Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
I appreciated the confirmation that mediocrity and conflict should not be tolerated. Worthwhile things are usually not easy. There, of course, are situations where change is worthwhile. If we avoid change to keep things easy, who are we benefiting? We are making a small percentage happy, but there are people who would like to contribute, improve, and create a culture different from the one we always had. This is equivalent to lowering our standards because we don't want to force people to raise theirs. We should always look for ways to be better.
One of the objectives listed for the skill of implementation planning was learning to “craft precise language that is specific, concrete, and achievable within reasonable time frames”. I found this objective resonated with me as I have experienced the effects of poor planning and execution as a follower and as a leader. This is a skill that can make or break a plan or mission and is an area I continuously strive to improve upon.
One of the highlights of the module for me was the continuous learning area. At one time my agency had more training going on than shift work. The morale was high and no one had an issue with it. The pandemic hit and we couldn’t even sit in the same room together. Now that things are starting to get back to normal, I think we should focus more on training again and getting people involved and motivated about the job again. A strategic plan will help this come to pass and get things done and increase the buy-in.
My agency is currently working on changing our community involvement. When the effort first began, there was a lot of push back. There were community events multiple times a week and required a lot of off duty involvement. Comments like "hug and thug" was the under current of discontent. Our Chief began impressing on his captain to begin communicating our purpose. Even some of the staff were not enthused to participate. However, the Chief had a valid point that every major crime that occurred after the increase in community involvement has been solved. Witnesses came forward and provided actionable information to solve these crimes. Historically our community followed the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" rule of crime reporting. We are still dealing with some push back; however, our officers are beginning to buy in and we have become better at scheduling events and manning them so we do not interfere as often with officer off time. The additional communication is what made the initiative become successful.
Communication with your community and with your department changed the outcome, Richard. Another way for those who have yet to buy in to the community involvement is to point out that those off duty hours will still be spent working because your violent crimes will continue. If they invest a few hours interacting with the community, that may save them a few hours of working a violent crime in the community. Just like our organizational efforts, if you make the community feel as though they are part of something special, they will help you take care of it. Your chief's observation proves it.
Today’s society is undergoing constant and rapid changes to stay ahead of the inevitable opportunities for change, it is essential to identify and assess the changes that need to be made in order to remain successful and competitive. This module has been extremely beneficial in providing insight into managing the change process, from facilitating, clarifying, and removing obstacles to giving the stakeholders a voice to determine the path forward through strategic consensus building.
There are so many times that we all have worked with changes in our workplace. Typically we have the belief that there is motivation or concept provided to why there was change and that the change was needed. But there are times that change happens for the sake of change or we are not informed of the cause of the change. There could be that legitimate need for the change but the communication behind the change is lacking. As leaders it is upon us to make sure that we communicate the changes and the why behind the change. Very rarely will there be a change that the why can not be communicated, and it is usually a mindset that we must adopt to share information to be good leaders.
A great Leader must be able to inspire others to believe and achieve in the goal, plan or change for the good and betterment of the organization. In order to do this , the leader must have the trust and confidence of the team, this is done by clearly clarify the need and importance of the change. In order to achieve, we must complete an assessment of the issues, formulate a problem management system and have an strategic plan to accomplish the task.
Patrick, I agree the leader has to be inspirational to get this done. So many times, the leader thinks just because of their rank things are going to be done and the expectations will be met. Well, we are not in the military anymore and officers can quit whenever they want to. If the leaders care everyone else will care as well.
Tom Peters spoke about managers wanting to leave the office and make the rounds talking to their staff. He also mentioned this intention to do so was rarely carried out because other operational issues would come up and take up all of the manager's time they thought would be spent with staff. I agreed with him, advising how important it is to make it happen and see your people. Getting involved with them personally will build trust and a working relationship. This will pay off big time when your team is attempting to meet goals, or new changes must be made.
Patrick, I totally agree with you. We must get down in the trenches with those we lead so they too see that we are willing to roll up our sleeves and do what it takes to accomplish the mission. This will build the trust and respect of all those that we cross.
