Search Result: Leadership

Only you know your leadership situation. Whether you are the chief of police or an officer on the beat, you should know your area of responsibility and what is required of you when the "big one" hits, whatever that catastrophe may be.

Sgt. Mark Stainbrook was recently interviewed by a fellow officer. Here he shares his answers to questions about leadership.

"It is hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse." - Adlai Stevenson

"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future." – Eric Hoffer

Cops are by definition storytellers. We deal with a situation, then go back to the station or to our vehicles, gather our thoughts, and tell the story in the form of a report.

"There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind."- Buddha

Watch the leaders, or those in leadership positions, and you will learn much as a student of leadership. I try to key in on how supervisors address groups of officers and I always look to see how the officers respond.

What is so great about a New Year is that it is a time for fresh starts and a time to renew your commitments. Hopefully it will be a time to step up your commitment to the study and practice of good leadership for the benefit of your department and your people.

As leaders we dread the word. You make a decision, you issue an order, you write a policy, and then someone inevitably approaches you with that one-word question.

Police officers deal with conflicts every day--not just with suspects or the public, but between fellow officers.

What I didn't know at the time was that two of the task force officers had been notified of the crime before the local division.

Things might be bad all over, but as a leader you can have a huge impact on the morale and welfare of your folks.

I was trained under the rule that as a leader I take responsibility for not only my own actions, but for those of my subordinates.

There seems to be a constant change of roles between officers based on rank, position, and seniority. We on the inside know that relationships between cops of different ranks are far more complex than what you see on a line organization chart.

As a supervisor, get to know your people, support them and provide the guidance to ensure they are making the right decisions. When you are successful, anonymity is often your reward, while failure brings the press scandal that brings down careers and departments.

As a student of leadership, throughout your police career you will be expanding on your education, training, and experience, and building a "leadership toolbox."

Could Gandhi have been a great military general? Could Patton have led a nation with charm and persuasion? We will never know, but each of these great leaders, operating within the bounds of their own personality, reached a pinnacle of leadership in their time and in their element.

When everyone tries to be the leader at the same time, nothing gets done.

Regardless of the consequences, regardless of how uncomfortable things get, I believe in gritting my teeth, saying what needs to be said and standing firm for the fallout. It's always better to deal with facts than with smoke and mirrors.

Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard has some pearls of wisdom for police captains everywhere ... even those on Earth.