The Measure of a Leader
I have been blessed with an amazing career thus far, spanning from my rookie year in 1998 until now. It has been a great ride filled with various roles, including more than a decade in patrol and another decade in specialty units.
One of the biggest influences on my day-to-day environment has been leadership from other officers. Some of that leadership came from informal leaders – officers who have not formally been promoted within the agency but whose tenure and experience allows them to step up and lead others. This article, however, is not about those informal leaders.
I want to focus on effective things I have seen those who have been promoted within the agency do during my more than 25-year career in law enforcement. Great leaders do a number of things well for their people. I will go over several positive things I have seen leaders do during my law enforcement tenure.
BELIEVE - Great leaders believe in and trust their people, even when they are imperfect or make a mistake. They believe in their own ability to lead. They believe in the training and correction they will provide. They believe they can influence their people, help them improve, and correct mistakes. Ultimately, they believe in their people, and they express and demonstrate that belief.
CONTINUE TO WORK ON THEMSELVES - Great leaders continue to work on themselves, and they do so openly with the team and squad. The stuff you try to avoid is usually the work you need the most. The best leaders continue to work on themselves, and they inspire others to do the same.
COACH PEOPLE TO THEIR BEST, NOT THEIR WORST - Great leaders coach and treat people according to who they can become, not simply who they are today. Counseling, training, and mentorship are designed to help elevate people, not shackle, micro-manage, or punish them. All correction, training, and day-to-day leadership are designed to promote growth in their officers.
ONE LEADER CAN CHANGE A CULTURE - We all know this is true. Your leadership style can and will shift how a whole squad acts. To establish this, the leader must be consistent in their approach over time and serve as an example of what they expect the culture to be. This will be established and rooted in consistent behavior, not speeches or catchy phrases. Culture is based, above all else, on the consistent behavior of the leader and their response to the team over time.
LISTEN TO EVERY VOICE - Great leaders listen to input from ALL of their team and squad – not simply the loudest, the most senior, the ones they may naturally prefer or the most competent. They listen to and seek input from everyone on the squad. Ultimately, decisions and direction rest with the leader, but part of what makes the great ones effective is their ability to make everyone feel heard and valued.
KEEP MENTORING AFTER PROMOTION - Great leaders continue to support and mentor others, even after those individuals promote. They let the other person lead, but they continue to find opportunities to offer feedback and perspective as those they once led move into new positions within the agency.
OWN THEIR MISTAKES - Great leaders say they are sorry, then actually change or correct what they did wrong. They serve as an example of accountability and self-correction for their officers and build these positive traits in their people. It is an essential part of leadership to acknowledge failures or mistakes that occur under the direct supervision of their squad.
HAVE A SHORT MEMORY - This applies to both your mistakes and your squad's. Learn from mistakes, fix them, and then move on. Once you have moved on, stay moved on. It is the kiss of death for a supervisor to "handle" a situation, state that it has been handled, and then continue to bring it up in the future. Avoid this. Great leaders certainly hold their people accountable. They do not accept subpar performance or effort, but even as they "fix you," you know they are helping to create a better version of you.
HELP PEOPLE GROW BEYOND THEIR JOB - Good leaders make people better at life, not just at work. They also help people grow so they can move beyond their current job if they so desire. Great leaders show others how to be effective on and off the job. They develop who is "next" and leave the team well-prepared for when they depart.
LISTEN FOR WHAT'S NOT SAID - Great leaders know the truth often lies in what their people leave out when they speak or "report back," if required. Officers often will not be fully honest about all of their thoughts or opinions until they have faith in how a leader will respond. I have never had a boss who stated, "I will hold grudges," "Everything is about how I look" or "I will hang you out to dry in a heartbeat"…yet many of my "leaders" have done just that to me or others on the squad! Great leaders understand this and win over the squad through consistent behavior over time and by listening closely not only to what is said, but also to what is left unsaid.
BE VULNERABLE - Share your own struggles and the mistakes you learned from on your way up. Let the team know how those experiences helped you learn and grow, and, ultimately, how those mistakes did not define you.
DON'T BE THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM - Surround yourself with competent people, including those with strengths you may not have. Even if you have expertise in an area, it is OK to allow others to shine. In fact, you should encourage it, especially when you know the person you are encouraging is bringing valuable knowledge to others on the squad. Great leaders develop who is "next" and leave the team well-prepared for when they depart. Great leaders create their replacements.
Some offices are always full, and some stay empty. Some "leaders'" offices are only places you go when you have to be there. They are the last places you want to be. Then there are the other offices – the ones people actually want to walk into, the ones that always have someone "dropping by," where the squad may gather to ask a question, seek advice, or just talk and "bust each other's chops." They gather not because they were called there, but because they trust the person on the other side of the desk. Rank can give you the office, the title, and the final say. It cannot make people want to be around you, respect you, or follow you. That part has to be earned, especially from your best and most competent officers.
Rank tells you who is in charge. People will tell you whom they trust. Watch whom they willingly spend time with. What kind of office are you creating? Those with rank, pay attention. Mentor your officers, lead them, hold them accountable, and help them grow. Create who is "next."
The PPA is losing a leader. Steve Grammas will retire in October. He is not the only great leader or coach I have been blessed to have, and the PPA is not the only great team or squad I have been blessed to serve on. I have benefitted from many great men and teammates throughout my life. But I wrote this article about Steve and the leadership he has given our team, this organization, and ultimately, our Police Department. I challenge my teammates to read this article and think of Steve. Under each section, we can each think of examples of how Steve has done this for us individually or for our team.
Steve has done this consistently over time for our team and the PPA membership. There is a debt he has paid to all of us that we can't truly repay, but he expects no payment. He didn't do it because he wanted to be noticed, recognized, or have the spotlight on him. This article will make him uncomfortable. He did it because it is who he is. He can't help it.
When he took over the PPA, he was asked to do so at a time when the organization was struggling internally and had a real culture issue. As he leaves, we are strong – culturally and otherwise. He is leaving this place better than he found it. He has prepared the leaders who will step into the void created in October. It is up to Dan and the rest of the PPA Board to carry on the leadership he has given us and continue to grow and move forward.
I am no legend or superstar, but I have served on some amazing teams and with some of the best to ever do it. I have had a long career, but it isn't over yet. I will probably have put in three decades or more by the time I move on.
My current boss is named Steve Grammas. He leaves in October. He is one of the best to ever do it, and he is a solid example of what this article is all about.
To those who lead within this agency or the PPA, I challenge you to be more like Steve. God bless you, my brother. We will miss you, but we will thrive and continue to grow. You would expect nothing less.