Category Archives: Decision-Making

BRIEFING VIDEO: A Review of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting

Decision-Making, Field Training, Training, , , ,

This briefing video is the TBLL interpretation of the Pulse Nightclub after action report entitled Rescue, Response, and Resilience. This report was put out by COPS and the Police Foundation in 2017. This video tells the story of the Pulse Nightclub shooting and then reviews 10 of the top lessons learned.

To keep the video to an appropriate time frame for a briefing training, some minor details were omitted from the story and it focuses primarily on the initial response at the first responder level. There are multiple points during the video where questions are posed for the viewers to pause and have discussion about how they would respond.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas to share or suggestions for improvement. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

BRIEFING VIDEO: A Review of Making It Safer

Decision-Making, Field Training, Training, , , ,

This briefing video is the TBLL interpretation of the study Making It Safer: A Study of Law Enforcement Fatalities Between 2010 – 2016 that was put out in 2017 by COPS and the NLEOMF. There is also a clip on passenger-side approaches referenced from Gordon Graham and Lexipol. Overall, the suggestions provided are fundamentals of safe policing, but a reminder every now and then can be helpful to save a life.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas to share or suggestions for improvement. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Nextgen Field Training

Decision-Making, Field Training, Training, , , ,

In March 2019, I had the privilege of attending and instructing at the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) Conference. I was able to attend multiple courses over the week, but the ones that had the most impact on me were a couple of classes on field training and applying stress appropriately during training. These classes got me thinking about my department’s field training program and the issues we were having training our next generation of police officers.

During one of the classes on field training, the instructor asked the following – How much has policing changed over just the last 5 years? How about the last 25 years? The last 50 years? Then he enlightened the class to the fact that the two most common models for field training used throughout the United States have been in use between 25 and 50 years. That information hit me like a ton of bricks because it was starting to make sense to me why we were having the issues we were having. Law enforcement field training, either for lack of a better option or due to tradition, had failed to keep up with new philosophies in policing, improved instructing/learning strategies, and generational differences by continuing to utilize these models.

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Shortly after attending ILEETA, I had the opportunity to attend the Excellence in Training Class put on my Brian Willis. During that class, he asked us to think of a program that we were responsible for and answer the following questions:

  • What do you want to START doing that you aren’t already?
  • What do you want to STOP doing that isn’t working?
  • What do you want to CONTINUE doing that is working?
  • What are you willing and able to CHANGE?

With the ideas from ILEETA still fresh in my mind, I began writing out my answers to these questions. By the time I got done and reread my thoughts, the seed had been planted. If I could turn these thoughts into a legit field training program, then my agency would have an amazing field training program. So, with those notes, I began writing it out and six months later the Nextgen Field Training Model was developed.

NG2

The purpose of the Nextgen Field Training Model was to bring our field training better into alignment with 21st century policing ideals and train new officers in adaptive decision-making while utilizing improved instruction/learning strategies. To do this, the Nextgen Field Training Model was built on five foundational principles:

  • Establish a simple set of Standard Evaluation Guidelines that clearly define the expectations of a successful solo capable officer while emphasizing the Nextgen process for getting to this outcome.
  • Create a culture of rewarding learner effort and learner risk taking with a distinct separation between training and evaluating built upon a crawl-walk-run experiential learning format.
  • Establish stronger connections between prior knowledge, skills, and experiences and the knowledge, skills, and experiences being taught during field training by implementing the most current instruction/learning strategies available.
  • Promote the officer safety concept of treating everyone with dignity and respect, but never compromising officer safety, good tactics, and appropriate use of force.

