With thousands of books, classes and certifications dedicated to leadership, it seems that everyone is seeking the magic answer for success. I’ve dedicated much of my adult life to the pursuit of leadership both in practice and in philosophy but something, somewhere has gone wrong.
I recently posted a survey that asked a simple question.
Out of 129 responses, just one person answered in a way that you would expect the foundation of leadership to be.
If 99% are lying, the obvious question is how many actual leaders do we have in law enforcement?
What Now
It’s difficult to discuss this issue as it feels a little like a father bragging that he takes care of his kids…a father is supposed to take care of their kids!
If the majority of employees are routinely being lied to at their place of employment, that wouldn’t be a happy place.
If you’ve wondered what is happening in American Law Enforcement, look no further than this.
Brian Ellis is the Chief Experience Officer at MAGNUSWorkx and my co-host on a new podcast we will be rolling out soon, The Bravery Blueprint. He has a poll running at this moment on Toxic Leadership and guess what the winning behavior is?
Frankly, I’m speechless about this but I do want to encourage you. The only way to get back to any appearance of leadership in our profession is honesty and that starts with a recommitment from all of us.
You may be the only one in your unit or even your organization that takes up the mantle of radical honesty but that is how it starts.
For the sake of our profession, I certainly hope we all start.
Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance.
The Foundation of Leadership Is Broken