Eight Different Important Things About Leadership

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 service, honesty, integrity, humility, purpose, mentoring, a positive attitude, and trust. 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 trust and legitimacy to be perceived by the officers or the community,” (McLean, n.d.). An effective leader must always look at the big picture and make decisions that are for the best interest of the organization and for the citizens it serves. With integrity, leaders serve everyone, not themselves.
Humility
Humility is a most crucial rule in viable authority. In fact, humility is what prompts ethical leaders to continually conduct honest self-assessments. Humility is constantly searching for knowledge and learning from others. A humble leader is an effective leader who can “approach their mistakes with humility instead of justification and defensiveness,” (Olson & Wasilewski, 2016). Law enforcement leaders must understand their job to instruct and train others that will be there long after they are gone. Law enforcement is forever changing, which is why leaders should constantly educate themselves and their organization as they prepare and plan for the future.
Purpose
Purpose is defined as the reason for which something is done or created. There can be no leadership journey without a driving factor, a sense of purpose. Purpose can be informed by a body of evidence or research, or by a sense of moral duty. A leader must help their troops understand the mission at hand and buy into it. A strong leader can help their troops understand how to also be driven by a sense of purpose by motivating them to achieve their goals (Baker, 2010).
Mentoring
A leader must mentor others. As Cain (2017) points out, mentoring is critical for transformational leadership in law enforcement. A leader must be selfless and have a servant attitude. An effective leader also understands he/she is only as good as the troops they lead, which is why mentoring is essential. A strong leader can take the time to train, educate and pass on valuable knowledge and skills to their troops. This promotes understanding and loyalty and in the end gives birth to success.
Positive Attitude
Managers that rule by fear and criticism will not by effective in the long term. A new vision of leadership must start to permeate law enforcement. An effective manager or leader stays positive and is constructive when working with others. Their desire is not to belittle but lift up. A positive attitude promotes loyalty and cohesion among all members of the department and engenders trust in the community (Baker, 2010).
Trust
Finally, trust is essential for leadership in law enforcement. Effective leaders must learn to trust their subordinates by delegating tasks and responsibilities. An effective leader should promote equality and opportunity. Effective leadership should help all officers learn and develop their skills in areas that could be lacking. Similarly, law enforcement leaders build bridges with members of the community to create mutual bonds of trust.
Conclusion
Self-reflection is a proactive way to develop the eight main principles of leadership. By remaining self-aware we are more accountable to others. A law enforcement leader remains humble, always learning and seeking out new training opportunities to become more effective. A leader should always mentor younger officers and help them to become future leaders of the organization. Through an attitude of servant leadership, the law enforcement managers of the future can build trust among the ranks and within the communities they serve.


References

Baker, T. (2010). Effective Police Leadership. 3rd edition. New York: Looseleaf.
Cain, N. (2017). What makes an effective law enforcement leader? Retrieved online: http://inpublicsafety.com/2017/08/what-makes-an-effective-law-enforcement-leader/
McLean, K. (n.d.). 10 essential attributes of effective leaders. Police Chief. Retrieved online: http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/10-essential-attributes-of-effective-leaders/
Olson, A. & Wasilewski, M. (2016). 12 traits of effective police leaders. PoliceOne.com. Retrieved online: https://www.policeone.com/chiefs-sheriffs/articles/186942006-12-traits-of-effective-police-leaders/
Vito, G.F., Suresh, G. & Richards, G.E. (2011). Emphasizing the servant in public service. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management. 34(4): 674-686.
Willis, B. (2010). Why leadership in law enforcement is not about rank. PoliceOne.com. Retrieved online: https://leb.fbi.gov/2011/march/perspective-principles-of-effective-law-enforcement-leadership
Willis, D. (2011). Perspective: Principles of effective law enforcement leadership. https://leb.fbi.gov/2011/march/perspective-principles-of-effective-law-enforcement-leadership