Management Skills Vs. Law Enforcement

Leadership in law enforcement is unlike leadership in any other profession. There are a few similarities in which can be compared to other professions, this is the case as law enforcements leadership has consequences on a scale that can not only damage public trust and support, it may well also violate or restrict the rights that American citizens value.

The term leadership invokes a deeper meaning than the simple Merriam-Webster dictionary definition as “the office or position of a leader” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Candidates seeking management positions are frequently asked about their leadership styles during interviews. It is a derivative of the “what is the purpose of my leadership” question asked by William George discussed in his article, “Note on why leaders lose their way” (2004, p.2). My leadership style is best illustrated by the following quote by Rear Admiral Grace Hopper (US Navy, retired): “you manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership” (Schieber, 1987).

Some theorists use the terms ‘leadership’ and ‘management’ reciprocally as if they are tantamount with one another, while others use them in a very purposeful sense to express that they are, in effect, rather different (Bush, 2003). Organisational successfulness, it is generally accepted, is dependant on both competent leadership and consistent management (Dimmock and Walker, 2005) According to Grace (1995) they do not follow from one or the other, but

Are the people placed in these roles fit as being a leader? Are they capable of leading in a large quality in the future? There has been research on the varied of different leadership styles with in law enforcement agencies. Other views on the research focus on leadership and how it effects organizational commitment. There is a need to push out research and create different models in order to redesign of law enforcement agencies. According to Patrick J. Hughes “Increasing Organizational Leadership Through the Police Promotional Process”, he explains the current process used in promoting ranks and the available leadership education for law enforcement agents. There are clear connections between leadership styles and how to proper assess a true

Much has been written about the difference between management and leadership. In the past, competent management staffs ran effective companies. In light of our ever-changing world, however, most companies have come to realize that it is much more important to lead than to manage. In today's world the old ways of management no longer work. One reason is that the degree of environmental and competitive change we are experiencing is extreme. Although exciting, the world is also very unstable and confused. In an article entitled What’s the Difference between Your Hospital and the Other? Gary Campbell states that the difference between a manager and a leader is that the manager “finds himself quite willing to

“Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility.” (Peter Drucker) An effective manager can be the difference between a successful law enforcement organization or its failure. There are several theories on effective management in law enforcement and the business world alike. Some of those theories can cross over and be helpful for a law enforcement manager. A manager can have the knowledge of all theory relative to law enforcement management, but without understanding several key concepts, the manager will in turn not be effective. An effective law enforcement manager is responsible for far more than just managing employees, unlike the business world. Effective law enforcement managers’ decisions likely impact the safety of the citizens within the jurisdiction, and that is the greatest responsibility. There are several components that will allow a law enforcement manager to be effective. Out of those components there are three primaries that are of upmost concern. Those three components are effective communication, organizational skills, and empowerment.

This is not to insinuate that those caught up in the quagmire of managing people are not capable of or are unwilling to lead. Those in leadership positions want to lead their subordinates.

Every year, law enforcement agency around the world are promoting employees to various positions within their organization who have meet certain criteria or qualifications. Those candidates are generally based on those who have received satisfactory or above on yearly performance reviews, shown leadership skills, taken further educational or career training classes, or have continuously gone above and beyond during their employment. Being promoted comes with a vast of physical and emotional elements especially right off the bat for those transitioning from employee to a supervisor. Transitioning from one role to another is not always the easiest as many individuals must prove their worth to others by showing them that they are highly

Many citizens look for law enforcement for service and protection, some don’t even think about the problems they face day to day. Every day hundreds of people working in Law enforcement put their lives on the line while on the job. They face challenging problems each day such as rising crime, law enforcement corruption, stress, health problems and being portrayed in a negative way on Social media. It’s not easy doing their job but they do it to the best of their ability despite having diffluent obstacles to deal with.

I entered the law enforcement field in 1990 and have endured many leadership styles and personalities since that time, many excellent, some horrendous. One of the things I found for myself over the years is the vast difference between leadership and management. The two terms can be used interchangeably; however, can veer in different directions (Andressscu & Vito, 2010). It seems that many law enforcement “leaders” are in fact, managers, who struggle when it comes to interpersonal relationships. You lead people and manage things; how you separate the two will be the deciding factor in how successful you are in dealing with subordinates and co-workers alike.

(Kouzes & Posner p. 26) The foundation of leadership is credibility, lack of credibility leads to little or no followers. Credibility makes a huge difference; as per Kouzes-Posner First Law of Leadership: “If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message.” (Kouzes & Posner p. 41) “To willingly follow them, people must believe that the leaders’ word can be trusted, that they are personally passionate and enthusiastic about their work, and that they have the knowledge and skill to lead.” (Kouzes & Posner p.

Leadership is at its core an abstract idea; what is the manifestation of leadership is style. Each leader has some type of philosophy, know or unknown. This would be what I call a “leadership belief.” Irwin says, “As with others we must vet these beliefs and root out any that are fundamentally untrue.” (Irwin 2014) This subject may be one of the more important subjects in a person’s life. In my very core I have beliefs, and these beliefs matter. When a leader has a belief or even a mistaken belief it is manifested in his behavior. As Dr. Irwin wrote in “Impact: Great leadership Changes Everything” “How we act depends on what we believe about people and their trustworthiness to do their jobs” (Irwin 2014) My philosophy tells others how I will behave. In the culture of today I

In many organizations leadership is the key to a company success, and many companies find out the hard way that managers do not always demonstrate the abilities to be leaders. Managers who do not demonstrate these abilities are individuals, who have been given a hierarchy position, follow the “corporate code” and do not think

The job of working in a law enforcement staff is challenging and it is exactly that feature which attracts me to the job. The job of working in field patrol, investigations, crime prevention, community relations and service related activities is of utmost importance for me. It is of utmost priority to be part of first level supervisor and act as a watch commander for administering briefings, patrol beats, supervision and activities on assigned shift. I wish to respond to major crimes, accident scenes and emergency situations as a police sergeant and assume the responsibility for important functions, special programs, projects and functions. I intend to provide diverse administrative support to the management staff and conduct operational studies.

The style of police leadership has gradually changed over the last several years. The traditional belief that the solitary leader who possessed the wisdom, integrity, and courage to manage a police department, or a shift of officers has been replaced with the concept of teamwork (Wuestewald, 2013). The idea of using a team to manage an organization is nothing new in the private sector, however, replacing the old idea of a solitary leader has taken time and is slow to take hold in some organizations.