With these foundational elements in place, the Nextgen Field Training Model was taught to our cadre of current field trainers and implemented starting in September 2019. Over the last year and a half, we have seen excellent results with the 50+ officers-in-training that have gone through the program. Feedback from both field trainers and trainees has been extremely positive.  In coming TBLL posts, I will share more details related to the Nextgen Field Training Model and what has made it so successful.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas to share or suggestions for improvement. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

TBLL TRAINING: Debriefing Decision-Making

Decision-Making, Field Training, Training, , , , ,

This TBLL Training Video is a decision by decision debriefing discussion based upon an officer involved shooting that occurred in Fort Collins, CO in 2016. Some minor details of this situation were changed to stimulate certain conversation points. TBLL does not try to provide the “correct answers” to this incident in the video. This video is meant to be played during a briefing or roll call to stimulate conversation among officers and supervisors in the room. Being on the same page regarding decision-making and tactics is critical to safe and professional responses to dynamic situations. Below is an outline for leading the training discussion…see the video HERE or click the title below. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYb-29rFp_E)

If you have any questions or thoughts on this training video, please do not hesitate to contact us. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership. Our email is tblleadership at gmail.com.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

DEBRIEFING DECISION-MAKING

Fort Collins Briefing Outline

SETUP: At 1920 hours, you are dispatched to a family fight at 919 N. US Highway 287 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The reporting party called 911 stating that her husband, Jerry Jackson, is outside of her home threatening her with a knife. He is described as a white male in his 60s wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans. Jackson is pounding on the windows of the home trying to get in. Dispatch advises that your call is being upgraded to a subject with a weapon call. (Hot Tone) Shortly thereafter, you and a second officer arrive together and approach the front driveway of a large property. You immediately see a subject matching Jackson’s description and make contact with him… (Fort Collins OBC Video 1 Starts)

  • Fort Collins OBC Video 1
    • Shows officers arrive and make first contact with the subject.
    • Debriefing Questions for the Squad (Pause Video)
      • Risk Assessment: What is the danger? How much danger? Who is in danger?
      • What do you predict the subject will do next?
      • What would you do in the next few seconds?
      • How much of a threat would you consider the subject right now?
  • Fort Collins OBC Video 2
    • Officers observe knife, begin giving commands, and start working a plan.
    • Debriefing Questions for the Squad (Pause Video)
      • What important observations have you made so far?
      • What would you do in the next few seconds?
      • How would you describe the subject’s behavior to this point?
      • How much of a threat would you consider the subject right now?
  • Fort Collins OBC Video 3
    • Officers attempt TASER deployments, subject keeps moving closer, and they give warnings they will shoot.
    • Debriefing Questions for the Squad (Pause Video)
      • Is there any information you would like to have, but don’t currently know about this situation?
      • What do you predict is going to happen next?
      • What would you do in the next few seconds?
      • How much of a threat would you consider the subject right now?
  •  Fort Collins OBC Video 4
    • Officers shoot subject and begin post shooting process.
    • Debriefing Questions for the Squad (Pause Video)
      • Were there other options available to solve this problem? (Move a car between officers/subject? Hit with car? Pepper spray and charge with a shield? Get creative, but reasonable and acceptable within policy…)
      • How would you justify this decision?
      • What would you do in the next few seconds?
      • What concerns do you still have regarding this situation? (Securing subject safely, rounds that may have gone down range, status of victim, medical aid, etc.)
  • Fort Collins OBC Video 5
    • Officers work out a post-shooting plan and render emergency medical aid.
    • Debriefing Questions for the Squad (Pause Video)
      • What did you like best about their response after the shooting?
      • What could have made their response better?
      • What items still need to be addressed in this incident?
  • Fort Collins Shooting OBC Video played straight through. Final thoughts from squad?
  • The Rest of the Story
    • Larimer County District Attorney determined this was a justified shooting.
    • Key Findings in District Attorney’s Statement
      • Told multiple people he was going to make the police shoot him.
      • Officers took all reasonable steps to disarm and mitigate the situation.
        • Commanded 18 times to drop the knife.
        • Multiple warnings they would shoot.
        • Attempted use of the TASER.
        • Rendered Emergency Aid immediately.
      • NOTE: These “reasonable steps” applied to this set of circumstances specifically and will not necessarily apply to all shootings.
      • This is why understanding the Priority of Time is vital to good law enforcement decision-making. Understanding when you do and do not have time available to make decisions is critical.

