Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
THE LEADERSHIP STYLE MYTH It's not about pitting one style against another, but using a style that will work best in each situation. THE TERM LEADERSHIP is used to acknowledge glory or incorporates many. How a leader chooses their style is based excuse away defeat. If something goes well it's due to good on their circumstance. It's not about pitting one style against leadership. If something goes wrong, it's due to bad leader- another, but using a style that will work best in each situation. Leadership is mission based. There will be times when ship. We focus on outcomes instead of process. We are almost consumed by the effects of leadership because we fall you can afford to be transactional; be warm and fluffy all you want. Obtain buy-in, ask for input, and follow that exfor the myth that any one style is better than another. True leadership can't be defined by or limited to one style. pensive management book down to the letter. Then there Life does not challenge us in cookie cutter fashion. Take will be other times when you must be authoritative and for example three popular leadership styles: authoritative, give orders that need to be followed, period. For example, transactional, and transformational. Is one better than the you don't have time to be warm and fluffy during an active shooter incident. rest or does each deserve a place in our repertoire? If you're in a situation where someone isn't following your Authoritative leadership is a rule-based preference comlawful orders, find someone else who bined with a hierarchical (military-like) TO SUGGEST THAT will and deal with the other person's approach in which orders are given and orders are followed. Transactional leadLAW ENFORCEMENT IS insubordination later. I have told many ership relies on a rewards-based system. A BUSINESS WATERS misinformed officers that when they made lieutenant, they could run their Rewards or punishments are handed DOWN ITS MISSION however they saw fit; but until out based on performance. TransformaAND HURTS EVERYONE platoon then, it was my platoon. tional leadership focuses on a peopleIN THE LONG RUN. Leadership experts sometimes forget centric approach that aims to inspire, that leadership is not a democratic proempower, and motivate. Your support cess. Leadership is not something acmakes your subordinates more effective at their job (also known as servant leadership). One isn't bet- complished by committee. Leadership is not something you ter than the rest. You follow any one of these, at any time, use to become popular. Where we go wrong as students of leadership is when we depending on the situation. We tend to look at these styles as being in competition. believe "what works for someone else will work for me." That We are led to believe that one is better than the other. I take couldn't be farther from the truth. What works for Microsoft issue with this premise because it ignores practical experi- is for Microsoft. What works for Pike Place Fish Market in ence in favor of academic theory. Sometimes an argument Seattle works for them. What works for Pixar Animation Stuis built around an approach that proved successful in a cer- dios works for Pixar. Though there might be some applicable elements you can tain arena and tries to cross over into other professions. I suffered through a time where agency administrators were learn from studying them, none of those companies deal sold on the idea that the agency needed to be run like a busi- with emergency situations or natural disasters as part of ness. Luckily, they learned we were not like McDonald's. To their jobs, or make split-second decisions that affect life or suggest that law enforcement is a business waters down its death. Leadership is mission based and calls for you to adjust your leadership style to fit the mission and not the other mission and hurts everyone in the long run. The fact is what happens in one profession seldom trans- way around. Don't worry about style; concentrate on being lates well across the board in another. The danger for us in law effective instead. enforcement is this myth that there is one style of leadership better than another. That if this style is applied the right way, Amaury Murgado retired a senior lieutenant from the Osceola it will work. Even worse is that this style will work all the time. County (FL) Sheriff's Office with over 29 years of experience. If it were that simple, we wouldn't have different styles in the He also retired from the Army Reserve as a master sergeant. first place. Leadership books would be reduced to brochures. He holds a Master of Political Science degree from the UniverThe truth is a leader doesn't use just one style but instead sity of Central Florida.
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POLICE DECEMBER 2017