One recent thing I have heard through the grapevine in my agency is the lack of communication by the executive leaders on the happenings of the department. Skill 39 discusses Problem-Management and how members can become resistant to change without support or information sharing. As a result, members can become anxious, negative, and ultimately unproductive. To get buy-in and support, leaders must share the vision of why change is occurring—failure to communicate the why will undoubtedly result in low morale and bitterness among the members.
I agree with your comment and see the importance of showing or communicating the "why" to our members from management. Communication is key in all we do. This is a good morale builder and will help set goals for the organization.
Daniel, that's a good point and I agree with you. We fail with our communication more than we do with our actual planning or doing the right thing. The failure to lead by communications will cause more and more problems in an organization than other lack of actions will cause.
Without a doubt, there is no greater challenge for leaders than communicating the why of any changes that are occurring within their organization. When these changes do not come with adequate explanation or understanding, it can cause members of the organization to become anxious, negative, and unproductive. This can leave employees feeling alienated from the process and more likely to resist any changes that come with it. I often see my department's communication efforts fall short as the message is getting out there but that key ingredient, that critical "why" piece missing.
I agree Daniel, communication is essential to getting officers to buy in to change. I have seen this play out in my own agency a few times.
I really enjoyed the area on "Informal assessment skills." We have to learn to talk to our people, find out what the issues are, find out what they need to be successful and listen! Using this information we can formulate a plan to improve morale and performance.
Mitch, I think this skill is often overlooked and we forget just how valuable information gathered from casual conversations and interactions can be.
I found this module very applicable to new leadership taking over an established unit of any size. I recently took over a specialized unit within my agency, becoming the fourth commander in the fourteen years it has existed. Each of my predecessors were very different from each other but very strong leaders. At the same time, this unit has taken a hit with promotions and others retiring in its senior member ranks. Being an inside member of this team before being advanced has aided me in being in touch with the needs, limitations, and strengths of the team so my first order of business was to pull in my leadership team to clearly define our expectations, needs, goals, and strategic plans for growth and success. A new, modern, and current policy was developed and implemented. Testing and interviews were coordinated and conducted using the current members in the unit so that we all have a vested interest in who is selected and their success. New training plans have been developed and implemented, equipment selected and purchased, and new uniforms were developed and purchased to rebrand the new and old members under one “flag”. In my opinion, this unit is now experiencing new intrigue and excitement from not only its members but also others throughout the organization and city.
Well said, Jarrett,
As one of the previous commanders, we saw many leadership variations over the years. With each leader, the team reacted differently based on the actions and culture the leader built. As a result, this group needed a revamp and a building phase to bring it up to date. The goals have been set, and many have been credited to you. Set new goals and get after it!
The skills breakdown in this module were good. One of the skills that stands out to me is Building Accountability. I agree with having your team have "skin-in-the-game". It seems to make the job better (better ideas, better productivity) and they can hold their heads up when the job is successfully completed.
As others have said, this module has taught me the importance of effectively implementing change and getting team progression. Taking over a specialized division, I had to assess the daily operations and formulate a plan to correctly add change into the workings. Before doing so, I worked on the pros and cons of implementing this change. It had to work in favor of the department first, then in favor of the division. I brought everyone in individually and discussed items to see what they felt would better help the division before making any changes. I wanted this to be something they felt was needed. This module helped me further add strategies to my arenol.
I completely agree. Getting one-on-one feedback from everyone that change effects is critical to gaining buy-in and perspective into what they feel are the problems. Using this process has worked well for me in the past as well.
This module taught me of the importance of having strategic meetings. We’re so busy and have enough meetings on other issues as it is, but those types of meetings are worth the time and are necessary to reach the goal. When we were issuing our policy manual, we had weekly meetings with the staff to make sure we were on task. As we went along, there were other obligations that got into the way of our progress and there were less and less meetings. Therefore, our policy manual was put on the back burner, and we got ourselves really behind. It is important to set deadlines and to hold people accountable along the way to ensure the goal is reached.