TBLL TRAINING: Utilizing Policing Priorities

Decision-Making, Training, , , , ,

TBLL TRAINING: UTILIZING POLICING PRIORITIES (VIDEO)

Almost 10 years ago, the Below 100 Program was brought to law enforcement agencies everywhere. That program emphasized that by following its 5 key tenants, US law enforcement agencies could reduce the total number of line of duty deaths in a year to less than 100.

The 5 Principles of Below 100 are…

  • Wear your seat belt.
  • Wear your vest.
  • Watch your speed.
  • WIN – What’s Important Now?
  • Remember: Complacency kills.

All of those are crazy, simple ideas have had and continue to have a positive impact on reducing the overall number of law enforcement deaths each year. But, there was one thing that kept bugging me as a law enforcement trainer and it was the question, “What’s Important Now?” I love the concept of it and have even had the opportunity to discuss it in a training course taught by Brian Willis of Winning Mind Training who contributed that question. But there was just something about it…

To take that question to the next level, I believed that we could look at the common patterns used in answering it and develop a simple set of priorities that could be used to assist officers in their decision-making during high stress incidents. If these basic priorities could then be trained across an entire agency, we would have a force multiplier when it comes to decision-making all being on the same page. It was through studying and researching these patterns that the Policing Priorities were developed based off of ideas shared by other exceptional trainers, like Lou Hayes, and my own research regarding decision-making.

To assist in spreading this concept throughout my department, I created this briefing training video. These priorities are excellent for breaking down, discussing, and justifying decision-making at every level of the organization, during any call for service, and in every discipline of training.

The Policing Priorities are…Slide3

  • Priority of Life
  • Priority of Stabilization
  • Priority of Time
  • Priority of Apprehension

The link below will take you to the Policing Priorities Training video. Feel free to discuss it, try to break it, and test it out. We have found that they are applicable to every call for service we respond to. Whether it is an alarm call, traffic collision, burglary in-progress, pursuit, officer involved shooting, or an active killer, they apply.

TBLL TRAINING: UTILIZING POLICING PRIORITIES (VIDEO)

Here are some related blogs that may help for deeper understanding of the Policing Priorities…

To continue building these decision-making fundamentals into the foundation of my department, the Policing Priorities are taught during Post-Academy, reinforced throughout Field Training, utilized during training modules, and then additionally reinforced with video debriefs of our own on-body camera videos demonstrating positive uses of the Policing Priorities.

If you have any questions or thoughts on the Policing Priorities, please do not hesitate to contact us. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership. Our email is tblleadership at gmail.com.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

3 Simple Field Training Ideas

Decision-Making, Training, , , , , , ,

One of the greatest misconceptions about training is that it must be complex or difficult to have value. This is typically one of the largest hurdles for trainers to overcome because the training ideas they have don’t seem “cool” enough. This perceived lack of coolness then prevents them from doing any additional training outside of what they have been doing.

Simple training repeated regularly has the greatest positive impact on adult learning and performance success. It is the deep understanding of simple training basics that allow the learner to be creative and adaptive in their problem solving. Please do not confuse the word “simple” with being synonymous for “easy.” Easy implies that the task does not require effort to be done; simple means that it is merely not complex. Therefore, simple training ideas can have an extremely positive impact on learning.

If you have an OIT that is struggling with any concept like orientation, report writing, officer safety, handcuffing, interviewing, etc., then be sure to first be utilizing the 3 R’s to make the information you are trying to teach stickier…

 REPEAT

  • It is silly to expect an OIT to learn something just because you said it once.
  • It is also silly to expect them to learn it if you only say it the same way every time.
  • The more important a concept is, the more times you should expect to say it and the more of a variety of ways you should have to teach it.

RECOGNIZE

  • When the OIT does what you have been teaching, recognize it.
  • Point it out to them so they realize they have done what you have been repeating.
  • This builds the importance of what you are teaching because now they know you are looking for it and pointing out their usage of the concept.

