Book excerpt: Two firefighters-turned-management-consultants provide organizations with an innovative way to transform executives into inspirational leaders. Tom Pandola and Jim Bird discovered that the management and leadership principles they relied on for success and survival during their firefighting careers also lead to success in business—and in life. The book they wrote on the basis of that realization is for people who face challenges in their business or personal lives, for those who feel a sense of purpose is missing in their work, and, especially, for every senior management team in search of a winning corporate culture. The book is organized in three sections that teach business leaders and others how to improve processes, empower employees, and transform a business culture. Principles are demonstrated using actual firefighting experiences—the authors' practical classroom—to bring lessons to life. Then, those same principles are applied to business situations to demonstrate their real-world application. Throughout, the book shares a success formula that will provide managers and other senior executives with effective planning skills, the vision to solve problems, and the ability to inspire the individuals within an organization to become the best at what they do.