In Law Enforcement, change is the thing that we hate the most, but change is inevitable. When change is needed, we must do it in a way that is the best for the agency. We, as leaders, must make sure when we change we have taken into consideration all the information to make an informed decision. When change is made, it should be made to take place as smooth as possible. This is to not disrupt the day to day operation of the agency.
Well said Jon Doe! Just like in college football you have to be able to adapt to change. In today's law enforcement climate, there is more outside pressure than ever to enact change within the profession. We as leaders must accept this change and get our people to buy in as well.
Joseph Spadoni Jr.
Session #15
Skill number 46 stood out to me the most in this module with the strategic plan and team performance. I like the idea of implementing the monthly executive review meeting with my team so that we review as a team what we have going on and what are our strategic action plans. This is something that I will do with my team to better our communication as a team and ensure that implementation is achieved.
The biggest impediment to successful change can be reluctance to embrace it, but I think the reluctance most frequently stems from a lack of communication and clarity about why the change is necessary and how those affected will benefit. These seem the biggest obstacles in selling change.
Session #015
I agree Cedric. We need to clearly communicate the need for change to convince others to embrace change.
I total agree with the importance of communicating the necessity of change before making change. All to often in law enforcement change is made with little to no clear reason. I understand personal changes can no always be clearly communicated as they may involve discipline. Change is something that will always occur in our industry as tactics and technology changes.
This section was informational to me. I know that most law enforcement officers resist change within the organization. This lesson gave me some tools to assist in the change and make a smooth transition. I also believe that these skills can be used for all changes that occur because I have learned that change is challenging but rewarding.
I agree Paul. When we do have to make changes and they turn out for the best, it is very challenging and rewarding.
I found that Skill 46 - Strategic Plan and Performance is essential to keeping track of implementation of any new ideas or processes. Many times, new ideas are talked about and never develop properly, or never develop at all.
I agree. I feel like the follow through gets lost sometimes.
I agree. In our occupation, I think planning for change occurs far more often than within business organizations. I believe part of the reason for this is input is too infrequently sought from officers and the traditional policing perspective precludes treating the public as customers in whom we have a vested interest in serving fairly.
Jason, I also chose Skill 46 which stood out to me the most. New ideas are talked about all the time but are never developed properly and never come to fruition. I think the implementation of the monthly executive review meeting will help us accomplish developing the new ideas.
I this module skill number 41 stuck out to me the most. Simply because Dr. Anderson discussed the importance of readiness checking the qoute by Jim Collins, "Getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats." Can be applied in all lines of work and in everyday relationships. Having effective people in leadership positions bodes well for the community and society as a whole.
I like the idea that everyone should be included in developing the mission and vision statements. This practice gives all employees a voice.. This also gives your team members a sense of inclusion and makes buying in easier.
In this Module, they said that team leaders are the backbone of the organization, and the team members are the body that makes things happen in reality. The executive levels in the organization must act as orchestra leaders so that everyone is playing from the same sheet of music. This module showed excellent incite on how to accomplish this. They presented how important it was to record goals, action plans, and task assignments.
I found skills 47: Continous Learning for Continuous Improvement and 48: Building Accountability to be the most intriguing. We must continue to learn interpersonal and team problem-solving skills while working together to better the agency. This skill leads to building accountability, which I often find lacking at my agency. A handful of workers make sure things are done and is often micromanaged, while those who “pop in and out” are allowed to do so without question or consequence. This is often the result of individuals being promoted above their abilities and as the least bad option. We must see this as demoralizing to our team members who put forth the effort and begin rewarding those deserving.
The explanation given by Dr. Anderson regarding Problem-Management Facilitation was very helpful. I have found it difficult in the past figuring out how to persuade some of my more resistant subordinates to accept change and to see the benefit in it. But if we take away the fear of what the future looks like post-change and let our subordinates know what’s in it for them, they are a lot more compliant. I liked the analogy of uncovering the “shadow side.” I enjoyed as well the explanation of the 4 main categories of why people resist change by Dr. Alyn in her video.
