EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ’ S REPORT
MITCHELL C . SKLAR
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | June 2022
LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
There are two truisms that cannot be disputed , nor can they be avoided : life is short , and the best learning is by experience . The combination of these two truisms leads to one conclusion – to maximize your potential you must study the experiences of others . Of course , direct personal experience is the best guide , but knowledge is usually limited in scope and is often in short supply . Theory is one substitute for experience but alone is far from satisfactory . Not nearly so neat and clear-cut as theory , but far more illustrative of the complexity of human factors , is history , which is nothing more than the experience of others . Changes in technology render some lessons obsolete , but lessons draw from history and biography are timeless because they spring either from universal principles or from universal human characteristics .
It is with this in mind that the NJSACOP has expanded our highly regarded portfolio of high quality , innovative leadership development experiences . Over a decade ago we inaugurated our NJSACOP Staff Rides for Law Enforcement Leaders , adapting the military staff ride concept for the needs of police professionals . Based upon feedback from our attendees and input from our members , we have added similar modules to several of our other professional development courses , with others still in the development stage . And taking this concept to an even higher level , we have developed and offered the innovative NJSACOP Normandy / D-Day Leadership Experience and NJSACOP Battle of the Bulge Leadership Experience .
Why study the lives and careers of great leaders of the past ? For the answer , we need look no further than to , well , one of the great leaders of the past . Gen . Dwight D . Eisenhower was asked his opinion as to the essence of leadership . His response : “ Making decisions .” When asked how one develops as a decision maker , Ike ’ s response was equally direct : “ Be around people making decisions .” In other words , the best way to develop as a leader is to “ be around ” those who lead . That being the case , what could be better than to “ be around ” history ’ s greatest leaders ? That is the premise behind our staff rides , as well as our presentations on other great leaders that are included in each session of the NJSACOP Police Executive Institute .
The study of the great leaders and decision makers of the past provides the raw material for wise decisions today and tomorrow , since all of us are prone to the same kinds of mistakes our predecessors made . We can emulate the successful leaders of the past , and learn from their mistakes as well . Certainly no great leader is a copyist . Those who have slavishly copied earlier leaders nearly always fail . However , a leader might be isolated in time from others , but can achieve a unity with them by the responsibility they have shared . Most great leaders have , throughout history , studied the experience of those that came before , profiting by their mistakes , and capitalizing on their success .
Still , you may ask if even the study of great leaders can be effective in teaching leadership . This is , perhaps , the wrong question . According to two of the most prominent thinkers and writers on the topic , a more relevant question is : Can leadership be learned ? The answer is a resounding “ Yes .” One of the tools at our disposal in setting out on the life-long effort that is learning to lead is studying the “ art of leadership ” from history ’ s great leaders .
Rudy Giuliani wrote : “ Leadership is mostly a skill that people learn . They learn from their parents , from their friends and colleagues , from their teachers , and from their clergy . But leaders also learn from leaders they ’ ve never met – by reading about them .”
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