 REINFORCE

  • Everybody loves a little positive reinforcement.
  • When you recognize the OIT has done what you have been training, always following it up with a statement like, “I saw how you did ___________. Great job! That is exactly what we have been talking about regarding your officer safety.”
  • The key is to make the reinforcement specific to the behavior you want. “Good job” by itself does NOT cut it because the OIT may have no idea what exactly was good.
  • It would be silly to assume that because you repeat, recognize, and reinforce once that the OIT has mastered the concept. Keep repeating the 3 R’s about the major concepts you want the OIT to learn throughout the time they are with you.

 

Here are 3 simple ideas for repeating concepts you want an OIT to learn. . .

NO COST QUIZ – Develop 3 to 5 questions to ask your OIT about key concepts/situations you have been discussing over the last couple of shifts. Write them down and give them to the OIT before briefing, just after briefing, during a break, or at the end of your shift to write out their answers. These questions can be about any concept you want to reinforce. This is a simple training idea that you could use each shift or a couple of times each week to reinforce your point(s). There is no cost to an incorrect answer, but it gives you the opportunity for a conversation.

OIT LEARNING JOURNAL – Ask your OIT to obtain a notebook specifically for the purpose of being their OIT Learning Journal. (I know . . . it is a stupid name, but the concept is sound.) Either just after briefing or at the end of the shift, ask the OIT to think back to what they did the previous shift. Have them write down the 3 to 5 most important things they learned during that shift from memory.

IMAGINE PERFECTION – FTO asks the OIT to imagine the perfect traffic stop, shoplifting call, domestic violence investigation, DUI investigation, etc. Then have the OIT write out the process for handling that situation perfectly in 10 to 15 steps. Limit the number of steps so that the OIT is focusing on only the most important aspects of handling the situation they are considering. Once complete, FTO debriefs OIT’s steps with them and draws comparisons to OIT’s performance on previous similar calls for service. FTO should also play the IF/WHEN/THEN Game with the OIT and ask if different variables change, how the OIT would respond. This technique is especially useful for OITs that are having difficulty remembering repeatable processes or forgetting key steps when under stress of real-world situations. This helps them to adjust from standard linear thinking to more adaptive thinking as they respond to your variables.

Each time you make the OIT remember back to something they did over 24 hours ago, you are repeating that information and utilizing the instructional concepts of spacing, interleaving, effortful retrieval, and desirable difficulties. Training effectively can sometimes be both simple and easy. Now, just be sure to recognize and reinforce each time the OIT exhibits the desired learning in the field.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to share positive leadership tactics with the field of law enforcement. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time.

Share your thoughts or comments with us below or on our Facebook page. Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Leading with P-R-I-D-E

Decision-Making, Leadership, , , , , , ,

“Leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less.”  ~ John Maxwell

The most fundamental building block of policing is decision-making.

  • Make contact or leave the person alone?
  • Ask or command?
  • Search or don’t search?
  • Arrest or don’t arrest?
  • Shoot or don’t shoot?

These are just a few examples of major decisions made by officers every day regarding issues of communication, search/seizure, legal authority, and use of force. These decisions, along with a multitude of lesser ones, get them through each shift – most of the time good, sometimes not so good dependent upon their decision-making. Law enforcement leaders must understand how they influence officer decision-making because safety, public trust, and lives are on the line. To put it bluntly, law enforcement leaders must learn to lead with P-R-I-D-E.

Policing is a very complicated profession and inevitably mistakes are going to happen. Therefore, law enforcement leaders must proactively discuss decision-making with their officers in terms of the process, not just in terms of right or wrong after the fact. While officers makes their own individual decisions, it is the leader that creates the environment they work in. That environment can either nurture or devastate good decision-making.

pride

Part of the P-R-I-D-E Adaptive Decision-Making Model is a large blue circle with the following words written around it: Culture, Mission, Goals, and Why. This is the Leadership Circle. All decisions are influenced by this circle because culture, mission, goals, and why create the lens through which officers view their policing world. This is how law enforcement leaders influence and manage officer decision-making in advance of them having to make those critical decisions in the moment.

