Leadership for the Rank and File
Developing Leadership at Every Level of a Law Enforcement Agency
Since the very first leadership class we taught, we have asked participants to think back to their first day or first week on the job and identify someone who immediately impressed them, someone they looked up to, respected, or simply thought was super impressive. Then we ask them to identify exactly what about that person created that impression. As we go around the room, the answers are remarkably consistent: job knowledge, confidence, competence, professionalism, the way they carried themselves, approachability, communication, and similar traits. What we never hear is the way they wore their collar insignia, the size of their office, or how effectively they barked out orders. The lesson is simple: leadership comes from traits, behaviors, and the way we influence others. It does not come from rank.
By default, law enforcement is an industry of leaders. It is important that both formal leaders and line personnel understand this. Formal leaders are not always available, and our people must have the leadership skillset and job knowledge to handle certain situations.
Strong agencies recognize this and develop leadership at every level. They do not wait until someone is promoted to begin teaching leadership. They create opportunities for officers to grow, contribute, influence, and prepare for greater responsibility throughout their careers.
Leadership Does Not Require Rank
Rank gives someone authority. Leadership is different.
We define leadership as the ability to get the best out of our people. This includes the ability to positively influence others, help people perform at a higher level, and contribute to the success of the organization. None of that requires a title.
Some of the most influential people in a police department are not supervisors. They are the personnel others trust, seek out, listen to, and model themselves after. Their attitude matters. Their work ethic matters. Their professionalism matters. And whether they realize it or not, their behavior helps shape the people and culture around them.
Every Agency Has Informal Leaders
Informal leaders exist in every organization. They may be senior officers, detectives, field training officers, instructors, officers-in-charge, or simply highly respected members of the agency.
They often become the people others turn to when they have a question, need advice, face a difficult situation, or want an honest opinion.
Agencies should identify these individuals, encourage them, and help them understand the influence they already possess.
Rank Gives Authority. Leadership Is Earned.
A promotion provides legitimate organizational authority, but it does not automatically create credibility, trust, respect, or influence.
Those are earned over time through competence, consistency, character, judgment, accountability, and how we treat people.
The best future supervisors begin earning those things long before they are ever promoted.
Leadership Development Should Begin Before Promotion
Too often, organizations wait until someone becomes a supervisor before they begin seriously developing that person’s leadership ability.
By then, much of the foundation should already exist.
Future supervisors should have opportunities to learn about communication, accountability, decision-making, professionalism, conflict, coaching, influence, and organizational culture before they are placed in a position where they are responsible for others.
Leadership development should be part of career development, not simply promotional training.
Promotion Should Not Be Day One
The first day someone becomes a sergeant should not also be the first day they begin thinking seriously about leadership.
Promotion changes responsibilities immediately. New supervisors are expected to make decisions, manage conflict, coach employees, enforce standards, communicate difficult messages, and influence performance from the moment they assume the position.
The more leadership development someone receives before that day arrives, the better prepared they will be to succeed.
Build the Leadership Pipeline Early
Strong organizations do not simply wait for the next promotional process and hope good leaders emerge.
They intentionally develop a leadership pipeline.
That means identifying employees with potential, exposing them to leadership concepts, giving them opportunities to grow, and allowing them to practice leadership in appropriate ways before they are promoted.
Leadership development should be continuous, deliberate, and available throughout the organization.
Lead Where You Are
You do not need formal authority to make your organization better.
Every employee has opportunities to influence standards, morale, professionalism, teamwork, and performance.
Leadership can be demonstrated in the way we approach our work, how we respond under pressure, how we treat coworkers, how we handle mistakes, and whether we contribute solutions or simply identify problems.
The question is not always, “What authority do I have?”
A better question is, “What can I positively influence from where I am?”
Set the Standard
Leadership begins with personal example.
Be prepared. Be professional. Do your job well. Treat people with respect. Follow through on commitments. Maintain high standards even when nobody is watching.
Others notice consistency.
You may not be able to control the standards of everyone around you, but you can establish your own personal and professional standard and demonstrate what excellence looks like.
Make the People Around You Better
Leadership is not about drawing attention to yourself. It is about helping others succeed.
Share knowledge. Help newer officers. Encourage coworkers. Recognize good work. Offer assistance when someone is struggling. Be someone others can rely on.
One of the simplest ways to measure leadership is to ask whether the people around us are better because we are there.
Solve Problems
Anyone can identify what is wrong with an organization.
Leaders look for ways to make it better.
Instead of stopping at complaints, ask what can be changed, improved, fixed, or approached differently. Bring ideas forward. Volunteer to help. Take ownership where appropriate.
Leadership often begins when someone decides that identifying the problem is not enough.
Leaders Contribute
Leadership is also about contribution. You do not need rank to make your organization better, strengthen the people around you, or add value to the workplace. A line officer can contribute in dozens of meaningful ways: praising someone for a great arrest or accomplishment, recognizing a coworker in front of peers, reaching out when someone is sick or injured, bringing in breakfast for the squad, mentoring a newer officer, or simply being the person who consistently helps others. These actions may seem small individually, but collectively they influence morale, relationships, culture, and the overall quality of the workplace.
