shares seven leadership lessons that are often learned only through real experience.
Drawing on lessons from the fireground, Brad explains how pressure exposes unclear roles, turns strengths into weaknesses and reveals who truly influences a team. You’ll also discover why waiting removes options, how your behaviour affects confidence, when to correct a bad decision and why leadership continues after the incident is over.
This practical episode will help leaders make better decisions, communicate clearly and build stronger teams under pressure.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
23 min - 3 Warning Signs You're Ignoring
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The early warning signs of bad leadership that most managers notice too late and what to do the moment you spot one.
Most leadership problems don't begin with a blowup, they begin with a team that quietly stops asking questions, starts hiding risk, and slowly disconnects before you ever notice.
In this episode, Brad looks at how firefighters are trained to read weak signals before a fire turns critical, and how that same discipline helps leaders catch the early signs of a team in trouble.
You'll learn how to read the room when silence replaces questions, why polished updates should concern you more than bad news, and what to do when your most reliable people start slipping.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
23 min - 3 Calls That Define You
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The three leadership decisions that separate great leaders from everyone else, and why they are almost always made under time pressure.
What leadership decisions separate great leaders from everyone else? In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck explores five uncommon leadership decisions that shape trust, performance and results under pressure.
You’ll learn when to stop or pivot, who should be allowed to challenge your thinking, what you may need to let fail, how to lead through uncertainty and when a win is no longer worth the cost. Using practical lessons from firefighting and business leadership, this episode will help you improve decision-making, crisis leadership and team performance when the stakes are high.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
21 min - 7 Leadership Blindspots That Hold Good Leaders Back
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Even good leaders have blind spots. The challenge is that you can't fix what you can't see. In this episode of Leadership in the Line of Fire, Brad Hauck explores seven common leadership blind spots that quietly undermine trust, decision-making, communication, and team performance. Drawing on real experiences from the fireground, he explains why these hidden habits develop and how they affect the people you lead.
Whether you're leading a business, emergency service, volunteer organisation, or community team, you'll learn practical ways to become more self-aware and lead with greater confidence. If you're ready to challenge your assumptions, improve your leadership, and uncover what's really holding you back, this episode will give you practical insights you can put into action immediately.
Support the show
Enjoying Leadership in the Line of Fire?
Buy the book: Run Towards The Flames - https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Towards-Flames-Mastering-Leadership/dp/1763605132/
Subscribe for more leadership lessons from the fireground and beyond.
🎙️ Listen on your favourite platform:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTubeConnect with Brad Hauck:
🌐 https://www.bradhauck.com
📘 https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Brad+HauckIf this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another leader.
Remember: Great leaders don't run from challenges. They run towards the flames.
18 min
About Leadership in the Line of Fire
From the publisher's feed
A podcast for leaders under pressure. Real stories, hard-earned lessons and practical frameworks from the fireground and beyond on how to stay calm, make better calls and lead well when the heat is…
on.
Master leadership under pressure. Learn battle tested strategies from the fireground that transform how you lead teams, make decisions and thrive in high stakes business environments.
If you're a business leader, entrepreneur or emerging leader facing high-pressure decisions, rapid change and team challenges, this podcast delivers proven leadership strategies from the frontlines of firefighting that apply directly to business, entrepreneurship and life.
I'm Brad Hauck, a Station Officer & volunteer firefighter with 20+ years of emergency response experience and an international business consultant and author of best seller, Run Towards the Flames. This show bridges the gap between crisis leadership on the fireground and strategic leadership in the boardroom. I've also been in business for over 20 years in digital marketing & AI.
What You'll Learn:
Crisis leadership – Stay calm, think clearly and lead confidently when everything is on the line
Decision-making under pressure – Make fast, smart decisions with incomplete information and high stakes
Building resilient teams – Create teams that perform under stress and support each other through adversity
Leadership in chaos – Navigate rapid change, uncertainty and turmoil with agility and focus
Communication in high-stakes situations – Master clear, direct communication when every word counts
Overcoming burnout and fatigue – Recognise exhaustion, manage stress and maintain leadership effectiveness
Courage and accountability – Take decisive action, own your decisions and inspire confidence in your team
Leading through change – Adapt quickly, spot early warning signs and keep teams moving forward
Mental toughness – Build the resilience, grit and mindset required to lead through any challenge
Distributed leadership – Empower team members to step up and share leadership responsibilities
Perfect for:
Business leaders navigating organizational crises and rapid change
Entrepreneurs building and scaling businesses under pressure
Emerging leaders developing their leadership capabilities
Each episode delivers real-world leadership lessons from actual emergency situations, translated into actionable strategies for business and life. You'll discover how the same principles that save lives on the fireground can transform your leadership, strengthen your team and help you turn every challenge into an opportunity for growth.
Whether you're managing a crisis at work, leading a team through change or building an entrepreneurial venture, you'll learn how to run towards the flames instead of running away, the hallmark of exceptional leadership.
New episodes regularly. Subscribe now and ignite your leadership potential.