Leadership

Turning Silver into Gold

Matthew J. Jamison

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781098046569
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Personal Success

First and foremost, this book is about leadership. The world is in need of great leaders to ensure the success of all organizations, businesses, and government entities. Perhaps as much as any company or business, police departments require effective leadership.It is critical to distinguish leadership from other related terms like management, supervision, and oversight. Leadership means much more than any of these words. Leaders are personally invested in the well-being of their organization and in their personal success. This includes the idea that true leaders are willing to work tirelessly and fully commit themselves to their organization and its mission. The most effective leaders do so by the example they set each day. Leaders must also be accountable by taking responsibility for the success of the organization through measurable results. In doing so, they will be required to improve upon existing procedures and take calculated risks via the implementation of new programs.Leadership: Turning Silver into Gold details the ascent of a police department, due in large measure to effective leadership. While this text is based largely upon the dynamics of police leadership, the overall themes may be applied within virtually any type of business. In moving any entity forward, changes will occur, both by the choosing of those running the organization and by necessity when outside influences so dictate. The best leaders are receptive to change and embrace this growing process in order to realize success.In leading a police organization, those in positions of power must realize that the most minute details can be critical, and thus the little things must never be overlooked. All persons, whether inside or outside the agency, must be treated with dignity and respect. True leadership includes developing the next generation of leaderships via the mentoring process. Developing new talent is an ongoing process which ensures the future success of any organization.This book is dedicated to those who commit themselves to the cause of leading others. Effective leadership can be likened to, and as rewarding as, the idea of turning silver into gold.

Climbing the Police Ladder

In order to implement meaningful change in a police department on an ongoing basis, one must generally ascend the career ladder in the organization. In this chapter, I will share those items that I found beneficial in attaining the upper ranks of my police department.

After joining my police department, I was promoted a total of six times, including five supervisory ranks. Promotions in any police organization are few and far between. For anyone who aspires to be a supervisor, I will share some basic personal traits and advancement strategies that I believe are most valuable in terms of both grooming a candidate for promotion and helping to actually make a candidate upwardly mobile in the police department.

My initial promotion was brought about as a result of tenure on the job. I was promoted to officer first class after eight years of service. While I was not a supervisor, I did feel as though I was no longer brand-new due to the single stripe I was now qualified to wear on my uniform sleeve. I received a 5 percent pay increase as well, and every dollar counts when you are a young officer. As a patrol officer, I had occasion to work every geographic area in my county. I learned a great deal about people, and honestly, I saw many of our citizens at their absolute worst. It was truly an educational experience for me. Despite the stress and having to work rotating shifts, I loved this new career I had entered. I resolved to earn a few medals for my uniform so that I did not appear to be young and inexperienced. Toward this end, I was recognized by the Mothers’ Against Drunk Driving on five occasions, and I was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation in the area of police budget work.

I believe I had about five or six years on the job when I attended a ceremony in which a number of officers were promoted. One was a corporal who was promoted to sergeant at this event. As I watched, I pledged to myself that I would work hard and one day obtain a set of sergeant stripes. I knew this would be an exhaustive process, but I had no idea it would take so long or require so much hard work.

I began my preparation to be a sergeant as soon as I was eligible, which was when I reached the point of having five years on the job. During my first two attempts, I was not at all successful. I can only attribute this failure on my part to being inadequately prepared.

First of all, you have to believe in yourself to convince others to believe in you and your abilities. I did not commit to reading the rules and regulations of the agency, at least not to the extent that a serious candidate for promotion should do so. I did not anticipate questions that might be posed to me in the formal interview process, nor did I prepare a statement for the conclusion of the interview. I did not look my best when I appeared for my interview. Preparing in each of these elements would have assisted me in scoring higher in the process. If an officer goes into the process praying for a miracle, I am here to tell you that a miracle simply will not happen. There is too much serious competition, particularly for entry-level supervisory positions, for one to have any hope of promotion without taking the crucial steps in preparedness. In fact, it is fair to state that the rank of sergeant (or whatever rank is recognized as first level leadership) is perhaps the most difficult promotion to achieve. This is due to the sheer number of applicants for such positions and the resulting competition. I finished in the fifth (or lowest) band in my first attempt, and in the fourth band on my second attempt. I should have also known the disciplinary process within the agency to be able to describe what I would do as a sergeant to investigate a complaint against an officer, or any like problem which might be assigned to a first level supervisor.

