How often have people ask ‘are there any real experts on leadership?’ First of all, I am not an expert on leadership but rather consider myself a student of leadership. We should all be that same way for if you are a student, then you continue to learn. Being a lifelong learner creates learning opportunities and to learn from the mistakes of others is safer to your career. Try to become an avaricious reader on many varied topics as well, from history to contemporary writings, all reveal little morsels of knowledge.
So, what is an accurate measure of leadership in law enforcement? To me, I believe one of the foremost is the ability to handle bad day business and its pressures with calm. Everybody wants to be a chief on good days. But alas, true leadership rises to the surface on the dark sky days. As a leader on that day, you have two questions before you. First, what are we to do or what is the overall objective? Next, but more importantly - why to do it or why are we here? This blending between the good times and critical times is paramount. But more important, all of this will work when it is built on the foundation of trust.
This foundation of trust supports a set of scales (very similar to the scales of justice). On one side is your personal character and on the other side is your job
/professional character. You must achieve balance with these two parts of your character. Why, because you may fool some observers, but you cannot fool the players in the game. I have often heard officers say that they have a supervisor “that talks the talk but cannot walk the walk.” This is the reason why I believe your character must be balanced between personal (life) and the job. The balance gives you credibility and with this trust and credibility there, you can start with leadership. The other thing about leadership is you've got to constantly pay it forward.
When you are mentoring people, you should be creating a mentoring atmosphere. Yes, you are building the people to be the replacements for those who leave. A good leader must also mentor those who may or will replace you. Far too many times I have observed some who will not polish up their replacements due to personal fears. They are afraid that this person is after their job. When it is all over, you must always be able to answer the question—did I make a difference? You see when you do walk out onto retirement's doorstep, it's too late to start. Never say, I wish I had spent more time on the job. Or maybe more time at work, for that has eluded you now. So, answer the question, have you made a difference? How do you make a difference? Pay attention to the details. Pay attention to the little things. Also be sure you recognize extraordinary actions of your staff.
Next is your ability to become comfortable during uncomfortable times. Even during conflict, adversity, and dark sky days, you have got to be comfortable with you and your staff. You must practice, conduct training and map out future staff growth if you desire to reach this level. This level of personal and staff improvement creates and thrive into a positive environment. Every staff member must be constantly learning, rapid changes today require this. Finally, this is a situation of space and timing. You may need to reassign your staff members to positions that places them where they can excel and grow. My old chief would ask you “if you were comfortable?” If you said yes, you were moved. After a transfer he told me that if you are comfortable in the job, you will not develop. I hated it then but in retrospect appreciate in hindsight. Not everyone wants to be re-assigned but sometimes the job picks you, you don't pick it.
Another thing good leaders should do is to maintain a situationally perception of the organizations’ overall health. Sometimes, there are barriers that you built or others created to impair your perception. Untrammeled perception is everything. Challenge your staff as things develop before them and weigh their impressions and predictions on how to overcome and manage a situation. Help them to seek understanding, to make sense of it and put all the pieces together. Unfortunately, we must make snap decisions but sometimes when you have that grasp that creates a fuller understanding, you can put that puzzle together quicker. Your brain is somewhat like a Etch-a-Sketch, you have got to turn and twist to make the picture come before you. Another question that beckons is to ask your staff to couple their experiences with their expectations when faced with a challenge. Their response will offer a clue of how they prepared to respond. Each of them has vast experience. So, what are your expectations and how you want them to prosper? Help them discover where their gaps are. Have a plan to address what to do next to improve. In today's world, leaders must be fluid to meet the ever changing atmosphere. It is hard to develop intuition but sometimes you must learn to follow your gut instincts and then apply your tactical knowledge. This gives you 95% of the awareness but you will never have 100% of it. There always will be that one little gray area or one little something that is going to be eluding you. Weigh out your predictions, run the ‘what if” options. Always have more than one plan, if plan A sours, then you go to Plan B. I remember in martial arts you were being smacked around by your instructor and he kept asking the question – “what to do, what to do?” I always practice as I say, have “but what, if then, thinking” . If you do not have these up your sleeve, one day you're going to be caught cold
Finally going back to something I said how do you define leadership? It should be one word of success. This success must ring from every step of the command. Understand this, one day in the future on the worst day, I want your staff to excel. They can look at each other and say, because of your training and your positioning them within their career they were successful this night. I want them to all go home safe that night. That to me is when the ultimate leadership reward is their success and safety due to your preparing them for their worst.
About the Author
William L. "Bill" Harvey is a U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran. He has a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (GA) Police Department in field operations, investigations and completed his career as the director of training. Served as the chief of police of the Lebanon City Police Dept (PA) for over seven years and then ten years as Chief of Police for the Ephrata Police Dept (PA). He continues to publish for professional periodicals and train. He is on the advisory board of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association.