I totally agree with you Larry. Taken out the fear in change and getting them to see the benefits will reduce resistance.
I found the skill of "Building Accountability" the most beneficial of all the things talked about. A negative aspect of not maintaining accountability in your agency is if everyone is watching different people within the agency do their own thing or get away with things, this can build animosity and dissention in the organization. This can be found a traced back to a leadership problem at all levels.
I agree with you, Chris. I have found that some of the older employees (or rather, those with more longevity) have tended to get away with more than some newer ones. That is detrimental for morale, and since I have become a member of my Command Staff, we have worked to make both discipline and reward fair and consistent across the board.
I was impressed with the idea of the form that outlined accountability. I have witnessed great ideas fail to move past the planning phase on far too many occasions. People volunteered during the meeting but never followed through.
So much information in this module, its building a strong family, just like at home. Listening, addressing issues, and setting goals from daily conversations and interactions. Inclusion in problem solving builds consensus and ownership in the actions as they are taken, or not taken.
Team and organization development skills: I found this lecture reinforced the preceding modules which were then used to build on the new skills. In particular, I use the Informal Assessment Skill daily as an opportunity to listen to my team members
and talk about their work or personal problems as well as their successes. By cultivating these relationships in an informal manner, I stay in touch and can assess the real morale and performance of the team. I've found this skill relates well with the Readiness Checking Skill in that it's easier to get to the root causes of problems because I have a personal and real relationship with my team members. With this rapport in conjunction with the informal performance assessment, I can quickly identify mediocre performance, latent negativity, and pessimism. These personal relationships allow us to work together in a positive fashion to remove obstacles and prioritize tasks without having to address the problems in a "top-down" manner. Influencing behavior with discussion goes a lot farther than issuing orders without an explanation.
I can see the benefit of structured weekly or monthly team meetings. Often time good ideas are lost in the lack of structure and follow up.
In this module skill 40 had a lot of helpful information about change. When trying to implement change, your message has to be authentic, otherwise your team will see right through you, and you will lose credibility. Your team need to feel that you are on their side and that you are acting in their best interest.
I agree
People have good perceptions and can tell when you are authentic. When you try to present yourself as someone you are not, you lose credibility. If people can't trust you, they will never follow you.
I liked the videos on developing a strategic plan and implementing it, with the notion of instilling accountability at all levels within the organization. All to often I believe the line level has no idea what is going on at the top and sometimes, vice versa. Maintaining an open line of communication, having the sheriff or a captain routinely show up to meetings to answer questions and let the troops know what is going on allows everyone to stay on the same page. This open communication I believe is beneficial. I have seen too much what lack of open communication or comments of "they dont need to know about that" does for an organization.
This leadership is hard work. I appreciate this college for laying out a blueprint for us to use to make it easier.
I definitely agree Andrew, many times when certain levels of the staff are left out the loop, it hinders the development of the organization as a whole and could have negative implications. Having an open line of communication is very rewarding.
This was particularly interesting module because is covered material that led to the failure of a previous attempt at my agency to do a character-based organizational re-set. The material in this module would have greatly increased our chances of success. There was a group that consisted of volunteers, who were driving the effort. We failed because we were trying to make a sweeping change with only a mission statement, core values, no vision statement, no purpose statement, no strategic plan, a poor implementation plan, poor consensus building, and poor follow through. Although we had good intent, we had inadequate knowledge, inadequate tools and no understanding of the depth of the undertaking. Needless to say, the effort floundered quickly and left some the volunteers cynical. We lacked almost every skill in this module. This lesson speaks to the level of planning required for such an effort to succeed.
A good leader leads from the front. You should never be afraid to get down in the trenches with your team. Doing so will inspire people who will follow you with trust and enthusiasm.
