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The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | May 2021
3 . Where is your Vision Sir / Madam ? Have you ever heard the term “ It ’ s like herding kittens ”... well once I watched a video on YouTube where a guy was trying to do just that . He was attempting to herd all these kittens from one room into another . Which I ’ m sure you can guess wasn ’ t going well . He stood in the room with the kittens and attempted to shoo them one or two at a time into the next room , which ok whatever but here ’ s the point . While he was focused on those two kittens , ten were behind him doing ten other random miscellaneous things . Then when he turned to focus on the ten , the two he ’ d shoo ’ ed in the room were now either clawing destructively at things in the new room , running back into the old room or just generally doing whatever cats like to do . This went on for the entire video and as you can imagine it was hilarious to watch but clearly this guy had no plan , no direction , and it showed . This is a perfect example of what people will do when they aren ’ t guided because there is no vision . When leaders don ’ t tell people what they ’ re fighting for . What their “ Why ” is ... when they are left to their own devices ... you get kittens , and it ’ s damn near impossible to wrangle kittens .
4 . Change the room I don ’ t know much about forensics but there ’ s one thing I have learned that I absolutely love , and it has stuck with me for years . I love the law of forensics ; it states it ’ s impossible for something or someone to enter a room and not alter it . Think about that . Now , I know it ’ s referencing a physical consequence , but it ’ s also true about an attitude . We ’ ve all been in a room laughing , joking enjoying ourselves and then someone in a horrible mood , or worse maybe someone obviously upset and distraught enters and everything changes . The excitement level drops , body language changes , tones change , heck even conversation topics change . All because someone entered a room . Now imagine what could happen if you were intentional about changing the room for the better . Every agency is going to go through peaks and valleys . When its peak season leadership assumes all the credit ... when it ’ s a valley they blame subordinates . Often times leaders have this approach of when subordinates change , things will change . Two things we know for a fact . One , the law of forensics is undeniable and two , you only truly have control over yourself . If both are truths , then if you are intentional about changing the one thing , yourself , that you have control over , then the environment , forensics , has no choice but to change . Great leaders are intentional about deciding who they are going to be and how they are going to leave a room . We all have power in that way , but a leader , has POWER , because everyone , whether they realize it or not , are looking to you to set the tone . You want people to be positive ? You be positive . You want people to have hope ? You have hope . You want people to laugh and smile ? You laugh and smile . Moods are contagious and so is morale .
5 . Settle down donkey I had a friend , several friends actually ... ok ... maybe I ’ m the friend ... it ’ s not important ... here ’ s what is . This friend got promoted and immediately was hit with a big fat dose of fear and insecurity . She thought she was prepared for something and then she got it and felt completely inadequate and dare I say ... a fraud . Like who let her in here ? Who thought she was qualified to do this job ? Lead people , make decisions ... be an example ? She felt like a kid playing at being an adult . So , what did she do ? I don ’ t recommend this ... but she overcompensated . She was harder than she needed to be . She was rigid , firm , crisp , and basically a consistent version of a recruitment / HR policies video . She got caught up in this idea of having to prove that she belonged , and since she didn ’ t know what “ leadership ” actually was she began to portray this character she believed exemplified a leader . Then she got some incredible advice ... are you ready ?...“ Stop being a jackass and just be yourself ”. She was enough , I am enough , you are enough . There is no one way to be a leader . That ’ s the beauty of leadership — we all bring something different . That ’ s why we are all relevant , why we all have a place . Attempting to be like someone else defeats the purpose . Diversity in leadership is important and it isn ’ t just about black and white or male vs . female . It ’ s perspectives , life experiences , married vs . single , religious and political beliefs , its socioeconomic status , it ’ s hometowns , it ’ s young vs . more seasoned . It ’ s representation . We all have a voice that has a duty to speak for the masses , but we also get special gift opportunities that privilege us the ability to speak for a few . If you are too busy pretending to be some distorted version of yourself , you miss the chance to be exactly the “ you ” that a situation needed .
Now that you ’ ve gotten my five key points on leadership , I ’ ll leave you with this , in embracing leadership , I found my life ’ s purpose , and no I don ’ t mean my position at my department or even my profession . I mean the gift of leadership . The ability it gives you to help usher people into the best version of themselves so they can achieve their dreams ; that fulfills me . Great leaders don ’ t do it for the money , the titles , or the “ perks ,” but they do have a “ Why ,” and they know what it is . It ’ s what guides them and motivates them to keep trying . It fulfills them . Figure out your why and let everything else grow from that .
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