Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
FOUR HARD TRUTHS IN LEADERSHIP Stumbling blocks can hamper supervisors' efforts, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying. LEADERSHIP makes or breaks an agency. It must be true be- 4. Your failure to lead is their failure to perform. The first three points focus on others; the last one focuses cause leadership topics get a lot of attention and agencies stress their importance. Considering that so much time, on you. Your failure to do your job will lead to the failure for effort, and money usually goes into developing leadership others to do theirs. Some people just don't care and will roll skills, why does it fail so miserably? My experience has ex- their eyes at your efforts. The bottom line is your subordinates will get away with posed four truths that can keep you from reaching your full what you let them. More importantly, they will mimic what leadership potential no matter where you work. they see you doing. So, if you want them to do it right, you 1. You can only be as good as your supervisor allows. You are probably a decent leader and have made a differ- better be doing it right. If you are having issues, try to leverage your sphere of influence already. But what keeps you from doing even better is your immediate supervisor. The good ones increase your ef- ence. For example, inspect your subordinates' cars, weapons, and equipment. Periodically check on their work product. fectiveness. The bad ones hold you back. The bad ones tend to thwart your ideas, make their de- Send them to training whether they like it or not. In other cisions based on how it affects their career, and follow the words, there are things you can do that are usually found in your policy and procedures that don't need company line blindly. Your ideas tend to go OUR JOB IS TO someone's preapproval. up the chain in a half-hearted way. LeaderDon't forget that at the other end of the carship never thrives in an environment like GET THE VERY rot is the stick that holds it. If you must, start that and you are robbed of your full potential. BEST OUT OF taking away their privileges. Taking away a 2. You can lead a horse to water but you OUR PEOPLE ONE is not considered discipline. I have can't make it drink. DAY AT A TIME. privilege made many an officer park their assigned veIt's not that you are not trying, don't care, hicle at the office for a week, instead of taking or that you are a poor leader. If you are good at it home, as part of an object lesson. what you do, the responsibility rests on your I have also changed their work hours, changed their zone subordinates' shoulders. You can't do it for them. If members of your command ignore your leadership attempts by assignments, and I have even taken away their laptops and just doing the minimum required to stay employed, there made them do everything by hand to make my point. Afteris not much you can do about it unless your agency raises wards, they may still harbor a less than stellar attitude, but they know what behaviors are acceptable and that you are its standards. Some people will never change their attitudes and don't not afraid to handle those that aren't. The fact that these four truths will follow you throughout want to. Alexander the Great could be trying to motivate your group and there would be some who'd be more inter- your supervisory career doesn't mean you should stop trying. ested in where they were going to eat lunch than in what he You can still make a difference by having a positive effect on those who want to do better. A former lieutenant of mine used had to say. to teach all his sergeants the same way. He would stress that 3. You can't save everyone. Over the years, I have invested a lot of time, energy, and a great part of our job was to get the very best out of our peoeffort into trying to turn around some of our agency's prob- ple one day at a time. He balanced that by saying some days lem officers. I did what I was supposed to do by mentoring, would be better than others but we should keep trying anyteaching, motivating, and giving second chances. There way. To follow his advice, we started by doing our job first and were times that I failed miserably. Sometimes, you never get then worked from there. I recommend you do the same. through to them. You deal with this failure by understanding you are re- Amaury Murgado retired a senior lieutenant from the Osceola sponsible for your choices and they are responsible for County (FL) Sheriff's Office with over 29 years of experience. theirs. Some people make career-ending decisions and get He also retired from the Army Reserve as a master sergeant. exactly that; an opportunity to work somewhere outside of He holds a Master of Political Science degree from the Univerlaw enforcement. It's not always about you. sity of Central Florida.
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POLICE SEPTEMBER 2017