Orbis Torva Messor - Volume 1

In early 2020, the world was hit with a pandemic such as my generation had never before experienced. While the world has certainly had pandemics in the past and several close calls from other deadly viruses, the COVID-19 virus presented a real challenge. While its origins will be debated for some time to come and perhaps never fully resolved, let it suffice to state that most of the planet's seven billion inhabitants were affected in some way, shape, or form by this monumental event. While this story does not end in 2020, or even in this volume for that matter, my story dealing with this deadly virus focuses upon the events I experienced during these unprecedented times as viewed through a leadership lens.

The year 2020 began innocently enough as many had before it. Little did anyone realize just how quickly the world would change and how many lives would be adversely affected. This pandemic would forever change the world as it would paralyze every country, claim millions of lives, and affect almost everyone on the planet as the world as we knew it suddenly came to a screeching halt! This book is being written to help capture a unique period in world history and refine the mountain of knowledge we have already collected on the topic of leadership. Times of crisis will often reveal the true character of people occupying leadership positions. It also often reveals leaders that step into the breach that are not in an official leadership position. This pandemic also became yet another leadership laboratory in which many lessons could be captured and learned. This time of crisis would also reveal who the true leaders were that were occupying leadership positions and identify those who were severely miscast in their roles! It is through this leadership lens that I begin my unique story.

Dr. Waite earned his doctorate from Walden University in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change. As a fire chief (retired) and commissioned officer (retired Colonel) in the United States Army, Dr. Waite has a proven track record in the field of leadership. His creative and innovative approaches led to organizational success for the Wisconsin Rapids (WI) Fire Department and several military units he commanded. Dr. Waite was a member of the fire service for over 26 years and a member of the United States military for 42 years. Dr. Waite has also been a visiting professor for over 36 years and instructs traditional, online, and blended courses for several universities. Some of his areas of instruction are: leadership, corporate management, strategic planning, and organizational effectiveness. Since his retirement from the fire service and the military, Dr. Waite has continued his lifetime of service by becoming a member of Saratoga (WI) EMS, a FEMA Safety Advisor, an instructor with Team Rubicon, a contract instructor for the National Fire Academy, a member of his county's Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and an active member of his local VFW. Dr. Waite is also the founder and President of the Double Diamond Leadership Authority, LLC which specializes in leadership development and training, and executive level recruitment (www.doublediamondleadership.org). Dr. Waite has also authored seven other books, Fire Service Leadership – Theories and Practices (2008); The EMS Leadership Challenge – A Call to Action (2009); 400 Days – A Call to Duty (2010); It's All About Leadership (2016); Essential Characteristics for Effective Leaders (2020; the quasi-fictional Quest of the Phalanx I (2021), and a book highlighting his ancestral roots Waite(e)-a-Minute: This Book is a Keeper(s) (2022).