Leadership is a long-term path of personal and professional development, not a short-term goal. It involves reaching beyond one’s comfort zone towards a higher purpose and necessarily hinges on helping others. To be an effective leader requires ongoing self-assessment, self-discovery, and honest self-reflection. Although confidence and self-esteem are integral to the leadership path, one must also understand the importance of learning from others, being selfless, and being willing and able to mentor others. Leadership is a process, not a destination. It requires hard work and an evolving sense of purpose. Leadership in law enforcement goes beyond the competencies required to serve and protect the entire community. Furthermore, leaders are more than managers. Although being a manager is a unique position that entails official power, it is nevertheless a position that requires excellent communication and motivational skills. As Willis (2010) points out, leadership in law enforcement is not about rank. Likewise, Baker (2010) claims that police officers need to move beyond management to cultivate leadership. The leaders’ job is to sell his/her mission to their personnel. To communicate a broader vision, the manager or leader must ensure proper training among personnel and promote the tools for success. Through constant self-reflection and self0 assessment, a manger can develop the skills needed to be an effective and influential leader. Managers need to “step up and speak up,” always keeping in mind the importance of patience in dealing with others (Willis, 2010, p. 1).

Law enforcement leaders often outline the core traits they believe are essential to effective leadership in their communities. According to Willis (2011) the eight essential skills of law enforcement leaders include...

For McLean (n.d.), the essential skills also include active listening, education, attention to detail, directions, evolution, resourcefulness, service, humor, integrity, and people. When all these skills are “consistently developed and improved upon,” they “can enable any manager to become more influential,” (Willis, 2011, p. 1).
Service

Law enforcement is a profession that focuses on service. The leader’s primary objective is to motivate and educate their troops. Research shows that the principles of servant leadership are especially relevant to law enforcement (Vito, Suresh & Richards, 2011). An officer that believes in the mission they serve has a true love and understanding of their position and role will work to their greatest potential.

Honesty

Honesty is essential for effective leadership. A leader in law enforcement must be able to hold the trust of citizens to be effective in their role in the community. Honesty is an ethical objective that is integral to effective crime prevention. As Olson & Wasilewski (2016) point out, “effective leaders have a strong moral compass and have defined their values.” When police officers are suspected of being dishonest and untrustworthy the battle is already lost. Part of being an effective leader is to get all personnel and the people in the community to believe in the department’s agenda and to trust that law enforcement is working to create safer, healthier communities.

Integrity

Integrity can be defined is constantly doing what is right even when it can be viewed in unpopular amongst others. “Without integrity, there is little hope for…