Tag Archives: police leadership

3 Signs of Effective Leadership: Do You Experience These?

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Talking recently with a friend about leadership, we explored how we might be able to identify if others perceive us as leaders? Formal leadership roles or formal authority – such as a rank – mean we hold positions of leadership, but we have all suffered the experience of answering to someone in a position of leadership who we would describe as a poor, or even terrible, leader. If we define leadership as something we all do (offering positive influence while working with others for a common good) then we should be able to recognize when others view us as practicing leadership effectively – regardless of our formal authority.

Here are three signs we can look for in our own experiences that will offer insight into how others perceive our practice of leadership. There are certainly many more than three, and experiencing all three does not necessarily make us excellent leaders These signs are also contextual; meaning, they are not simply black or white. But they are a start. Do you experience these?

1 – People seek you out for advice. Immediately context becomes important. I’m not referring to people who could be considered subordinate to you, but to people outside your immediate sphere of influence who seek your counsel because they respect your opinions and knowledge. If this person can curry your favor or receive something of value from you, it is not the same thing. Have you ever experienced someone contacting you out of the blue, maybe having received your name and a recommendation from a third party? This is what I’m talking about. The person coming to you wants to tap into your knowledge and experience. They want to learn from your experience of creating positive influence. While not necessarily saying it, they view you as a leader in your field or on a specific topic.

2- Dissent is freely given. When you are responsible (again, either formally or informally) for meetings, conferences, or discussions, do others feel free to dissent with others and – most importantly – you? An effective leader will encourage and sustain an environment where others feel confident they can dissent without repercussions. Leaders who allow dissenting opinions to be heard, discussed, and considered show they value everyone’s input. Not only are these leaders more likely to learn more and discover additional options, they promote cohesion among team members. Everyone feels they are part of the effort. On the other hand, if you do have formal authority over a group, and you do not hear dissenting views, if your subordinates just look at you and nod their heads, well, you are in trouble. You need to take a close look at your leadership practices. Effective leaders tolerate dissent, but never silence.

3 – You self-develop your leadership knowledge and skills. How often do you study topics related to leadership without being mandated? Attending a leadership course or listening to a speaker arranged through your employer doesn’t count. Do you have a real interest in the practice of leadership that inspires you to study and learn, to consistently develop your knowledge, traits, and skills? Do you notice how effective leaders are effective in many different settings? That’s because the practice of effective leadership crosses boundaries; a good leader will want to foster effective leadership practices regardless of the setting. Notice I’m not saying leaders will want to lead regardless of setting, but their positive influence will be felt. Leaders like to practice – or perform – leadership. If this description fits you, great! If you just like being “in charge”, it is time to reassess your practice of leadership.

Here is one extra sign: You regularly take time to examine your practice of leadership. So take a few minutes and look closely at your recent experiences to see if any of these three signs apply to you. Honest self-reflection is the most critical trait for a leader. If you like what you see, great. If what you see needs to be changed, start today. It is never too late to become a better leader.

Leadership, and the Fight Against Human Trafficking

A key leadership trait is the ability to adapt to change. This ability is vital not only for executive leadership, but also for anyone involved in program management.

For example, over the past several years the number of federally-funded anti-human trafficking task forces has decreased, and this has created both challenges and opportunities for law enforcement agencies in their response to modern slavery. But how to respond to these changes is not the responsibility of the executive staff alone. In fact, adapting any program to new challenges is most likely the responsibility of the program manager. This is an excellent example of how leadership is practiced at all levels of an organization and, more importantly, how the leadership skills of managers impact an entire organization.

This is an article I wrote for The Police Chief magazine, and it examines how local law enforcement agencies have adapted to several changes in the anti-trafficking environment; not only the shift of responsibility from larger, federally-funded task forces to smaller, more localized, responses, but also as our understanding of the dynamics of trafficking has changed over the past several years.

The article can be beneficial for those involved in the fight against human trafficking, and also for any leader seeking examples of how leaders and agencies can adapt to changing circumstances.

Please let me know your thoughts on the article!

Discover Your Leadership Crucibles

The metaphor of a crucible (a container for heating materials to a high temperature or, a sever trial or test) is sometimes used when discussing the learning of leadership through our trials or experiences. The United States Marine Corps has a 54-hour trial that each recruit must complete; it is called The Crucible. Several years ago the San Jose Police Department’s recruit academy staff created a similar (though much shorter) test, during which recruits must work together while hiking, completing a ropes course, complete problem-solving exercises, and display leadership. This trial is also called The Crucible.

The leadership authors Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas examined learning leadership in this manner in their book Crucibles of Leadership: How to Learn From Experience to Become a Great Leader. No doubt, learning leadership skills and developing our abilities through our own experiences is, for most of us, the most common way we develop our leadership practices. If we are lucky, we may be offered formal leadership training or instruction to supplement and build upon our experiences. But the key to learning from our experiences is, first, recognizing the opportunity in front of us and, second, making the effort to take advantage of the opportunity. Becoming a better leader requires a conscious effort.

If we stop and think about it, most of us have many, many opportunities over the course of our careers (let alone, our lifetime) to develop our leadership skills. How many of those opportunities did you recognize at the time, and take advantage of? I’ll share three opportunities I had during my police career, each coming at different stages of my career and requiring different types of commitments on my part.

