Chief Rick Deering (retired) of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary told me, “The best leader I had the pleasure of working for was Roy Gordon, a sensible, soft-spoken man with a sharp mind and a sense of humour appreciated by all. He taught me many valuable lessons about the art of leadership through humility, empathy, and honesty that emphasized every decision he made, especially the most difficult ones. In particular, he had the innate ability to accurately assess each situation on his own and apply the best solution for everyone involved. In short, he was a master in the art of speaking and walking the path. He retired from the Ontario Provincial Police in April 2014, but continues to lecture on leadership and policing issues across North America. He has written numerous articles and published a book on leadership entitled “Never Stop on a Hill” in 2016, with proceeds going entirely to Special Olympics Ontario. He has been under contract at the NATO Joint Warfare Centre in Norway since 2017 and brings his civilian police and intelligence expertise to major military exercises. In addition, he is currently a public safety analyst for the CTV television network and appears regularly on local and national news across Canada. See more of his work on his company`s website, www.lighthouseleadershipservices.com.
In times of crisis, law enforcement agencies take responsibility. Without hesitation, the police are in danger if others retreat. It takes courage. But courage as a leader often involves much more. It takes courage to hold a subordinate accountable for a policy violation. It takes even more courage to denounce a senior official for serious policy violations such as sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct. A leader is ethical. He or she does the right thing. Even if it`s not easy or popular. NEXT: The 22 Leadership Traits Police Officers Look for in Their Supervisors in 2022 Effective law enforcement managers should constantly look within themselves to honestly assess how they can work proactively to develop each of these leadership principles.
Effective managers are always looking for ways to learn from others and actively train and develop them to become future leaders of the organization. By cultivating an attitude of service, altruism, giving and dedication to our primary purpose as law enforcement officers, we, as managers, can learn to become more influential with our employees and help them provide the most effective and professional service to the public. Many police officers at all levels describe individuals with similar characteristics of “interpersonal skills” that have positively influenced them as leaders. They speak of courage, determination, passion, support, humility, empathy and honesty. They give examples of leaders who have been there for them personally and professionally during difficult times. I`ve heard descriptions like, “He stopped and talked to people and made them feel special.” They confirmed my belief that leadership is about people. There are dozens of skills – both general and technical – that good law enforcement agencies naturally possess and hone throughout their careers. While leadership can certainly be developed and refined over the course of a career through observation and trial and error, formal training focused on core leadership skills can greatly accelerate this process by teaching different leadership philosophies and offering tools and strategies to apply those philosophies. Today`s law enforcement agencies are arguably facing one of the most turbulent times in policing. Overall, law enforcement agencies are feeling increased pressure to reassess their practices while balancing an ever-changing cultural, social and technological landscape. On an individual level, police officers themselves enter the field with new expectations of what it means to be an officer and how they want to be led.
Situational leadership refers to the ability to assess a situation and all available information. A leader must be able to identify the right people and resources for each specific mission to ensure success. Becoming a law enforcement leader is a continuous learning curve that requires individuals to possess important character traits. These features must be continuously developed and improved to ensure effective governance of law enforcement agencies. Chris D. Lewis became Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on August 1, 2010, taking charge of one of the largest police services in North America. As Commissioner, he oversaw front-line policing, marine transportation and operations, emergency response, and specialized and transnational investigations throughout the province of Ontario, including services to 324 communities, roads and waterways provided by nearly 9,000 employees. Today, I`m going to talk about three fundamental components of leadership.
Knowledge, courage and attitude. Being a law enforcement officer is more than just a job. It`s an identity and a lifestyle, and for most of the troupe, it`s also an opportunity to make a positive impact on the community and do good. Becoming an effective law enforcement official is an ongoing personal learning process. Leadership is a professional journey of self-discovery and learning from others. It is about subjecting self-interest to the good of others through self-giving and mentoring, developing and supporting those who work for us. It is an unwavering process of working to achieve our organizations` goal of developing effective law enforcement leaders who can fight crime and protect the innocent. A good law enforcement official should be able to inspire others in their unit by helping them understand their vision and motivating them to achieve it. They must also be able to communicate effectively and express empathy with force officers in order to build deep relationships with their unit. If you have the qualities that make a good law enforcement commander and have a passion for leading others to excellence, you could have a bright future in policing.
Today, many current and emerging law enforcement agencies are looking to better understand how to be an effective police chief and what kind of leadership style works best in this climate. The answer is simple: there is not just one, but there are a number of leadership styles, traits, skills and responsibilities that quality police leaders should understand, learn and practice to succeed. Authoritarian leadership is strictly rules-based with a penchant for order and sometimes a military approach. In such organizations, the leader exercises full control over the team and subordinates are expected to simply follow and obey, not give feedback or contribute ideas. Most military and police forces have “historically followed a very authoritarian model,” said former U.S. Navy Lt. Col. Ryan Sheehy, an associate professor at the University of San Diego`s online master`s degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership. However, as the next generation of law enforcement officers enters the field, this persistent leadership style is not as effective as in previous generations, and many contemporary leaders are exploring other ways to lead, inspire and engage. I have been a police officer for most of my adult life and have held leadership positions throughout my life.
I saw and learned from the best, but unfortunately there were only a few. I also learned huge leadership lessons from weaker leaders, but they taught me NOT to treat people.