If there is a squad of lazy, negative officers that are constantly having issues, it is absolutely related to the environment allowed to exist by their “leader.” If there is a squad of hard working, positive officers that are constantly being recognized for their excellent work, it is related to the environment created by their leader.

CULTURE: Culture is simply defined as the prevailing actions and attitudes of a group over time. The leader of a group must play a significant role in setting the culture. The key to setting a culture is that the leader knows what they want their culture to be. Once the desired culture is defined, then the leader must identify ways to repeat, recognize, and then reinforce actions and attitudes that promote that culture. If a leader fails to define and implement their desired culture, then another one will form and the leader is no longer leading. For more on culture development, see our blog “Culture in Just 4 Words.”

MISSION: Mission starts with the department’s mission statement which is usually posted on a wall somewhere. Leaders must find ways to take the words off of the poster and make them part of the culture as defined above. On a smaller scale, each call for service officers respond to has its own more specific mission. Identifying the purpose of a mission is a must for operational success. Many times, the mission can be defined by the role(s) that must be played by the officer in order to achieve a successful outcome. Does this call need a guardian, a warrior, a caretaker, a social worker, or an enforcer? Understanding large scale and small scale missions is important to good decision-making because mission sets the vision. For more on mission, see our blog “Shifting Gears in Policing.”

GOALS: Goals can exist on multiple levels; for example, department goals and personal goals. Many departments set goals for their officers with the intention of creating a method for tracking their officers’ activity or productivity. Where many departments fail with goal setting is that they set arbitrary goals that are not tied to their mission. In other words, there is no understanding as to why the goals exist or the purpose they serve. Department goals must be tightly correlated to the department mission to give them meaning to the officers and to provide meaningful information to upper staff. Personal goals should be set by the officers and related to their desired career path. Their career path sets a long-term vision which enables the officer, hopefully with the assistance of their leader, to determine specific goals that can be worked on each shift. Meeting incremental personal goals are the building blocks to an officer getting where they eventually want to go within the department. Leaders should put this into perspective for their officers so they understand that each shift is essentially part of the interview for their job of the future.

WHY: No one goes into law enforcement because they are going to get rich or be famous. Deep down there is something special in each person that decides to pin on a badge that drives them to run towards conflict, put their lives on the line, and serve a community. Whatever the reason, that is their personal why. The why fuels the fire to continue working when times get hard and empowers officers to go above and beyond when those opportunities exist. Law enforcement leaders must help officers identify their why, be able to articulate it, and help them hold tight to it for the entirety of their career.  For more on why, see our blog “HELP WANTED: Police Officers.”

When a person chooses to promote within a law enforcement organization, they essentially have raised their hand and said, “I’m willing to lead.” It is not permission to do less, but a mandate to do more. Leading takes effort. Leading takes skill. Leading takes caring. Leading takes passion. To build influence in officer decision-making, those that promote must stand up and lead. They must create environments that focus on culture, mission, goals, and why. The leaders that take the time and make the effort to create these positive environments will be rewarded by the outcomes seen in their officers’ decision-making and they will spend less time running around putting out fires created by a bad environment.

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas to share or suggestions for improvement. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Loeb’s Rules of Medicine Applied to Law Enforcement

Decision-Making, Leadership, Training, , , , ,

I came across an interesting retweet this week from a friend that happens to be an emergency room doctor. This is where I read Loeb’s Rules of Medicine for the first time and immediately felt they had multiple connections to law enforcement and leadership.

Robert F. Loeb (1895 – 1973) was a well-respected physician and professor at Columbia University Medical School. Dr. Loeb offered a simple set of four rules to cut through the complicated nature of being a physician. Here they are…

Loeb’s Rules of Medicine

  1. If what you are doing is working, keep doing it.
  2. If what you are doing isn’t working, stop doing it.
  3. If you don’t know what you are doing, do nothing.
  4. Never make the treatment worse than the disease.

