The Sacred Cows of Leadership

We Can Never Improve If We Don't Eliminate What Doesn't Work

One of the perplexing issues in the law enforcement profession has been the lack of leadership practice in the midst of an overwhelming knowledge base of leadership.

A day doesn’t go by where I don’t see information on leadership posted on the various social media outlets. From memes to quotes to the latest article, we live in the age of information and just about anything you want to know about leadership, you can find with a few searches and clicks.

I have hundreds of books on the topic and there are thousands I don’t have. Everyone from navy seals to business gurus are bringing phenomenal information on leadership and the access is everywhere.

All of this leads me to ask a question that upsets others.

With all of the knowledge on leadership, why has the law enforcement profession seen such a rapid decline?

Admittedly, some don’t see or acknowledge the decline. To do so would reveal what every cop working the street already knows. From morale to recruiting to retention and rising crime, every aspect of the profession is falling apart.

It’s odd that those speaking on leadership or pushing the latest pledge or reform say nothing about it. Last year, I challenged my followers on social media to find me one police chief fired for rising crime.

I had already looked and found nothing and I got no takers on my question. Don’t get me wrong. Chiefs do get fired but the issues range from pretty much everything but crime.

Law enforcement is in the middle of a bad magic trick full of misdirection. While we are busy keeping up with the cool kids on technology, pledges, or reforms, the very essence of why law enforcement exists is being ignored and thus, destroyed.

Silence From The Top

To understand the dilemma we all face, simply look at what our national organizations are advocating.

Do you see anyone speaking about the destruction the DOJ is creating in city after city with their reform mechanism called consent decrees?

Is anyone asking and evaluating why cops are leaving their agencies at a record pace?

Have any of them put forward real, actionable plans on how to reduce crime?

Frankly, the opposite seems to be true. Organizations are taking money from the DOJ. Chiefs are bragging about their consent decrees. Leaders are touting their technology programs and all of this is happening while crime is rising and the rank and file are leaving.

They are saying a lot of things that sound great but things aren’t great.

My training seminars aren’t popular with everyone and I’m fine with that. I don’t put a lot of emphasis on opinions and I especially don’t respect anyone not in the arena trying to make things better.

I believe we will never fix anything if we don’t first acknowledge the problems we face both inside and outside our agencies. I could be on the road 200 days a year if I simply distracted everyone with how great we are while mixing in a few funny jokes but we already have that and where has it gotten us?

To improve law enforcement and the communities served, we must destroy our feel good sacred cows and no amount of criticism will stop me. My choice is to work towards solutions rather than tip my toe in the leadership water just deep enough to make others feel good.

This is where each of us can start.

Leadership  

If you ask 100 people, you will likely get 100 different answers on what leadership is and all of them will be partially right but real leadership requires a level of sacrifice and truth telling that few have the stomach to pull off. It’s easy to talk about leadership but the practice is a much more difficult proposition. All of us can point our fingers elsewhere and cast blame but what are we doing? What do the officers see from us? Are we walking the talk or simply relaxing within the status quo and making sure we don’t step on the wrong toes?

Mission

The mission of law enforcement is simple and straightforward. In fact, our mission is in our name….”law” and “enforcement.” Our mission is to reduce crime and give our citizens a safer environment while the mission of our leaders is to promote an environment and culture to help our officers do that. So every decision a leader makes needs to be couched with that mission in mind. If the newest reform, concept or idea doesn't help with that mission, then why are we doing it? If our policy changes or training initiatives do not align with the mission of crime reduction, why are we advocating for it?

Making others feel good is very different than actually solving issues.

Oakland may be an extreme example but they are experiencing a crisis in the form of car thefts and robberies and the issue goes back the last several years. Last month, several news outlets reported that the issue continues to rise with several a day being done on one street by the airport where unassuming travelers are gassing up their rental cars at local gas stations and experiencing all of the thrills that Oakland has to offer. The agency responded by giving crime prevention tips via the media but the issue is confusing to anyone that wears a badge. If several felony crimes are being committed in one small area, at specific times in the day, this is not a complicated problem. There are a number of proven methods to stop it. From increased patrols to undercover officers to bait cars, this is one of the easiest problems to fix for any agency focused on the mission.

Following the press reports, Governor Gavin Newsom sent in 140 California Highway Patrol Officers to the city and in four days, they recovered 145 stolen cars, guns, drugs, and made 71 arrests. Like I said, the mission isn’t complicated and the success in less than a week from CHP should tell anyone with a few brain cells that when leaders understand and focus on the mission of the job, success will not be far away.

Evaluation

It has become painfully obvious that many of our leaders have decided that their virtue signaling, chasing the latest trend, style of leadership is what the profession needs but are we evaluating our efforts? Courageous Leadership emphasizes a constant evaluation of what we are doing and “if it is working” approach and that cannot be done in a bubble of “yes” managers. Leadership is about getting things done and ensuring the mission is being met and if it isn’t, leaders need to check their ego at the door and go in a different direction. The private industry understands this as your can’t eat a meal, rent a car, or stay at a hotel without taking a survey that evaluates the mission of that business. Meanwhile, many of our leaders are stuck on what “looks good” rather than what works.

There are far too many examples to discuss here but take a look at our recruiting efforts. The shiny object at the moment are fancy websites and tactic-cool recruiting videos but is anyone actually paying attention if it is working? Washington D.C. Metro recently won the best recruiting video of 2023 while at the same time they have the lowest staffing in their history. I’ve written a lot on the subject of recruiting and I told a police chief a few weeks ago what processes he needs to put in place to get fully staffed but he said he wanted a video. It didn’t matter what data or research or real world examples I told him about, he wanted a video and he paid more for the video than what it would have taken to get a few hundred applications through actual recruiting.

Hierarchy

While I understand the historical military structure of law enforcement and the “chain of command,” leaders cannot be successful if they don’t tap into their employees at a high level. Rank means very little when it comes to leadership and it definitely doesn’t mean it makes anyone smarter. Every agency has someone that lives and breathes a topic and they may not have a rank or “earned” some coveted specialty position. Courageous Leaders understand that they build great cultures and agencies by empowering those around them to make the department better. That begins with knowing your employees and it ends with giving them the confidence that they have much more to offer the agency than their current position.

There Is More

There is much more to discuss and I would encourage you to dive into all of the resources that we have to offer. While our book, “The Courageous Police Leader,” is extensive and more detailed than I could ever provide here, nothing replaces our live seminars and we are working on much more, including certifications and training resources. Ultimately, all of the resources in the world can’t replace the actual practice of Courageous Leadership. This is my hope and encouragement for you.

And always remember, Lead On & Stay Courageous.

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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.