How Do You Impact The Direction Of Change At Your Agency?

When you think about it, the June/July 2019 issue of Law Enforcement Technology is all about evolution. From new optics on handguns to flashlight upgrades to redesigning your firearms range - everything evolves in our industry. There’s an old axiom that is very true: The only thing constant in life is change.

The reality of change and evolution is something we often like to deny or try to ignore but doing so only hurts us, personally and professionally, in the long run. How many chiefs or sheriffs do you know who are 100 percent dedicated to traditional practices and outlooks with zero willingness to update protocols, SOPs, general orders, etc.? If you can think of any, continue with the thought process and ask yourself how many of them are looking strong for staying in their current leadership position?

If you are or want to be a leader within your agency, you must embrace change and evolution.

Yes, staying true to some traditions is a good thing. That recognized, denying change to doggedly remain true to outdated traditions is a death sentence for most careers. Things change all around us, from technology and societal values to legal precedents and so much more. If you are, or want to be, a leader within your agency, you must embrace change and evolution. Better yet, you should be trying to impact the direction that change or evolution goes. A true leader motivates others to lead and helps to direct their growth. As “things” change almost daily and impact how we do our jobs, how are you motivating the people in your agency to grow with equal rapidity?

Some things absolutely should not change. We should all be maintaining ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally. That means participating in some sort of health and wellness program for nutrition and exercise (for the physical part). We should be educating ourselves continuously and practicing good stress management techniques (this is a bridge between physical wellness and emotional wellness). We should be dedicated to our jobs but not neglectful of our personal lives wherein we depend on the support of friends and families (another stress management system in which we must invest). A professional appearance and demeanor in uniform should never go away. A dedication to our job, doing it properly and safely and going home at the end of each shift; those are things that should not change… ever.

As fixed and unchanging as those things are, we need to be flexible and grow with the other changes as they occur around us. Change is inevitable and quite often to our benefit if we can set aside our stubbornness to embrace it. It’s difficult but necessary.

Stay safe.

Frank

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