As I read these rules, they got me thinking of their applications to policing of which I could think of many. But the most appropriate application that struck me was how we, as law enforcement leaders, should be handling critical incidents. Critical incidents are complex situations involving witnesses, victims, suspects, and officers all experiencing various overlapping states of volatility, uncertainty, chaos, and anxiety. All of these individuals have been brought together by the one thing they have in common, the circumstances of the particular situation.

How the law enforcement leader leads these situations not only influences and affects the officers that work with them, but also leaves a lasting impact on the witnesses, victims, and suspects involved. That impact can be a positive one in which those involved feel like the situation was made better by the presence of law enforcement. Or it can be a negative one in which the presence of law enforcement only served to make the situation worse.

So, as we head into these critical incidents, it is vital to understand what the appropriate role is for law enforcement to play, what our priorities are, and what our range of acceptable outcomes is for the particular situation. Knowing and having an understanding of these three things emphasizes good practice and process while also taking into account the range of acceptable outcomes. As we begin to apply what we believe to be the correct role and priorities for those responding, that is where the connections to Loeb’s Rules of Medicine really start to come into play.  They help create a mindset of adaptability in the leader’s actions, attitude, and effort regarding the handling of the critical incident and steer them away from the perspective that there is only a single solution to these complex events.

Loeb’s Rules of Medicine Applied to Law Enforcement

RULE# 1: If what you are doing is working, keep doing it. Consistently assessing the impact of our decisions as we lead critical incidents is vital. If we are going in a certain direction and it is working toward the already identified acceptable range of solutions, then keep pushing forward so long as appropriate practices and processes are being applied. This can be accomplished by understanding the hierarchy of life and applying it correctly for the benefit of all involved. Then looking to stabilize the situation as much as possible while continuing to work towards a solution to the issue at hand. The key is continuous evaluation. Just because something is working now, does not guarantee it will still be working 5 minutes from now. That is the very nature of a complex critical incident.

RULE# 2: If what you are doing isn’t working, stop doing it. In contrast to Rule #1, the minute we identify what we are doing is not working, then we must be willing to stop…and adjust. Law enforcement does not have the luxury to just stop, so adapting is key. We know when our actions in a critical incident are not working because we start to internalize the building stress and pressure of the situation. We begin to think in terms of control when we should be thinking in terms of influence. We focus more on trying to control the other people involved and/or the circumstances of the situation rather than the things we truly have control over. So, when we begin to feel overwhelmed by the demands of the situation, we need to stop and adapt by asking what are the actions I can adjust, what is a better attitude to approach this situation with, and what is the effort level needed for success. Obviously, something is not working, so control what you can control and influence all of the rest.

RULE# 3: If you don’t know what you are doing, do nothing. No law enforcement leader ever wants to admit they do not know what they are doing – there is just too much pride, ego, and reputation on the line for that to happen, right? But this is exactly what we need to be able to do, especially if we want to call ourselves leaders. We need to be able to admit to and identify our areas for improvement, especially in regards to handling critical incidents, prior to finding ourselves in the moment of running one. This is the only way we can work towards minimizing the likelihood of the “I don’t know what I’m doing” moment. The world of handling critical incidents is unpredictable and complex. If we find ourselves in a moment when we do not know what we are doing, then we must know the resources that are available and how to best utilize their strengths to accomplish what we cannot because in these critical incidents we cannot just do nothing.

 RULE #4 (Adapted): Never make the situation worse by our presence. Law enforcement was called to the critical incident for a reason, it is already a bad day for those involved. We must account for our actions, attitude, and effort with every decision we make to continually be moving towards both solving and stabilizing the situation. To stabilize the situation means to prevent it from getting worse and make it as safe as possible to work in for all involved. This could be setting containment, evacuations, road closures, calling in additional resources, and many other available options. If we find it necessary to momentarily de-stabilize a situation, then it must be done deliberately and with an intentional purpose. A momentary destabilization could be the use of a flashbang, deploying gas/smoke, breaking out a window, breaching a door, or making a crisis entry. These are all momentary de-stabilizations of the incident that must be justified by a priority higher than stabilization such as saving life.