To improve my standing in the agency, and to make myself a better candidate for promotion, I sought a transfer out of patrol and into a specialized unit (specifically, the finance unit). By doing so, I was seen virtually every day by the leaders within my agency. There is a saying that people like what they know or are familiar with. With this human tendency in mind, it stands to reason that a person who is exposed to leadership every day will tend to be more accepted than someone who rarely is exposed to the departmental leadership. This human tendency to be more accepting of things we know is further borne out by the fact that politicians have been elected on the basis of name recognition. That is, the uninformed voter will look for a name on the ballot that he or she knows, even if they know nothing about them. This explains why political candidates wallpaper the roadsides and intersections with their campaign signs every election season. Exposure is everything, and they want their name to be seen as often as possible.

I should also mention that financial matters were an expertise that I developed during my college career as my bachelor’s degree was in business administration. Any young officer who aspires to be promoted should take advantage of his or her skill set in order to enhance their marketability for promotion. For me, this was financial work (preparing agency budgets, completing payroll every two weeks, preparing overtime reports, etc.) and writing projects that were assigned to me.

The distinction of perfect attendance was my goal in order to shine in future interviews and, more importantly, that my use of sick leave could never be used against me. One of my very good friends, who went on to become a great chief of police, told me that his training officer once said that the key to success was coming to work every day. To this tenured veteran, it was that simple. Everyone gets sick at times, and that is an inescapable reality. Despite not feeling well on certain days, every effort must be made to be present for work on every scheduled duty tour. I made it my mission to stay healthy and, if at all possible, to be present for work every day as scheduled. For the next twenty-one consecutive years, I had perfect attendance.

In order to be well-versed for any interview scenario, I began to use much of my spare time reading our departmental directives (now referred to as our accreditation manual) and the legal manuals (traffic and criminal code books) associated with the agency. I took the time to search for and study articles on contemporary policing issues. I wanted to be well-versed for any potential interview scenario or question that might be posed to me. Moreover, I began taking on projects within the agency that concerned the formulation of policy. I became a ghost writer for each of the police chiefs in my department, from that point forward. There is power in the pen, and when you have personally authored policy, you know it better than anyone else.

I also wanted to increase my presence to young officers as they joined the agency, and toward this end, I became a certified police instructor. This allowed me to teach classes in the police academy. I began by instructing DUI detection and prosecution, and I eventually taught the motor vehicle code to police academy recruits.

I fared much better in my next two attempts at the test for police sergeant. I finished in the top group (or banding) in my third attempt. Unfortunately, there were only one or two promotions that year. I simply did not have the experience necessary to secure the promotion. On my fourth attempt to become a sergeant, I finished very near the top of the list again. I was not initially selected while several of my police academy classmates were promoted from that list. The disappointment was great, but I continued to work diligently, knowing that the eligible list was good for a full year. I congratulated those who were promoted as I was genuinely pleased to see my academy classmates advance in the agency. This is also an important point as I’m certain that others asked these new supervisors how I reacted to their selection. Perception is everything, so it is critical that one presents himself or herself as a true team player.

Approximately a week prior to the list’s expiration, I and another of my police academy classmates were promoted to sergeant. Fortunately for me, timing (one week left on the eligible list) and opportunity (a sergeant vacancy) worked in my favor, allowing me to earn my sergeant stripes. This was a very defining moment for me, and I resolved to make the most of the honor bestowed upon me.

The author as a newly promoted Sergeant

Sergeant

For my first year as a sergeant, I was assigned to patrol duties leading a group of young officers. I was on rotating-shift work, and there was a lot of additional paperwork, but to me it was worth it all. After a promotion, it is critical to gain some credibility as a leader. There is no better venue to achieve this acceptance from peers and subordinates than in the uniformed patrol realm. After all, everything begins with uniformed patrol when officers are first responders to virtually all police incidents or they happen upon them in the course of their duties. I learned a great deal as a patrol supervisor, and I was able to impart some wisdom upon those young officers in my oversight.

