Criminal Justice Leadership in criminal justice or private security organizations requires special skills, and presents unique challenges. The most important attributes for leaders in any criminal justice or security organization include integrity, trustworthiness, competence, swiftness in decision making, ability to be humble, and also the ability to be courageous (McCallum, n.d.). In addition to these traits, leaders in criminal justice are ideally visionary, with strong communications skills and loads of self-confidence to face the specific challenges the field entails. Criminal justice presents special legal and political challenges that are distinct to the profession, and this is also true for private security work. Likewise, the hierarchical nature of many criminal justice organizations makes it so that conflict and power may constrain a leader's ability to act justly. Therefore, criminal justice leaders can learn from observing what successful leaders have done in the past and apply that to their current careers.

There are also specific issues that present significant challenges to leaders in criminal justice. For example, budget deficits and constraints will continually plague the ability of leaders in criminal justice to do what they feel or even know is best (Wickman, Mahoney & Borakove, n.d.). Budgetary concerns can also restrict the ability of private sector security leaders to act, but in the private sector, there are greater opportunities for acquiring funding. Public service criminal justice leaders rely on an often cacophonous team of administrators from departments with conflicting but intersecting ideals. Multi-disciplinary...

Politics are bound to confound even the most skilled of criminal justice leader. A leader must be patient as well as savvy in public relations and communications. Tact, sensitivity, and flexibility may all be important traits to have.
The diversity of the organization can be its greatest strength, but also its Achilles' heel. Leaders know how to manage a diverse team skillfully, disavowing prejudice and bias of any type and making sure all employees feel safe and comfortable at all times so that they can maximize their potential. Leaders take care to avoid "boys club" attitudes and behaviors and create an organizational culture that preserves core traditions while also embracing change. The generation gap might prove especially challenging for leaders who contend with younger and more progressive team members that disagree with the older officers. This is a delicate balance, because there are some features of the organizational hierarchy that work, but others that do not. Many employees will resist change, and the leader needs to be strong and decisive when making critical alterations to procedure, human resources, or operations.

Other issues of concern include the rapidly changing nature of law enforcement and security work. Technology, for instance, is changing regularly and rapidly. How to budget for technology, which technologies to invest in, and which departments to favor, are all political…