Contribution also means bringing something of value to the organization through your knowledge, initiative, and ideas. Develop a strong job knowledge and become someone others seek out for answers. Build an area of expertise, whether it is motorcycle gangs, search and seizure law, traffic enforcement, investigations, technology, or another specialty. Bring forward proposals. Identify ways to improve a process. Offer solutions instead of simply pointing out problems.
Leadership is not measured only by how many people report to you. It can also be measured by what you consistently add to the people, the team, and the organization. Contribution deserves far more attention in conversations about leadership because, at its core, great leaders leave things better than they found them.
Influence Without Acting Like the Boss
Leading without formal authority requires judgment.
There is a significant difference between positively influencing coworkers and attempting to supervise people when you do not have the authority to do so.
Informal leadership should never become self-importance, overstepping, or pretending to hold a position you have not earned.
The goal is not to act like the boss. The goal is to become someone whose example, credibility, and contribution positively influence others.
Earn Influence
Influence grows from trust. Influence grows from credibility.
People are more likely to listen to someone who is competent, consistent, fair, dependable, and willing to help.
Credibility is built gradually through hundreds of interactions. How we respond to pressure, how we treat people, whether we keep our word, and whether we consistently perform all contribute to the influence we eventually have.
Know the Difference Between Leadership and Authority
Authority allows someone to direct the actions of others because of their position.
Leadership allows someone to influence others because people value their judgment, example, and credibility.
The two can exist together, but they are not the same.
Rank-and-file leaders should respect the chain of command while still understanding that they have tremendous ability to influence the people around them.
Prepare Now for Future Leadership
If you hope to become a supervisor someday, do not wait for the promotional announcement to begin preparing.
Start now.
Observe good leaders. Study poor leadership. Pay attention to how supervisors communicate, make decisions, handle conflict, recognize employees, enforce standards, and respond when things go wrong.
Developing as a leader should begin years before a promotion, not weeks before an interview.
Build Your Leadership Identity
Ask yourself what kind of leader you eventually want to become. What will you stand for? How will you treat people? What standards will you expect? How will employees describe working for you?
Then begin practicing those behaviors now.
A leadership identity should be developed intentionally rather than accidentally after promotion.
Become a Student of Leadership
Leadership is a skill that can be studied and developed.
Read (See our Leadership Recommended Reading List). Attend training (Command Presence has an excellent leadership class for line personnel). Find mentors. Listen to podcasts. Study successful organizations. Observe the leaders around you. Ask questions. Seek feedback.
Just as professionals continually develop tactical, legal, investigative, and technical skills, leadership should also be treated as an area requiring continuous development.
Take Ownership of Your Development
Organizations have a responsibility to develop their people, but individuals also have responsibility for their own growth. This piece doesn’t get talked about enough.
Do not wait for someone else to create every opportunity.
Seek out training. Volunteer for assignments. Ask for feedback. Find mentors. Accept challenges that stretch your abilities.
Your agency should invest in you, but you should also invest in yourself.
How Agencies Can Develop Rank-and-File Leaders
Leadership development should not be limited to supervisors and command personnel.
Agencies benefit when leadership concepts are introduced throughout the organization.
Doing so improves the leadership pipeline, strengthens culture, increases employee engagement, and better prepares future supervisors for the responsibilities they will eventually assume.
Create Opportunities to Lead
Development requires more than classroom instruction.
Give employees appropriate opportunities to practice leadership.
Officer-in-charge assignments, field training responsibilities, committees, special projects, presentations, mentoring, training assignments, community initiatives, and problem-solving teams can all provide valuable developmental experiences.
The goal is to gradually expand responsibility while providing guidance, feedback, and support.
Make Leadership Development Available to Everyone
Employees should not have to wait until they are promoted to gain access to leadership education.
Leadership classes, books, articles, mentoring, discussions, micro-training, and internal development programs can expose personnel to leadership concepts throughout their careers.
When organizations make leadership development available early, they create better employees today and better supervisors tomorrow.
Leadership Starts Before the Title
Great organizations do not depend exclusively on people with rank to provide leadership. They develop employees who take ownership, set high standards, support others, solve problems, and positively influence the people around them.
Some of those individuals will eventually become supervisors. Others may never seek promotion. Both can provide tremendous value.
Leadership is not something that begins when a title is awarded. It begins when someone decides to make the people and organization around them better.
Resources for Developing Law Enforcement Leaders
The 12 Commandments of Leadership
Leadership Articles
Continue Your Leadership Development
Leadership Development for New Supervisors
Building a Law Enforcement Leadership Development Program
Law Enforcement Leadership Training Resources
Law Enforcement Leadership Training
Inquire About Bringing Leading Blue to your Agency or Upcoming Classes