The New Supervisor Mindset
Promotion changes your rank immediately. It does not automatically change your mindset.
One of the biggest challenges for a new law enforcement supervisor is learning to stop thinking primarily as an individual performer and begin thinking as the person responsible for the performance, development, standards, and direction of an entire team.
That transition begins with ownership.
Everything Is Your Responsibility
A new supervisor has to begin with a difficult principle: You own everything that happens in your unit.
There is no transition period. You will be held accountable for mistakes, rule infractions, and serious misconduct by one of your people no differently than a 20-year sergeant. If one of your people is inappropriately mouthing off at a citizen, your mere presence makes you culpable if you fail to take action.
Employees will make poor decisions. People will ignore instructions. Problems will occur despite good leadership.
But supervisors cannot begin from the position of, “That is their problem.”
The earlier you accept this principle, the better off you will be.
It’s Not About You!
Leadership is about your people, not you.
One of my favorite leadership quotes comes from Mark Sanborn and speaks directly to this idea: “Is anyone or anything better because of you?”
Simply, what are you doing for your people, and what are you doing for your organization?
Prior to promotion, your success was measured by your accomplishments. As a leader, your success is measured by the accomplishments of your people.
Learn to develop strong people and build strong teams, and you are well on your way to becoming a successful leader.
Own Your Leadership Development
Ideally, your organization has a comprehensive leadership development program complete with classroom learning, tabletop scenarios, and a several-week ride-along with a highly competent and seasoned supervisor.
However, it is unlikely, as, in my experience, fewer than 10% of agencies have such a program in place.
It is no excuse. If your agency does not have a leadership development program, then it is up to you to create one for yourself.
Fortunately, there is a world of leadership development resources at little to no cost. Your regional academy might have classes. There are more articles online than you could possibly read. (See the Leading Blue article depot as well as Police1.com and Officer.com. There are videos, podcasts, and blogs and some fantastic books on leadership. (Download the Leading Blue Recommended Reading List for New Supervisors.)
Commit time each day for developing as a leader. (See also Leadership Development for New Law Enforcement Supervisors.)
Stop Thinking Like an Individual Contributor
You Do Not Have to Be the Star Anymore
New supervisors sometimes struggle with letting go of the identity that helped them get promoted.
You may have been the best investigator, the strongest patrol officer, the person everyone went to for answers, or the employee who consistently handled the most difficult assignments.
That is no longer the measure of your success. A great supervisor does not need to make every decision, solve every problem, or receive every compliment.
Your job is to help other people perform at a high level.
Success Now Belongs to the Team
Your accomplishments matter less than the collective performance of the unit.
The question is no longer simply, “How did I do?” It becomes: How did we do? What did my people accomplish? Where did they improve? Where did they struggle? What do they need from me next?
That is a major mindset shift.
Job Knowledge Equals Credibility
Know when an arrest is mandatory in a domestic violence case. Know how to properly conduct field sobriety tests. Know when an arrest can and cannot be made without a warrant.
Know your agency’s policies, your state’s laws, and the procedures your people are expected to follow.
A new supervisor does not have to know everything, but they do have to know the job. Your people will quickly figure out whether you are someone they can turn to when the situation is complicated, the pressure is high, or the answer is not obvious.
Job knowledge builds confidence. It gives weight to your direction, strengthens your decisions, and makes correction easier to accept. If you expect people to respect your judgment, you have to continually develop the knowledge behind that judgment.
And when you do not know the answer, say so. Then find it. Credibility does not come from pretending to know everything. It comes from being competent, prepared, and committed to getting it right.
Try to devote 15 or 20 minutes during each tour to reading, learning, and reinforcing your job knowledge.
Team Time
Supervision is not something you do in addition to your regular work. Your people are the work.
Their development, performance, morale, accountability, communication, and success must become deliberate leadership responsibilities. You should set aside time each week to devote to these areas. We call this Team Time.
