Behind The Work Is A Person.
Behind That Person Is Potential.
When leadership breaks down, it's rarely because people don’t care or aren’t trying. Leaders are often expected to navigate conflicts they didn’t create, support decisions they didn’t make, and carry the emotional weight of others while still meeting organizational demands. These responsibilities aren’t intuitive, and they aren’t developed by simply doing more of what earned the promotion in the first place.
Rather than treating leadership as a position or a personality trait, Rethinking Leadership approaches it as a practice—one in which the potential of individuals can be developed, supported, and strengthened before the moments that test them arrive. We don't teach leaders to be perfect in their positions; we show them how to be present for their people.
"Fantastic speaker with real world experience. Everyone should hear this guy speak. Great examples and clear delivery. Very engaging speaker. One of the best sessions I have attended since going to HCCA conferences for 10 years. Great story telling to make a point."
"Fabulous presenter. The style was creative but strong on substance with some great takeaways for being a better leader. Benjamin was one of the most engaging speakers I have ever heard. He melded content with humor and relevant examples. His topic should come back."
Insights from what worked, what didn’t, and what followed
Leadership unfolds in real time, often requiring people to make sense of events without all the information and to navigate gray areas without clear answers. When leaders get it wrong, the work quickly shifts from technical problem-solving to repairing trust, credibility, and relationships. The writing, conversations, programs, and services you’ll find here reflect real leadership moments, offering perspective and preparation you can carry throughout your leadership journey.
Blog &
Articles
Reflections on leadership as it unfolded—moments that didn’t go as planned, conversations that revealed something important, and situations that required repair rather than perfection. These pieces are written close to the experience itself, capturing what leaders often notice only after the moment has passed.
About Benjamin
Over the last ten years, Dr. Benjamin Martin has become one of the country's most sought-after speakers on fire-service leadership, often presenting to standing-room-only classrooms. He provides leadership training workshops and keynotes internationally and throughout the United States, blending over 20 years of public safety experience with his doctoral degree in leadership and organizational psychology. Benjamin is known for turning textbook theory into practical tools through a signature blend of storytelling, research, and "real talk." He combines operational grit with academic depth to help leaders at all levels rethink how upstream communication and culture influence how organizational and employee problems play out downstream.
He founded the popular website and leadership movement EmbraceTheResistance.com in 2017, which challenges outdated leadership narratives and provides an honest and fresh take on what it means for leaders to embrace the resistance to their decisions. He shares tools, insights, and his own personal missteps to help leaders move toward something more honest and far more effective.In addition to his leadership blogs, he has been featured on most major fire service podcasts and is also a contributing author to several leadership books. He has also published articles in Fire Engineering, FireRescue, Fire Department Training Network (FDTN), International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI), FirefighterToolbox, and FirefighterWife. You can email him at BMartin@EmbraceTheResistance.com.