Much as any new supervisor, I make every effort to establish myself. I was very strict in terms of grading paperwork and in my expectations of my subordinates. At the same time, I made a concerted effort to recognize the good work of officers assigned to my squad. I took the time to submit commendation requests, more so than the combined submissions from all the other supervisors assigned to my platoon. Additionally, I would take the opportunity to recognize lesser performances that were still worthy of praise. While it is important to correct adverse or inadequate work behavior, it is equally vital to encourage officers by noting their favorable efforts and achievements. We had a specific form for this purpose. I took the time to complete hundreds of these forms, based on my observations, positive comments from the public, and other factors. I always copied the involved officer(s) and placed the form in their file. This meant a great deal to the officers I supervised, and I know this from the feedback directed to me.

I attended training to qualify me as a master police instructor, which enabled me to certify others to instruct in the police academy. I would thereafter help to certify dozens of police instructors, and in an effort to stay connected with new police officers, I began teaching the “financial responsibility” course in subsequent police academy sessions.

When performance evaluations were due for the officers under my command, I took great pains to properly document all their respective accomplishments and map a path for their professional development. The key point to be made here is that feedback to the employee is critical. The lack of commentary on an officer’s performance will leave the officer unsure if he or she is completing their job tasks properly. Also, properly documenting different events, both positive and negative, serves to show both upper management and the individual officer that you, as a first level supervisor, are on the job and taking notice of everything important. In order to garner the best reputation I possibly could, I became a ruthless editor of my written work. I took great pride in my finished written product, knowing I had done my very best and confident that my superiors would take notice.

When the holidays arrived, I typically purchased a small gift for my personnel, often bearing the agency markings. This gift could be a nice pen, coffee mug, or a similar gift. The expense was minimal, but the impact was positive and far-reaching. To the rank-and-file police officer, this meant that their sergeant knew that he or she was not just an officer but was also a person. This gesture communicated to the police officers that they meant something to me as people, not merely employees. There is an adage, expressed in many different ways, that employees really don’t care how much the boss may know until they know the boss cares about them. These small token gifts were a means for me to demonstrate how much I cared for the officers entrusted to my oversight.

After a year in patrol supervision, I was transferred back to an administrative role. Specifically, I was moved back to the finance unit where I commanded the office for roughly a year and a half. This transfer was highly valuable to me in terms of gaining experience in the leadership of nonsworn (civilian) personnel within the police department. This leadership experience was of benefit to me in my professional development as it involved more team building as opposed to giving orders.

I had the very good fortune of finishing first on the test for police lieutenant in 1996, the first year I was eligible to participate in the testing process. All the participants had the choice of two projects to work upon and deliver a presentation. The two projects were either reengineering the paperwork process or creating a new shift schedule for the uniformed patrol section. With my knowledge of finance and my writing skills in mind, I chose the shift design as my project. I would estimate that I spent in excess of a hundred hours crafting a presentation, which included a complete written description of my proposal with a professionally printed resume and some other touches that I anticipated the other participants would not think to include. For example, I had visual aids, source documents on the healthiest shift schedules, a laser pointer, and a new briefcase.

In taking these additional steps prior to the actual presentation, I was ensuring that I was more prepared than those around me. I will address the idea of doing a little more than those around in you in the next chapter on hard work, but this is a critical point of emphasis. Imagine a police department, or any business organization, in which all the employees are trying to do just a little bit more. That type of organization would always be going in the right direction as the extra effort on the part of each employee would set them apart from other entities of the same type.

Lieutenant

When I was promoted to police lieutenant, I returned to the uniform patrol section, where I oversaw the policing efforts of a platoon (approximately forty police officers and several civilian staff personnel). Again, it is important to spend a tour in the uniformed patrol section following a promotion. I recall exactly how I felt walking into my first roll call session where all the sergeants were senior to me and also olde...

Table of contents

• Climbing the Police Ladder
• Hard Work—The Foundation of All Good Things
• Embracing Change
• Success Has to Be Measured
• New Ideas Change the Policing World
• No Need to Reinvent the Wheel
• Before Success Comes Failure
• Growing the Agency
• Little Things Make a Huge Difference
• Dignity and Respect
• Turning Silver into Gold
• Leadership by Example
• Taking Chances While Managing Risk
• Promoting Excellence
• Drafting the Right Players
• Developing a Network of Trust
• There Will Be Difficult Times
• Public Safety Allies
• Unified Leadership
• Always Continue to Learn
• Smelling the Roses
• Should I Stay or Should I Go?