Management theories have long contended that if salary and benefits are
inadequate or non-competitive, they will hinder employee motivation and
productivity, however salary and benefits will not, by themselves, attract
new applicants to apply, nor improve morale among existing members of a
police department. In order to better attract today’s potential police appli-
cants to want to join, police departments must modernize leadership and
management styles to match the expectations of today’s 20 to 40-year-old
group. The days when autocratic, predominantly work-centered, leadership
and management styles were effective and responsive to employee needs
are rapidly fading in modern times.
In terms of leadership style, both existing and perspective police employees
understand and accept that leadership needs to hold police employees
accountable for their job performance, particularly regarding the way they
treat the public. Nevertheless, today’s perspective police employees are
attracted to leaders who routinely exhibit and communicate qualities
like teamwork, mentoring, fairness in all matters internal and external,
reasonable diversity and professional demeanor. Today’s new employees
tend to be disappointed when they see a lack of these qualities and in fact,
no one seeks or admires leaders who act like self-centered critical parents.
Individual leader behaviors that best resonate and motivate the present
generation of potential police employees, and for that matter police officers
of all ages, include leader behaviors that help employees satisfy their self-
esteem needs. For example, leaders who provide frequent, ample, detailed
formal recognition for good work make employees feel better about them-
selves and their jobs. At the same time, leaders who provide reasonable
sympathetic understanding of employees’ personal (human) problems tend
to build loyalty and camaraderie consistent with desirable family relation-
ships. In addition, leaders who actively work to keep employees “in the loop”
regarding activities of their organization help their employees feel they are
part of the organization rather than the hired help; it reduces rumor mills
and promotes camaraderie. When applied with consistency, all of these
kinds of leader behaviors are congruent with the perceptions and expecta-
tions of today’s police applicants. Most importantly, they appeal to potential
applicants when they are checking out police departments in advance of
applying for employment.
Effective police leaders understand that the attitude of an individual is a
reflection/indicator of how that individual feels, while morale is the way a
group feels. Thus, strong leaders strive to be positive, decisive and use
good oral and writing skills to communicate their positive vision of policing.
They also work to instill motivational management practices and behaviors in
their subordinate leaders in order to promote good morale, which in turn
fosters better recruitment and retention of police officers in larger police
organizations.
www.gachiefs.com • Page 5 • 1st Quarter Newsletter