During my first year as a sergeant I supervised a rather arrogant officer who repeatedly made poor decisions, though not of the severe variety. Most of the officer’s problems related to how they engaged with citizens, or handled calls the officer felt were frivolous. Over the course of several minor incidents (and our discussions about these incidents) the officer’s behavior began to border on insubordination. At one point, my lieutenant wanted to step in a begin formal disciplinary action against the officer. It would have been easy to let the lieutenant take charge, but it would have alleviated me of my responsibilities and an opportunity to grow as a leader. I asked the lieutenant to let me try a course of action with the officer. The lieutenant supported me (a leadership lesson in itself), and eventually the officer began to change the way they interacted with others. It took time and effort on both my part and the officer’s, but I like to think that we both learned a few things along the way. The most important part of this experience for me was that leadership requires the willingness to take on difficult situations.

Later in my career, while a sergeant in the Vice unit, I was assigned responsibility for an anti-human trafficking grant the department had received from the U.S. Department of Justice. This was at a time when the response to human trafficking was in its earliest stages, and few people understood what it would take to create and sustain an anti-trafficking task force. A huge part of this work involved creating relationships with federal law enforcement agents, and local organizations who served victims of trafficking. It was an excellent opportunity to develop my collaboration skills, but also required patience and commitment on my part. (And, to be honest, patience on the part of those who had to work with me!) I found the topic of trafficking, and how to respond to slavery, fascinating, and embraced the work with enthusiasm. In fact, I’m still involved in the anti-trafficking community. This engaging in this work took a lot of effort but also gave me tremendous opportunities to enhance existing skills, and identify new areas in which to develop skills. Ironically, this assignment was given to me after two other sergeants chose not to engage in the work. So leaders need to develop an eye for engaging in new areas of challenge; what are some of the new topics being discussed where you work?

The final experience I’ll share is when I was promoted to lieutenant and immediately assigned to command our department’s information technology unit. The problem was that at the time I had zero knowledge about anything to do with IT! Several major projects were in the works and technical decisions had to be made. Also, due to the quirks of how this unit had grown over time, my staff comprised sworn police officers, IT professionals who were employed by the police department, and other IT professionals who were employed by the city and therefore not technically in my chain of command.

The leadership crucible I faced included: how to engage a staff that (rightly so) often felt diminished by the rest of the department; how to make technology decisions in a field I knew nothing about, and; how to gain credibility among my staff which at times suffered their own internal squabbles. This was a huge challenge, but ultimately it was the greatest leadership learning experience of my career.  I learned how to persuade engagement from reluctant team members, draw upon the expertise of others to help me learn, and how to balance input from a variety of sources offering technical advice. I was practicing what is known as adaptive leadership, though I didn’t recognize it at the time.

The common thread among these diverse experiences is that I recognized the opportunity before me and that I made the conscious effort to develop my leadership skills. I could have let the lieutenant take responsibility for the insubordinate officer. I could done minimal work to comply with the anti-trafficking grant and dismissed the opportunity to work with a variety of others. I could have taken command of the IT unit, listened to one or two of the most knowledgeable staff members and began making decisions about hardware and software.

But I didn’t. Instead I took advantage of these opportunities and tried to become a more effective leader. I certainly had frustrations and failures along the way, but the heat of these environments tested my abilities and resolve. Look for your own crucible! Then look for another. Leadership is a burden and requires a consistent effort. Recognize and embrace the opportunities before.  This is how leaders learn from their experience, and the learning should never end.

What leadership crucible can you embrace today?

Defining 21st Century Leadership

Defining 21st Century Leadership is not an easy thing to do. Just as our world is more complex than in the past, defining the leadership traits, skills, and practices most effective for our world today is also complex. Indeed, one element of the definition is understanding that complexity is everywhere in our lives, and that leaders need a variety of skills if they are to succeed. When examining leadership as practiced in the law enforcement community, one critical understanding is that the rank we wear on our uniform sleeves or collars alone will not guarantee success. And if practice our leadership solely based on our rank, we can guarantee failure.

Successful leadership requires a degree of insight into how we as individuals, and as organizations, view the problems we encounter. Are we successfully solving the problems we face today? Is our current level of skills and knowledge adequate for the problems we face? These questions are not as simple as they may seem. Just asking ourselves these questions can be difficult to do. (Although doing so is one sign of leadership.)

If we are not solving the difficult problems, then we must ask ourselves how can we change the way we act, think, and lead to be more successful. And this is where 21st Century Leadership (or, simply, 21C) practices come into play; 21C is a body of practices, skills, and theories which offers us many different tools to be successful leaders. It is a toolbox, or a quiver, in many respects, but requiring a much more thoughtful approach than the “I outrank you, so do as I say” approach of the past. (Regretfully, there is still far to much of this type of leadership in all professions today.)

A key 21C principle is accepting – and promoting – the understanding that all of us are involved in the practice of leadership; being a leader does not require formal rank or authority, and those whom we might simply describe as “followers” are just as critical as those with authority.

Defining 21C Leadership is not simple, but here are three key elements to understand:

  • Our world is more complex than in the past and as a result a broader range of leadership skills, practices, and knowledge are necessary.
  • As leaders we must ask, “Am I, and is my organization, solving the difficult problems we are facing today, and, if not, what am I doing to improve my leadership skills and practices?”
  • Leading from positional authority, and not understanding or respecting the roles played by others, is a recipe for leadership failure. Leadership is a process in which we are all involved.

From these key elements we can begin to grow into more effective leaders – which is really what 21st Century Leadership is really about.