Watch the Distractions
New supervisors often become consumed by reports, schedules, meetings, administrative responsibilities, and operational demands.
No question, those things matter.
But don’t let these distractions pull you away from team time. Leadership requires deliberately making time for conversations, coaching, feedback, recognition, professional development, and problem-solving with your people.
If every week is consumed entirely by tasks, something important is being neglected.
Develop People, Not Just Work Product
A supervisor should not merely ensure the work is completed. Great supervisors help people become better. Seeing a theme yet?
That means identifying strengths, correcting weaknesses, providing opportunities, recommending training, assigning meaningful responsibilities, mentoring future leaders, and helping employees prepare for what comes next in their careers.
The goal is not just to produce good work today. It is to build better employees for tomorrow.
The Standard Is Now Yours
Every unit has standards. Some are written. Some are not.
How quickly do people respond? How do they treat one another? What quality of work is acceptable? What behavior is tolerated? What level of professionalism is expected?
Once you become the supervisor, those standards become yours.
What You Tolerate Becomes the Standard
Retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink once said, “It’s not what you preach; it’s what you tolerate.”
Spot on.
You can have the best policies, the most comprehensive SOPs, and first-rate refresher training, but in the end, your standards will be defined by what you tolerate, not by what you preach.
If poor performance is ignored, it will slowly become the standard. If disrespect is tolerated, it will slowly become the standard. If mediocrity is accepted because confrontation is uncomfortable, it will slowly become the standard.
Supervisors communicate standards not only through what they say, but through what they allow.
Set the Example Before Setting Expectations
Instead of focusing on what everyone else needs to change, begin with yourself; model the standard you desire. (See also Five Elements of a Strong Leadership Presence.)
Your punctuality, work ethic, professionalism, communication, attitude, preparation, and conduct become part of the standard. People will watch what you do far more closely than what you say. Nothing turns a team off more than a hypocritical supervisor.
Stop Solving Every Problem Yourself
As a new road supervisor, this one was difficult for me. You cannot jump in and take over the call at the first sign of one of your people struggling. They must learn to get through the situation even if it is not pretty. Also, by allowing them to get through it, you have an opportunity to correct several issues instead of just the first one you witnessed.
If every solution comes from you, your people never grow.
Coach Before You Rescue
When an employee brings you a problem, resist the instinct to immediately solve it. Ask questions. What do you think we should do? What options have you considered? What are the risks? What would you recommend?
Sometimes the best leadership move is not giving the answer. It is helping someone else learn how to find it.
Build Capability Around You
The strongest supervisors do not make themselves indispensable. This might sound surprising, but the best supervisors build teams capable of functioning at a high level without constant intervention.
That requires trust, delegation, coaching, and patience.
You Own the Employee Experience
You will be the most significant leadership figure in the professional lives of your people. The chief, the major, the captain and others will certainly play a role, but you are the one they deal with every day.
You influence the energy, communication, professionalism, accountability, recognition, and sense of teamwork. You are the one providing shift briefing, you are the one correcting reports, and you are the one lined up car to car at three in the morning.
Pay Attention to What People Experience Every Day
Are people kept informed? Do they feel respected? Are good ideas heard? Is exceptional work recognized? Are problems addressed? Do high performers feel valued? Do employees believe their supervisor has their back when they do the right thing?
These are leadership issues.
Small Leadership Decisions Matter
Not every improvement requires a major initiative.
Sometimes changing an unnecessary rule, improving communication, recognizing someone’s work, fixing a persistent problem, or simply listening can significantly improve the employee experience.
New supervisors should constantly ask: What can I make better?
The New Supervisor Mindset
The transition into supervision requires more than learning policy, procedure, scheduling, evaluations, or administrative responsibilities. It requires a different way of thinking.
You are no longer responsible only for yourself. You are responsible for what happens around you.
Own the unit. Own the standards. Own the problems. Own the development of your people. Own the environment.
Then get to work making all of them better.