News
Developing future police leaders

by Anthony Normore, PhD, Mitch Javidi, PhD, Terry D. Anderson, PhD

Highly competent law enforcement leadership is urgently required. Leaders are closely scrutinized and expected to behave credibly, competently and to inspire those around them to do the same. Failing to do so has resulted in serious financial and human resource liabilities.

More than 50 per cent of leaders derail, according to studies, and only 34 per cent of employees are fully engaged, 50 per cent are completely disengaged and seven per cent are engaged by their job but not by their organization.

Honest, trustworthy, and competent leaders drive many results, but most cannot build strong teams and develop a healthy organization that delivers reliable results, which is what everyone knows is required for success both now and in the future. That is why there is an immediate need to take Credible Leadership seriously.

{Critical skills lacking}

Based on our observations and many studies, too many leaders lack versatility in the ways they approach people, situations and ethical dilemmas. They find it difficult to identify and name the skills that they lack. Most policing agencies don’t have a leadership competency list that defines how leaders are expected to perform. That is why they don’t know what training they need.

Deficits in self-management, interpersonal communication, problem management, team development and consultative skills account for many of the most serious problems they face.

The primary reason for this lack of specific leadership skills is that few leaders (or people who want to be) have had an opportunity to accurately pinpoint their strengths and needs for training or coaching. Credible Leadership addresses these issues head on and provides immediate solutions.

Leadership programs usually focus on theories or the “big” things that need to be done to face the difficult challenges of leading success and change – but the programs end and most people who finish them don’t get any coaching to become better at what they have learned.

{Strengths, skills and outcomes}

Credible Leadership focuses on the “big” issues but also on how leaders can inwardly examine and prepare themselves for these challenges and develop five sets of skills to immediately enhance their performance.

1. Self-mastery

2. Interpersonal communication

3. Problem management and coaching

4. Consultative skills for team and organization development

5. Versatility skills for optimal performance

We have observed that the strongest leaders develop from the inside out, then learn skills that enable them to effectively perform what Kouzes and Posner (in The Leadership Challenge) identified as the five practices of exemplary leaders:

1. Model the way

2. Inspire a shared vision

3. Challenge the process

4. Enable others to act

5. Encourage the heart

{Results}

The results leaders have learned to achieve in Credible Leadership include:

• Reducing liabilities by refining ethical decision making and judgment skills;

• Developing competence and performance in self and subordinates;

• Developing and exercising emotional and social intelligence;

• Building a high performing team;

• Building a leadership and learning organization to optimize leadership;

• Building a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration;

• Designing and implement strategy;

• Effectively communicating strategy to employees and;

• Reducing crime through innovative crime reduction initiatives.

The Credible Leadership Learning System never ends and equips leaders with job relevant communication, problem-solving, team and organizational leadership skills that you can be applied immediately. It equips leaders to create a healthier and more productive place to work, teaches them to coach others to lead better and advances careers with verified competencies that can be presented at promotional interviews.

The content of the system is based on the book (Revised 2nd Edition, 2012), which has been extensively classroom and field tested. It is not just a theory but a skill development opportunity that has direct and immediate impact on a leaders’ performance, regardless of their current level of competence.

“I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with the calibre of this material,” commented retired RCMP Commissioner Beverly Busson. “The clusters are so well put together and concise, with one important point per module. Skills that are often taken for granted are covered, which I feel is so important in policing as some feel that these “skills” are not police centered.

The discussion motivates introspection at every level and offers thought provoking ideas from a 360-degree perspective of self-investigation… This is the best and most comprehensive training I have seen and I applaud all who have been involved. “

Busson is a commissioner on the Criminal Justice Commission for Credible Leadership Development at the International Academy of Public Safety (www.cjccld.com).

BIO

Credible Leadership is published by the International Academy of Public Safety. Contact Dr. Ken Keis at ken@crgleader.com or Dr. Terry Anderson at DrCoach@iapsinc.com for more information.