Leadership Contains Strategy

We often look at leadership based on courses we’ve attended where topics like integrity, courage, passion, honesty, are used to describe what we all expect to see in a leader, and we’ve all seen the slogans and goals that become part of our mission statement that sometimes adorn the walls where we all walk, but is that message really carried out through our actions in a strategic plan? I too have attended leadership courses sitting with other members of leadership that walked away from the training but did not implement any strategic plan to accomplish the goals set out in many of the breakout sessions. There can be a distrust of administration and local leaders with the front-line officers that exist even if the fear is not based in reality. This same distrust can also exist in a community that doesn’t understand why a particular action has taken place. We must ask ourselves how did that fear grow inside our agencies where officers and supervisors are more focused on surviving the years they have left rather than working towards the mission of the department and the citizens it serves.

This conundrum is often due to the lack of an obvious leadership strategy that includes checks and balances combined with clear communication consistent with the department goals. I would say leadership is very similar to building a sound business plan where responsibility is encouraged by building milestones within that agency that can be tracked and measured, where each member holds his or her own responsibility in the group, and where recognition exist when those goals are achieved. This would also mean including our own citizens in this strategy on how they can be part of these milestones that may relate to crime in their area, and how they can take responsibility as well in solutions to solve these issues. We rarely see problems solved within a community without having input and open dialogue on what are the root causes of the problem.

We have citizens that can’t comprehend why officers used force in a particular situation because we in law enforcement haven’t invested time in explaining situations beforehand where force could be used or justified. The lack of training is a distinct issue within law enforcement, but that same training should exist as well with our community leaders to include local, state, and federal leaders so they have a clearer understanding of a particular situation before rushing to judgment. The community often looks to them as a voice of explanation as to why these incidents are occurring, but often we hear statements that lack reality or fact. The leaders themselves must also take responsibility when the message sent contradicts the goals of the group designed to meet the overall objective of our society, which is public safety. The time to address a situation and lay the framework is before the problem presents itself, which is why some strategy must exist that changes from time to time.

I seldom see leaders hold themselves responsible for the situations that exist, but the officers on the front line often take the brunt of the action. We need to examine the overall situation and determine what failures existed that created the problem we’re now seeing. Did the officer’s leadership provide him or her with the training and tools to solve the problem? Did the city council provide enough funding for the officer to have the training necessary to approach the situation with the ability to solve the problem? Did the citizens of the community vote down funding necessary for the officer to thrive and provide the services? Have politicians put in place laws or procedures that hinder officers from being able to do the job based upon a belief that lacked measurable data? We must approach these situations with a strategy of leadership because right now we as a nation don’t seem to be moving forward with a constructive cohesive plan.

There are groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter that don’t seem to have constructive input other than defunding the police, which the definition seems to change depending on who is delivering the message. I would like to see BLM take some ownership in the problem since again open dialogue is useful to create solutions. This could mean helping with education in communities on how to interact with law enforcement during traffic stops or situations that may lead to arrest. I don’t believe Antifa would have any constructive input since their goal is to create anarchy and tear down the very fabric of our society, which is now playing out in the streets of Seattle’s autonomous zone.

We can all sit back on either side of the aisle and point fingers at the patrol officer on the street and say they’re the reason these problems exist, or each person with a stake can take ownership in creating effective solutions because this problem wasn’t created by one individual. We have officers, leaders, and trainers that are afraid as well to talk about these incidents where their opinions may differ because they themselves fear losing the very jobs that provide for their own families. How can we ever come to a solution if we’re only seeing one side of the equation? I am optimistic if we as a nation come together as one without dwelling on past problems that we can create solutions by working together, because we were founded on certain principles that still ring true today as long as we take the time to stop shouting and listen. 

Author: Ray Beshirs

Blue Shield Tactical System

Blueshieldtactical.com