Leaders aren’t born, they are made.
Throughout my life, I have heard so many theories about leadership. The idea that leaders are born as leaders is a misconception that often holds people back from their true potential.
Leadership is a skill that must be learned, and in law enforcement, there is a gap in leadership training.
Upon being promoted to sergeant, I attended a two-week school to prepare me for the position. Most of this time was spent learning about labor laws, policy, and liability. There was very little emphasis placed on leadership. This is a stark contrast from military leaders that attend Officer Candidate School.
The following is a description of Officer Training School directly from the United States Air Force website:
“Officer Training School is a nine-week, four-phase program designed for prior-service Airmen and civilians with a college degree who are ready to take the next step as a leader in their lives and careers.”
The lack of proper leadership training in law enforcement has created a culture of people of rank that lack real leadership skills.
Rank alone doesn’t make a person a leader.
Leaders must continually be a student of leadership to build and maintain their skills.
So, do you need rank to be a leader?
I say no.
Some of the best displays of leadership that I have seen have come from line level employees. I have been through countless critical incidents and seen officers rise to the occasion time and time again.
During the 1-October massacre in Las Vegas in 2017, it was pure panic on the radio. I remember hearing one calm, cool, and collected voice that would come over the channel.
The voice belonged to a special event officer in the command post (which was in the middle of the concert venue where the shooting was taking place) giving clear direction on where the shooting was coming from, and what officers needed to do.
His leadership calmed the hundreds of first responders that were sharing the channel that horrific evening. This was a stark contrast between him and a few people of rank that were unable to keep their composure.
A leader like this among the line level officers carries immense value to any organization. They are a force multiplier during critical incidents. They are also taking charge for the right reasons, not just because it is what is expected of them.
So how can an agency cultivate leaders like this?
Provide access to leadership training for all ranks within an organization.
Allow officers to take a leadership role on events when they demonstrate the skills to be successful Praise competent leadership when you see it.
Ensure supervisors are mentoring people, instead of just managing them.
Actually holding supervisors accountable when they don’t display quality leadership.
In addition to the above, when an employee feels safe in their organization and know they won’t be crucified for wrong decisions, they will work harder and be more likely to step up and take a leadership role.
The more executives empower their people to make decisions without micro-managing them, the more officers will act as leaders when it is needed.
Jocko Willink calls this Decentralized Command. He teaches that if you tell people what you need done, and why it needs to be done, they will figure out the “how”. I not only believe this to be true, but I have used it over the course of my career in law enforcement.
More often than not, people will do the right thing when they know what needs to be done, and why. This builds confidence in our line level officers and will help them develop their own leadership abilities.
During a critical incident, look for the people that are rising to the occasion, not just for an insignia of rank on their collar. If you do this, you will find the leaders that you are looking for.
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