Crew 1st Culture Podcast

In this episode of the Crew First Culture podcast, Jeremy Sanders delves into the significance of organizational culture, particularly within firehouse settings. He emphasizes that culture is an inherent aspect of any organization, shaped by the actions and attitudes of its members, especially the station officers. Jeremy discusses the challenges of fostering a positive culture and the importance of leading by example to instigate meaningful cultural change. He encourages leaders to actively influence their teams and highlights that while cultural change is difficult, it is essential for growth and success. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

In this episode, Jeremy Sanders explores the profound nature of compassion and the importance of understanding our own darkness before we can truly support others. He emphasizes that compassion is not about providing answers but about being present with those who are suffering. The conversation delves into the necessity of self-healing and setting boundaries to maintain our own mental health while helping others. Jeremy shares insights from various thinkers, including Pima Chödrön and Carl Jung, to illustrate the depth of these themes. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

Leadership Lesson Learned #3 may be a hard sell to some of you out there, but hear me out. I lay out the complexities of leadership expectations and how they can hinder team dynamics. My view of expectations changed forever after a pivotal conversation with Benjamin Martin in Episode 121. If I can't sway you to completely agree I think that you will at least see the importance of simplifying expectations, focusing on cultural goals, and leading by example to foster a more engaged and autonomous team environment. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

Leadership Lesson Learned #2 was an important one for me - sometimes you have taken someone as far as you can take them. This was a challenge for me as a leader because it came down to a moral issue for me that I discuss. I talk about what I learned as far as where we should be placing our time and energy and what happens if we misplace those priorities. I share the story of how this lesson was learned and yes it was definitely learned the hard way so don't listen in and don't make the same mistakes that I did. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

It is such an honor to not only be recording the 200th episode of the podcast but to share the experience with 2 of my closest brothers truly made it special. Please do not miss this conversation in which Marc Maikoski, Nate "Tuna" Gardner, and I dive into authenticity and vulnerability. This was such a great conversation and one that is sure to bring inspiration and hope to anyone who listens. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

In this episode I am starting a new series titled Leadership Lessons Learned (L3). The content of this series comes from a document that I made for the purposes of sharing some of the lessons that I learned the hard way with young officers. In lesson #1 I talk about the lessons that I learned due to my lack of preparedness to lead grown men and women. I hope you take the time to listen to the mistakes that I made and the lessons that I learned the hard way so that you may not have to make the same mistakes yourself. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

I firmly believe that burnout doesn't come from what we do, it happens when we allow life to cause us to forget why we are doing it. This is something that I think is playing a huge roll in the fire service. We have to find our why and once we find it we can't let outside forces cause us to forget it. It has to be about something much larger than ourselves if we want to survive a productive, healthy, and fulfilling career. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

“For every minute you remain angry, you give up 60 seconds of peace.” Ralph Waldo Emerson I’m like so many of you out there, I’m angry! But anger and negativity are the last things that I want to be consumed with. So how do we fix it? How do we avoid the anger while knowing that we may not be able to remove ourselves from what the source of anger? Listen in as I try to solve this problem for myself and discover some really important things that I can turn my focus to and anchor myself on. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

So many times we waste great opportunities or are simply just not happy with results because they don’t look like what we are expecting them to look like. We have exactly what we need at any given moment, but if we don’t keep our eyes and mind open we can miss it. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

"They tried to bury me but they didn't know that I was a seed." We will never achieve the growth that we were meant to achieve without being buried a few times. Whether those who stand against you like it or not, God is just using them to get us exactly where He knows that we need to be. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

There is a big difference between having the desire to achieve something and having the discipline that is required to do what is necessary to achieve it. For the most part, we all know what we should be doing, what we should be eating, how we should be spending our time; but that's the easy part right? When it comes down to making choices and taking the actions that support what we know is where is starts getting difficult. We have to go beyond being satisfied with knowing what is right and having the best intentions; we have to start focusing on choices that support what we know to be right. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

I am excited to share this bonus episode with you all because it was a conversation that I really enjoyed and I feel like there are a lot of people out there that need to hear it. I really appreciate my friend Preston Lyons having me on as a guest to the Relentless Rejects Podcast and giving me a chance to share my heart and my message. I hope you find some value in it. Show Notes: In this episode, Jeremy Sanders discusses his journey with Crew 1st Culture, emphasizing the importance of family, mentorship, and building a supportive tribe. He shares personal experiences of vulnerability, resilience, and the challenges he faced in the fire service, including a significant demotion. Jeremy reflects on the concept of the Phoenix, symbolizing rebirth and growth through adversity, and encourages listeners to embrace their stories and support one another. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

I wanted to share some thoughts on a really good quote that comes from Georgia football coach Kirby Smart. Leadership isn't easy and it doesn't come without a cost. A lot to reflect on in this quote, join me for my thoughts. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

Lead with your life no matter where life leads you! In this episode I share an experience that I had in which I tried to correct some rumors that were being spread about me. But it only resulted in me reliving some negative feelings that were eating away at me more and more each time I did. I will share with you why I decided to quit talking and just lead with my life. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

Going back into the thought journal I share my thoughts on a very important topic, especially for those of us in public service. That is the question of where am I placing my identity? One of the most important thoughts that I have had in this area is never place your identity in something that can be taken away. Join me as I dig deeper into this thought and share my own personal stories connected to it. “No matter what or where you came from, great things can come from you!” Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

A thought that has recently come to me is how much my focus on adding to myself in order to become better is only half of the equation. It is also important that I subtract some things from my life as well. Join me today as I dig a little deeper into this thought. “No matter what or where you came from, great things can come from you!” Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

It's time to stop making excuses and start making a difference. We were not put here to be stagnant, we were created to do great things. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

Something that I’ve seen over and over again in my life and the lives of others around me is how destructive a victim mentality can be. I firmly believe that resilience will never be possible if you see yourself as a victim. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

It's been quite a while since I have been in a place to release a new episode, so I am so excited to finally be back behind the microphone. I may have been quiet, but I am still in the fight, and I am ready to continue the Crew 1st Culture mission. Join me and let's do some amazing things together! Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.

Jeremy Sanders has been a firefighter for the City of Edmond in Oklahoma for 21 years and currently serves at the rank of Captain. He lives near Tulsa with his wife Erika who he shares 8 kids with and 1 grandson. In 2020 Jeremy created Crew 1st Culture and the Crew 1st Culture Podcast in which he shares the importance of the pursuit of daily personal growth. This daily growth has helped him to not only become a better firefighter and officer but also a better dad and husband at home. Jeremy's Articles: https://www.fireengineering.com/leadership/waitare-we-the-problem-fire-dept-culture/#gref https://www.fireengineering.com/commentary/the-art-of-changing-and-protecting-culture/#gref Check out his Website! Crew1stCulture.Com Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you.