A World of Leadership
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Leadership education is easily available

By: Andrew A. DeMuth Jr.

In many agencies, leadership is recycled. It is handed down from one generation to the next. While the leaders are different in personality, many of their traits and actions remain the same.  Despite what some may say, leadership education is easily available. Law enforcement leadership is often stagnant. In a presentation I gave at a recent ILEETA Conference, I talked about how the single greatest method of training is leadership modeling. Our words and deeds set the example and tone of what we want and what we expect from our people. But what happens when those in leadership roles are setting poor examples?

It is rare that an officer rises through the ranks of an agency truly needing change and without any external influence breaks a leadership paradigm. Poor and average leaders breed poor and average leaders. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity. The primary reason for this is that poor leaders don’t realize they are poor leaders. If we conducted a nationwide survey of ranked personnel, very few would describe themselves as poor leaders, yet we see examples of poor leadership every day. That abusive and malicious sergeant doesn’t think he is abusive and malicious; he thinks he is a great leader who holds his organization and people to the highest standard. It’s the same with the absent-minded lieutenant and the AWOL chief.

And within agencies that have not been exposed to great leadership, it is easy to mistake a nice boss or a better boss for a great leader. The new lieutenant is better at ordering supplies than the last lieutenant. Our new chief allows a uniform change desired by the rank and file that the previous chief would not. The new sergeant is less of a stickler with allowing officers to help each other with reports. Our newest leader may be nicer, more approachable, or less of a disciplinarian, but these traits alone are not examples of great leadership.

Great leadership is getting the best out of your people in pursuit of organizational goals. Different leaders accomplish this in different ways, but great leaders get their people to buy into the vision; they get commitment from their people. Vision is seeing the unit/division/organization not for what it is but for what it can be. Vision is seeing the goal and having a roadmap to get there. If there is no vision, there is no leadership. You just were given the community policing unit or the investigations division or the agency itself; what will you do with it? Where will you take it and how?

There are critical concepts that can take leadership to a whole new level, but they will never be learned from the burned-out captain who thinks he’s above talking to lower-ranked personnel or the 37-year, well-intended, friendly lieutenant who has long overstayed her welcome.

In agencies that need significant leadership change, there are just two possibilities of that ever happening.  A new leader is brought in from the outside or employees are provided with high-quality leadership training. In other words, the only chance for significant leadership change in an agency that desperately needs it lies in the hands of the training unit. The good news is that never has there been such easy access to a world of leadership knowledge, much of it at little to no cost.

Great leaders bring the agency and its people to a higher level. Great leaders are unselfish, and, next to achieving organizational goals, helping their people grow and develop is their top priority. They are not about themselves but are about those who work for them. In agencies where mediocrity is the norm, they do not know great leadership, and their leaders certainly don’t meet the description provided above. Simply, they cannot become what they have never seen. It is up to the trainers to come up with the “How?” How are we going to expose our people to great leadership?

As trainers, we have a unique opportunity to influence the direction of an agency. Some would argue that trainers have as much influence as agency administrators (In most cases, I would agree). Fortunately, there has never been a better time for a law enforcement training officer looking for leadership training. The keyboard/smartphone/device in front of you right now is a gateway to the thoughts of some of the greatest leaders of all time in the form of books, articles, videos, podcasts, and webinars. The truth is that leadership education is easily available. Consider the following:

1. In searching for a name for his book, leadership expert Simon Sinek discovered this core tenet of leadership from the United States Marine Corps. In the Marine Corps (and I’ve since learned in other branches as well), when it’s chow time, officers and ranked personnel allow lower-ranked personnel to eat first. Simply, leaders eat last. If there is not enough food, it will be the officers that go hungry, not the rank and file. In this video, Sinek talks about this powerful leadership gesture.

2. University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban strongly believes that by setting high standards, your organization will attract the best people and weed out others. “Mediocre people don’t like high achievers, and high achievers don’t like mediocre people.” This article talks about this quote and six other lessons from this famed leader and reinforces the idea that leadership education is easily available.

3. Are you looking for something to motivate your people to spend more time working out or training? This paraphrased quote by a Chinese military leader would look great blown up into oversized words in your training room: “The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.”

4. Sergeants may play the most important role in law enforcement, as they are in a position to set the tone for line officers, especially on heated calls for service. Sergeants must be in control. Famed football coach Tom Landry couldn’t agree more. He once said, “Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” In this New York Times article, Landry discusses his leadership style.

5. Getting buy-in as to the importance of leadership is crucial in any organization. Navy seal veteran Jocko Willink addresses this in his book Extreme Ownership: “Leadership is the single greatest factor in any team’s performance.” This book is a great first assignment for new leaders.

6. Great leaders understand the importance of effective communication, especially listening. Mike Abrashoff wrote a book detailing the spectacular turnaround of the USS Benfold, the ship he commanded.  He shared this story in this YouTube video.

7. The importance of optimism in a leader cannot be understated. It is contagious, and followers need to see that the leader is optimistic about the present and the future. General Colin Powell once said, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” This article discusses his comment in more detail. A great piece.

8. Author Jim Collins explains why “Good is the enemy of great.” Aristotle teaches “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” McDonald’s tycoon Ray Kroc says “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves,” and the list goes on.

If we want to create great leaders, we must show our people what great leadership looks like. If we have and want to keep great leaders, we must do the same. No leadership development program is complete if it is not taking advantage of these incredibly accessible bits of wisdom. Leadership education is easily available

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Andrew A. DeMuth Jr. is the founder of Leading Blue, a firm that provides leadership training for law enforcement and the private sector. He served 32 years in law enforcement with four different agencies in a variety of leadership roles. During his career, he served as an investigation’s commander, range master, agency training officer, press information officer, and director of the youth police academy program. He spent the last seven years of his law enforcement career managing the CODIS Compliance Unit. This unit directs the New Jersey DNA collection program overseeing the processing, compliance, and training of more than 500 participating law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. Today, he serves as an adjunct professor and speaks on law enforcement leadership and training throughout the country.  Leadership education is easily available. If your agency truly cannot afford the needed training, email Andrew at Andrew@LeadingBlue.com.