Where else do you see Loeb’s Rules of Medicine applying to law enforcement?

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas to share or suggestions for improvement. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Change and Reputation

Decision-Making, Leadership, , , , , , , , ,

Reputation1

As a police sergeant, I have 2 primary goals regarding the officers on my squad: 1. Keep them safe. 2. Assist them in being successful at reaching their goals. To assist them in being successful with their goals, I find it is necessary to help give them perspective on the “big picture.” In law enforcement, it is easy to get caught up in short-sighted issues that demoralize a squad like staffing, compensation, negative public perceptions, etc. With that being said, I wrote this and read it in one of my recent briefings.

Change and your reputation go hand in hand in any organization, but in a mid-sized police department it is even truer – there is nowhere to hide within a 400 person department. We all know the phenomenal street cop whose career was or is being derailed by their poor attitude and/or reputation. More times than not, their poor attitude and/or reputation is related to their inability to deal with change effectively.

Change is inevitable. The only thing that stays constant is that circumstances and situations are always changing. How you deal with change comes down to your own personal responsibility and accountability – What do you expect of yourself? This defines not only your ability to deal with change, but also develops your reputation within the organization. Are you a whiny victim of change or are you someone who can deal and work within the system that is present?

The sooner it is accepted that the system is what it is and will always be slow to respond, the easier it becomes to deal with organizational lapses. Organizations, like people, are inherently flawed – no organization is perfect because they are run by human beings who are made up of attitudes, egos, and emotions. To move beyond the lapses, though, you have to take the long view and not be focused on just the short-term. So, the question becomes, how do you react to change to get the best outcome and solidify a reputation as a positive, forward thinker?

First, when change is approaching, ask this question of yourself, “What can I do?” This is the most direct and proactive response you can have. Sometimes you’ll have the ability to affect change before it is upon you and sometimes you won’t. The key is to remember that working within yourself is the only thing you actually have true control over – your actions, your attitude, and your effort.. By taking initiative and working from the front, you can often help direct change in a more palatable direction.

But, what if there is nothing you can do to directly affect the change that is coming? I answer that question with a quote from Maya Angelou, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

If you can’t affect the situation directly, then whining, complaining, or having beat office bitch sessions will do nothing but hurt YOUR reputation. The perceived “problem” will rarely be blamed because it is so ambiguous and comes from “they” levels. You know who “they” are, right? I implore you not to see change as something that is out to get you – it is vital to your career success to be a person who can identify the positives and opportunities that come with change.

There are 3 things you are always in control of when it comes to change – your actions, your attitude, and your effort. The common denominator to all 3 of those is YOU – you are in control and no one can take that away unless you let them. It is all about being proactive, not reactive.

Here are 5 steps to help deal with change in a positive, forward-thinking manner. These steps are adapted from the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson.

Change Awareness

  1. Accept that change happens.
  2. Anticipate change.
  3. Affect change, if possible.
  4. Adapt to change quickly by adjusting your perspective.
  5. Enjoy change by being in personal control of your response to it.

Ultimately to succeed, not just within an organization, but in life, it is about survival of the fittest – your ability to adapt and overcome to change. Just like responding to a call, the situation is always going to be fluid. How you respond is your choice and builds your reputation either for better or for worse!

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to share positive leadership tactics with the field of law enforcement. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time by anyone in a law enforcement leadership position. By discussing topics like this, law enforcement leaders are tending to the welfare of the “whole” officer, not just the one in uniform.

Share your thoughts or comments with us below or on our Facebook page. Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Leadership Accountability – It’s All About ME

Decision-Making, Leadership, Squad Culture, , , , , , , , ,

Accountability – the actions, attitude, and effort necessary to merge expectations with performance.

