read and discuss in small groups is a great employee development tool . I suggest you start this by sending out an email to gauge employees ’ interest in reading a book on their own time and then meeting at lunch once a week to discuss the book . It is also important to allow the participants to vote to select the book to read .
Goal setting is another critical component of career development . I encourage members to write their goals down and develop a plan to make them happen . Remember , how can you expect improvement if you are not tracking or do not know what you want to accomplish ? Goal setting allows you to measure and take pride in the achievement of your goals .
Finally , members should be encouraged to continue to strive for improvement once they reach their goal . They can continue advancing their careers by becoming a teacher and student . We all know the more you give , the more you will receive . Also , do not forget the leaders and mentors who assisted you . Be sure to thank them and pass on the knowledge and assistance they provided you to others .
Chief Roy Minter has been the Chief of Police for the Savannah Police Department since August 2018 . Previously he served as the Peoria , Arizona Chief of Police for seven years , and the Denton , Texas Chief of Police for four years . He served in various supervisory and command positions during his 15 years of service at the Aurora , Colorado Police Department .
Chief Michael Mansour
John C . Maxwell , respected authority on leadership principles , said , “ Leadership is not about titles , positions or flowcharts . It is about one life influencing another ”. When preparing officers for their next assignment or promotion , leaders must be unselfish , caring and knowledgeable to be effective . Their goal is to ensure these officers can successfully chart their career paths and as the Army has said so many times “ Be All They Can Be ”.
According to the Best Practices Guide from the IACP , “ Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship in which a knowledgeable and skilled veteran officer ( Mentor ) provides insight , guidance and developmental opportunities to a lesser skilled and experienced colleague ( protége ’)”. Mentoring is at the epicenter of this transition . Being a mentor is a long term task that relies strongly on two-way communication and depends greatly on the relationship between the two people involved .
The process evolves with participants if done right and can be self-sustaining as previous participants become mentors themselves . Employee mentoring can be the difference between long term employees with goals and short term employees who are always looking at greener pastures elsewhere .
Retaining quality employees should always be in the minds of all managers and mentoring has proven to be one of the best ways to accomplish this . Explain the “ big picture concept ” to the employees . Part of this process includes explaining decisions as they occur and revisiting previous decisions that affected the department . This process can help employees understand the leadership style of the department and the goals they are trying to achieve . Employees need to understand the budgetary constraints along with the politics involved in decision making for a department . Not all employees are able to conceptualize these processes all at once and therefore may be limited on how far they can reach . Being realistic with employees is essential to understanding the big picture . Some employees will not reach the ultimate goal , like Chief of Detectives or Drug Task Force Director because of their own limitations . Part of being a Police Chief is , withthe assistance of your command staff , being able to recognize who has real potential for promotion .
How do you prepare individuals for their next promotion or assignment prior to their appointment ?
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