GREAT TO MAGNUS: The Guardian Heart of Modern Magnanimous Officers

No one is compelled to choose the profession of police officer, but having chosen it, everyone is obligated to perform its duties and live up to the high standards of its requirements — President Calvin Coolidge

MAGNUS officers are warriors with Guardian Hearts guided by the pursuit of virtue, which is the source of their strength.?The Guardian Heart of MAGNUS Officers determines the nature of their thoughts, words, actions, deeds, and every aspect of their leadership. They continually evolve as magnanimous people.?Eventually, their pursuit of being better people determines how well they do in life, policing, and what they leave behind.?

In the process of becoming MAGNUS, they build a legacy of respect, improvement and progress with everything they touch.?A true measure of the MAGNUS officer is how their progress on living and acting virtuously can be seen in how they impact their communities of family, organization and those they serve.?MAGNUS officers surround us.?First, they are peacekeepers.?They know right from wrong, they are a source of virtue, exemplify resiliency, model courage, nurture creativity, have a passion for purpose, co-produce problem solutions, and act to ensure results that improve well-being.?

There Is More to Policing Than Policing – MAGNUS Officers are Servant-Guardians

Because policing is evolving it is not enough to just be good at the technicalities of policing - what matters is what police permanently build as policemen and women and more important, how they go about it.?You can build a good reputation.?You can form a cohesive policing team. And you can devise and lead a permanent solution to a community problem.?What matters is that it is done by being guided by a firm sense of MAGNUS virtues. That is, there is more to policing than confronting crime and being proactive; that’s a great start.?As competent peace-keepers, they are aware of their trusted roles of duty with honor as servant-guardians.?Police must keep law and order and be the change that improves community wellbeing.?This is the heart-beat of the MAGNUS officer.?Do you accept your potential and responsibility to become MAGNUS!

There Is No Warrior vs Guardian

We as your MAGNUS guides need to dispel the false notion a warrior really can’t be a Guardian.?The guardian is tough on crime, they police from a position of strength but with intellect and compassion.?When officers drift from this distinction, the warrior mindset becomes the confrontational narrative of ‘us versus them,’ and works its way into policing DNA with negative consequences.?Policing loses its connection to the mission of serve and protect.?There is a better way.?

Warriors throughout the ages were always guardians first as are policemen and women today.?They learn the ways of a warrior because they must keep the peace and commit to doing so by swearing to serve and protect.?There is a reason that serving comes first in our oath.?Police willingly enter a job, a career that is tough, unforgiving and many times unappreciated, yet as they pursue becoming MAGNUS they stick to it and never lose their guardian heart – It is always there. Becoming a MAGNUS officer allows a police officers to discover their guardian-hearts or rediscover it should it become broken or even cynical.?It does not have to be that way.?Becoming MAGNUS opens the doors to opportunities, accomplishment and reward – if an officer concentrates on the worthy work of it.?

Becoming MAGNUS Is Real Work and Real Reward

Being skilled as a MAGNUS officer greatly extends the policing toolkit.?There is always the possibility of an arrest but not without being professional, preventive and proactive first.?Proactive MAGNUS police continue the continuum of their policing toolkit because they have the skills to problem solve in a way that strengthens the community which is the best way to prevent crime and community dysfunction.?Becoming MAGNUS is many times a more difficult way to police yet it is vital to policing success and their part in the evolution of their profession and, it is remarkably rewarding.

MAGNUS officers all have the heart of a guardian; they would not be in policing if they didn’t.?Officers begin their careers to serve and protect as Warriors with a Guardian Heart.?Ask any Police / Sheriff / Law Enforcement officer about The Calling; why they sign onto the job in the first place. They proudly answer, it is to make a difference, serve their community and their country, to help others, protect the vulnerable – they describe what it is to live a MAGNUS life.?

You Are Part of The Next Wave of Policing Evolution - Whether You Participate or Not

This traveling the road of personal discovery and accomplishment which is becoming MAGNUS, helps officers realize how great it is being MAGNUS.?They are living in the age of a new renaissance.?We as Americans have gone from an expected life span of about 48 years to about 78 years in about one lifetime; many of us can expect to live to 100.?Unprecedented!?What will you do with your years??This galloping progress we live in demands a new age of policing as reinvigorated guardians guided by our Guardian Hearts, keepers of safe, secure communities where policing renews its leadership role in the community to help make it a place where families are stable, productive, and happy.

Make no mistake you are the vanguard of the next wave of policing evolution, the era of the self-aware officer who is a fundamental part of our historical experiment in governance and takes his or her part in it with commitment, intention and gusto.?

Always Ask “What’s Next?” - Then Make It Happen

Police just can’t deliver all the services expected of them with continuous austerity and under the microscope of a smartphone video.?The future of policing, and public services in general, is how local people muster their own resources to address their own problems.?Police must ask, “What’s next?” and take positive action to figure it out and lead.?The role for the officer in the street now and especially in the future is to ensure safety and security while he/she participates in building permanent solutions to local problems with local resources.?Law Enforcement can lead that reality.?MAGNUS officers can lead this inevitable evolution if not revolution.

The DNA of the Guardian heart holds the promise of strength of character realized in strength, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selflessness, commitment, harmony, compassion, safety and prosperity for policing, community and family.?This DNA is the guardian heart of MAGNUS officers that compels them to live a virtuous life to serve and protect even when they are called to be a warrior.

Act as If You Will Be Remembered – Because you are

By committing to the unique honor and privilege to service as police, you are leading the new wave of policing in one of the greatest eras of governmental, civil and evolutionary progress.?You are smack dab in the middle of it with the opportunity to make a real difference.?What will you do with this opportunity??How will you grow your Guardian Heart? How will you make a mark in and with family, policing and your community??Will you approach the day with an eye to quitting time, counting the moments to retirement??Or, will you dig into the day with enthusiasm, beyond the disappointments and drudgery, and contribute to the wellbeing of all you touch, starting and most important with family.?We are all so fortunate to be alive now in this remarkable moment in history.?Your task is to materially improve things big and especially small.?It is by your example and a thousand little things done a little better that the whole moves forward.?MAGNUS askes:

“Will you act as if you will be remembered? - Because you are!”

Bibliography

Clapham, W. (2011).?Lead Big: Discovering the upside of unconventional leadership. Published by Fair Winds Press, Surrey, BC.

George, B. (2015).?Discover your true north. ?Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

Javidi, M., & Klopovic, J. (2016).??Becoming MAGNUS-The natural pursuit of virtue in policing. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/becoming-magnus-the-natural-pursuit-of-virtue-in-policing/ .

Javidi, M., Klopovic, J., & Klopovic, N. (2016).?Becoming MAGNUS – Success is equal opportunity. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/becoming-magnus-success-is-equal-opportunity/ .

Javidi, M., Nash, R., Klopovic, J., Hoina, C., Normore, T., Valenti, T., Scott, W., Watt, R., Cooper, B., Clapham, W., Anderson, T., Ellis, B., Bass, S., & Javidi, A. (2016).?Virtues of magnanimous officers.?The International Academy of Public Safety. https://leicld.com/magnus/

Klopovic, J. (2003).?Effective program practices for at-risk youth:?A continuum of community based programs.?Civic Research Institute, Princeton, NJ.?https://www.civicresearchinstitute.com/epy.html .