As we move forward with our discussion about leadership accountability, I must address two common myths that often send leaders down incorrect paths, or worse, make them appear to be hypocrites.

MYTH #1: Accountability is a team thing.

WE

When I read books or listen to someone speak about leadership, I notice the theme of building positive, supportive, and unified teams is everywhere. Heck, I often write about the power of teams here on the TBLL Blog and fully endorse the benefits of building strong teams. However, when it comes to accountability, especially leadership accountability, it is not a team concept. The idea of “you hold me accountable and I, the leader, will hold you accountable” sounds great on paper or when said aloud, but there is one significant flaw in this logic. There is a complete lack of internal accountability being demonstrated where I recognize that I have the power to control both my expectations and my performance at all times. If I am relying on someone else to hold me accountable, am I really being accountable at all? The team accountability concept is based upon others controlling or setting my expectations for me. It means I am turning over the power of controlling my actions, attitude, and effort to say I need you to watch me and make sure I stay on the right path or do the right thing. Ultimately, the most significant issue with leadership accountability under this model becomes who is really leading, forging ahead, and setting the example?

MYTH #2: Accountability is something I, the leader, bestow upon other people.

THEMThe second myth of accountability is that accountability is only something I do to other people. Specifically, the people that work on my squad or unit. If my view is that accountability is an external process of me holding others to my expectations or those of the department, then I am creating a culture of “them” and “they.” With this idea of accountability, I believe I must hold them accountable at all times and attempt to control their performance towards my expectations. This often comes across as micromanaging to those being led and to me it feels as if my entire job has become running around putting out fires all day. To those I am holding accountable, their perspective becomes one of contempt and I have now become part of the infamous “they.” The generic pronoun used to describe those higher in power within an organization when we feel there is not a choice in whatever matter is at hand. Ultimately, this style of accountability is only sustainable for as long as the leader can manage the energy to keep it up and are physically present around those they are “leading” to enforce their expectations. Once the leader becomes too tired to keep it up, they retract to the confines of their office to hide because they just cannot manage the level of effort required to constantly hold six to eight people constantly accountable. Worst of all is that none of those on the squad or unit have ever learned how to hold themselves accountable to these expectations because the boss has always done it for them.

TRUTH: Accountability, especially leadership accountability, is all about me.

METhe truth about leadership accountability is that it is all about ME. It starts with ME. It sustains with ME. It grows with ME. It can be ended by ME. The concept of anything in leadership being “all about me” is a colossal departure from 99.9% of what I read and hear about good leadership, but when it comes to leadership accountability it truly is controlling MY actions, MY attitude, and MY effort that dictate my application of accountability. Leadership accountability is an inside out process. It is through internal accountability that I set the proverbial bar or expectations. Those I am leading see what I am doing, how I am doing it, and most importantly I explain why I am doing what I am doing. As the example is set, then I have earned the right to set external expectations of those I am leading because they know that I am not and never would ask them to do something I am not doing or willing to do myself. In other words, I must exemplify accountability before I can ever expect it from those I lead – that is leadership accountability.

Once the example of leadership accountability is set, then it begins to grow. In the next TBLL Blog, we will discuss how accountability grows through the leader’s example.

Questions to ponder . . .

  • In my current leadership position, did I set the expectations first or set the example first?
  • What are the benefits to be gained from exemplifying a solid foundation of leadership accountability?
  • As a leader, do I control those I am leading or do I influence them?

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to inspire law enforcement supervisors to be the best leaders they can be by providing positive leadership tactics and ideas. Positive leadership and creating a positive squad culture are on-going commitments that must be nurtured and developed over time. Thin Blue Line of Leadership is here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas to share or suggestions for improvement. Your thoughts or comments on this blog are always appreciated either below or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @tbl_leadership.

Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

*** Parts of this blog are paraphrased from the excellent book, QBQ: The Questions Behind the Question by John G. Miller.