Scott Richardson
How a combat medic and 36-year fire service veteran used the 3 Vital Questions® to score highest of all applicants on his battalion chief exam — and transform his leadership legacy.
The Challenge: Step Into Bigger Service and Leadership
Scott Richardson is no stranger to people dynamics. As a combat medic in the Gulf War, a 36-year veteran of the Denver fire service, and a management consultant, his working life has always been motivated by service to others. When colleagues at a consulting firm proved more riddled with drama than the clients they were trying to help, Scott co-founded EMPOWER2Evolve (E2E), an organizational development firm helping companies eliminate barriers to reaching their potential.
Scott discovered The Power of TED* while searching for business development resources. The book resonated deeply — he began applying TED* principles in E2E's client work and exploring how to bring the framework into his fire service leadership.
When an opportunity for promotion to captain came up, Scott entered the "promotional assessment center" — a lengthy, rigorous evaluation of leadership skills that firefighters often attempt multiple times. While Scott performed well for a first try, he did not get the promotion.
It would have been easy to slip into Victim mode. Instead, the personal work he had done through TED* led him to reflect honestly. He realized he had been focusing on his lack of experience and all that could go wrong — not on the outcome he wanted to create. "I had been applying the TED* principles in parts of my life," he says, "but I had not completely embraced it yet."
"I had been applying the TED* principles in parts of my life — but I had not completely embraced it yet. I understood the TED* material with my head, but not fully with my heart."
Key Issues
- Promotion Setback
- Reactive Focus
- Unfulfilled Potential
Context
A first-attempt promotion failure revealed a pattern of focusing on what could go wrong rather than the leader he wanted to become.
The Response: 3 Vital Questions
A couple of years later, Scott learned about a workshop TED* principal facilitators David Emerald and Donna Zajonc were planning to introduce their new work, The 3 Vital Questions® (3VQ). "When I saw the opportunity to take TED* to the next level, I had to seize it!"
By the end of the workshop, Vital Question 1 — "Where are you putting your focus?" — had become a driving force. When another chance for promotion came around for battalion chief, Scott built his entire preparation around the 3VQ framework.
He began by carefully considering the outcome he desired. This time, he put his focus on the extraordinary leader he wanted to be — and envisioned himself already in the role. "My thinking moved from 'what makes a successful battalion chief?' to 'I am a successful battalion chief.'" This shifted how he related to his own capabilities.
Thinking like a battalion chief, Scott recognized the skills he already possessed. He papered his spare room windows with giant post-it notes — for each facet of fire service operations, he wrote out a detailed plan. "I had a response to any potential question the assessment could throw at me."
"My thinking moved from 'what makes a successful battalion chief?' to 'I am a successful battalion chief.' That shift changed everything about how I prepared."
The Results: Personal Transformation, Professional Growth, and a Wide Ripple Effect
Assessment ranking
Scored highest of all applicants on the battalion chief promotional assessment — a direct result of 3VQ-guided preparation
Career transformed
After 36 years in the Denver fire service, 3VQ reshaped Scott's entire leadership legacy and approach to team dynamics
Fire stations leading
As battalion chief, Scott integrates 3VQ into team dynamics, individual performance, and trauma support across six stations
Scott went into the assessment confident in his preparation — and came out a newly minted battalion chief with the highest score of all applicants.
The 3 Vital Questions now guide Scott on the scene of incidents he commands. In life-threatening situations, it's imperative to focus on saving lives and on his teams' skills and training — not on the multiple problems that could arise. "The way I relate is to keep my perspective as a leader: assess needs in the moment and beyond, and deploy our resources for the best outcome."
As a battalion chief responsible for six fire stations, Scott has integrated 3VQ into team dynamics, individual performance, and how he addresses the intense challenges faced by firefighters every day. Rather than singling out a struggling individual or station, he presents TED* and 3VQ material to everyone. "I put the seeds out there, and later I see company officers working on the material with their people. It has a ripple effect."
Scott is also applying 3VQ to post-traumatic stress — a reality for first responders. After a heartbreaking call for a teenage suicide left one of his teams bereft, Scott used 3VQ to process their trauma while firefighters were still at the hospital. "The 3VQ work has inspired me to focus my legacy on how my leadership helps people become healthy first responders — not only for their careers, but for life."
"The 3VQ work has inspired me to focus my legacy on how my leadership helps people become healthy first responders — not only for their careers, but for life."
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