Leadership Concepts that Must be Part of Annual Training

By: Andrew A. DeMuth Jr.

Leadership development training must be a continuous part of agency training.

“Every problem is a leadership problem.”  While the exact person who first spoke these six words is not clear, the sentiment behind them is very clear: leadership is everything to an organization. In your professional life, how many leaders have you worked for that you would describe as exceptional?  What would the percentage be? If your agency is like most, you would probably agree that the percentage is very low.  As an industry, we’re not there yet when it comes to leadership. Frankly, we’re not even close. Do you even have identified leadership concepts for annual training?

As trainers, we have the power to change this or at least begin pushing it in the right direction, but the only way to accomplish this is by injecting and incorporating leadership training into our annual training programs.  As with anything else, if you expect them to know it, you need to train it. Leadership is no longer a singular, linear topic.  It is a massive field of study with many subareas each as important as the next.  Certain leadership concepts are so important that they are worthy of reinforcement through refresher training each year.  At the 2020 ILEETA Conference, we will examine some of the most important topics. Here is a sampling:

Leaders Build Leaders, not Followers
Ralph Nader once said, “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”  This should be the foundation of law enforcement training. When law enforcement professionals see themselves as leaders, they hold themselves to a higher standard.  Having rank is irrelevant. Great leadership is needed at all levels. We should always be looking to build the leadership skills of everyone in our organization

Leaders Believe in Mastery of their Craft
There is no substitute for exceptional job knowledge, especially in law enforcement.  Just as the soloist in the choir cannot hide, neither can the supervisor who does not know his or her job.  Such a flaw will preclude them from ever achieving leadership greatness. Author and Speaker Earl Nightingale had an interesting view on learning.  Mr. Nightingale preached that one hour of study per day would put you at the top of your field within three years. In five years, you would be a national authority. In seven years, you would be one of the best people in the world at what you do.  The true takeaway from Mr. Nightingale's principle is not so much the technique for becoming a master as much as it is the need for constant learning. This is especially true in the always-changing world of law enforcement. Learning needs to take place every day.

For Great Leaders, it’s About their People
In West Windsor, New Jersey, Police Chief Robert Garofalo worked Christmas morning so one of his officers with a young family could be home.  In Arlington, Texas, Chief Will Johnson made it a contest and also worked on Christmas morning for the winning officer. In Indianapolis, Indiana, Chief Bryan Roach worked Thanksgiving for a patrol officer.   The symbolism of such leadership goes far beyond the act itself.  It sets an example for the other leaders in the agency. It sends a message that while we expect commitment from our people, we expect our leaders to be committed to our people.

“He Who Cannot Be a Good Follower, Cannot be a Good Leader”
Followership is such an important component of leadership that Artstole uttered the above quote more than 2,000 years ago.  It holds up to this day. Every law enforcement officer occupies both a leadership and a followership role. We all report to someone. Great leadership requires leading by example.  You cannot expect those who work for you to be great followers when you set a poor example of followership. We must lead by example.

Great Leaders See Opportunity Over Imposition
Years ago, as a patrol sergeant, one of my officers approached me and asked if he could switch a vacation week.  I agreed, completed the required paperwork, and submitted it up the chain. The next day, a lieutenant called me and asked about the switch.  He then denied it reasoning that he allows it for one he would have to allow it for all. Translation, it was work that he didn’t feel like doing.   The lieutenant saw the request as an imposition when it was really an opportunity.  In law enforcement, as in all government work, we don’t have the luxury of awarding bonuses, stock options, extra time off, and other perks enjoyed by the private sector.  What we can do, however, is allow something as simple as moving a week of vacation time. We can also work with officers who have sick kids or ailing parents. Coming through on issues like these is how we build loyalty and allegiance to the organization.  It is how we make our organization become known as a great place to work.

In Closing

Great patrol squads, investigations divisions, and organizations don’t happen by accident.   They are a result of great leadership. They are a result of leaders who want to both build a great organization and make it a great place to work.  If this is what we truly want within our agencies, as trainers we have to preach it. We have to keep the leadership expectation in front of our people all year long. We must frequently discuss and debate leadership concepts for annual training.

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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 CODIS, the New Jersey DNA 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 for two institutions and speaks on law enforcement leadership and training topics throughout the country.