The job of a cop is so much more than just being brave, strong, and heroic. It is a lifestyle and identity. As law enforcement professionals from the previous generation now approach retirement, the next generation is being promoted to the leadership position. While being an effective leader is a great quality, what adds depth to the topic is communicating why and how one becomes a strong leader. An effective leader has the strength to make or break a department. When someone from the leadership hierarchy arrives, you must have noticed how everyone's expressions and body language change. Either people become closed in body posture and more defensive in their words, or they continue to smile and welcome their managers into the conversation. The beauty of effective leadership is that once the leader masters the skills, his sub-ordinates perform like a well-oiled machine even without much supervision. Whereas with ineffective leadership, the entire organization or an agency is infected with low-productivity, anger, low-morale, and overall poor functionality. The question is not whether it's important to have the right people lead in any law enforcement agency, but the question is what traits it takes for effective police leadership.
Here are the six most essential traits of effective police
leadership.
1. Good Communication Skills
Proficient communication skills can be more than just helpful to a law enforcement officer. Also, the ability to communicate clearly can earn the trust of the community being served. Influential leaders take time to appreciate others' efforts with encouraging words and gestures. Another important aspect of good communication skills is active listening. Police officers who take the time to listen to what people are saying and ask questions with curiosity get better results. When sub-ordinates feel like their leaders genuinely care, they are more likely to co-operate and communicate better.
2. Knowledge & Training
Even though law enforcement officers undergo a substantial amount of training from a police training academy before they find themselves in uniform, there's always room for more learning. The person who is naturally curious and is willing to grow their knowledge and abilities has the potential to make a significant impact as a leader. Effective leadership requires leaders to stay on top of the development of new laws and technology. A police leader should aspire to foster an environment that boosts growth and learning, provides training opportunities and develops innovative ways to accomplish goals.
3. Integrity
Integrity is fundamental and quite possibly the most important quality required for police leadership. A leader's strong morals and integrity reinforce the agency's mission statement and the community's expectations of professional policing. Leaders need to be direct and transparent with their sub-ordinates. Also, an agency with a reputation for having leaders with integrity is an agency with the community's trust. Without integrity, there's no leadership, only intimidation.
4. Clear & Concise Directions
An effective leader understands and ensures that his sub-ordinates correctly receive his messages and instructions. It is effective to put directions in written form or via e-mail. This may seem unnecessary, but everyone interprets information differently. In order to be understood, a leader must communicate effectively. Providing the information correctly and removing distractions helps law enforcement leaders ensure everyone is doing their job in the right manner with minimal errors.
5. Motivation & Rewarding
An effective leader sets the example for subordinates with his own actions. In order to effectively lead the entire agency, law enforcement leaders must understand the agency and the community's demographics. He believes in duplicating himself so that others can rise to be better leaders themselves. A good leader relates to the people of all generations and cultures and knows what approach to use to motivate his team. The best motivation is to appreciate and reward the person in exchange for their efforts and progress.
Conclusion
An effective leadership is not just a position; it's a lifestyle. Approprately applying and practicing the leadership traits amounts to a win-win for the agency, the subordinates, the leaders and the community. Understanding how to personally and effectively incorporate these traits into one's leadership style indeed develops with practice, but it should not be overlooked. If you have some of these effective police leadership traits, you might be a perfect fit for a law enforcement career.
With the right training, you can leverage these traits to help make a meaningful impact in your community. If you are looking for comprehensive police training near you, contact us at FIPolocing and learn more.
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