This is a great idea. In my experience just showing up and interacting with my officers has gone a long way to change the culture. I truly believe communication is a skill set that needs to be continually developed. We may think we are good communicators but in reality, we are not. When it comes to problem-solving, having a highly effective team that collectively understands its purpose is an extremely valuable resource for any agency. It is our role as leaders to develop these teams and have action steps in place to achieve the desired outcomes.
This module on developing high-performance teams truly resonated with me. I have so many takeaways from this lecture by Dr. Anderson. The first is to keep developing my informal leaders. This was something I started as soon as I took on my new role. I gained so much knowledge from the officers on what was working and more importantly what was not. I was not able to fix any of the problems right away but I was able to engage my supervisors and gained consensus so we were able to move in a more positive direction. There was an immediate change in the morale of our patrol division. As we continue in this direction, many of the skills mentioned in this module will extremely important to use and hone. I also found the skill of accountability to be a critical component for increasing a team’s morale. I truly believe that a leader must model the way. I look forward to implementing many of these new skills.
I agree that accountability is critical. Without it, the hard-earned gains begin to breakdown. Then there are the issues of consistency across shifts and work groups so equity issues aren’t inadvertently created, which will undermine the effort. Achieving consistency across the agency will be a challenge without all supervisors being fully involved and engaged.
When discussing Skill 37 Informal Assessment Dr. Anderson explained this skill involves using all the communication and problem solving skills from the previous clusters. He continued by explaining this could be done by casually walking around and talking to people or by scheduling one-on-one meetings with key people and also by listening and learning about people's perceptions. This is something I have been trying to work on with my shift. I have been showing up on calls and lending a hand and then just having conversations with the officers following the calls. In those e conversations I have been inquiring as to what types of changes on the shift they would like to see and expressing my values and ideas to try and plant the seeds and get them on board. In this I have been identifying those officers I believe would be instrumental in helping implement some of the ideas we have that would improve the shift moral and increase our crime reduction efforts in our division. Overall I thought this laid out some great ideas for implementing change and how to assist with accountability.
This is a great idea. In my experience just showing up and interacting with my officers has gone a long way to change the culture. I truly believe communication is a skill set that needs to be continually developed. We may think we are good communicators but in reality, we are not. When it comes to problem-solving, having a highly effective team that collectively understands its purpose is an extremely valuable resource for any agency. It is our role as leaders to develop these teams and have action steps in place to achieve the desired outcomes.
This was an especially timely module for me. I am in the middle of beginning and implementing a new assessment for my section based on some vision casting we did as a section. When I've done things like this in the past, I've noticed how easy it is for our team to be really exited about our plans early on, then to eventually kind of fizzle out and just slide back into the way we used to do things. The strategic planning and accountability sections in the second half of this module gave me some great ideas on how to build accountability into the process. The "two minute drills" agenda item will provide a good opportunity to have each unit supervisor report on his or her unit's successes in the last month, how each unit is going, and what we need to do for our units to support our vision. This process will allow us to have frequent reminders of what we are doing and why, and this will help keep us from sliding back into our old ways of doing things until the "new" way becomes part of our culture.
Jeff,
I agree you cannot take the first half of this module without the second half of the module. It is so tempting once we implement new ideas or really establish trust to just sit back and rest in our success. Unfortunately, trust and implementation requires constant attention and pruning. The constant attention and pruning is my Achilles heel as I feel like when I get something up and running, I cannot resist the temptation to move onto the next thing. The fun part is always implementation, but the meat comes in the maintenance of the implementation. I am excited to see how these principles are implemented moving forward and I am encouraged by the future of our department.
Jeremy
This module contained a lot of information regarding team building and strategic planning. A topic that stood out to me was Skill 45: Implementation Planning. Dr. Terry Anderson states, "If you are successful you will spend 5% of your time planning and 95% of your time focusing on implementation." I thought the emphasis on implementation and accountability was important and an area I can improve. At times I have been guilty of spending more time planning for something and not near enough time focusing on how and who will implement the plan. A good idea will never be fully realized if it is not implemented effectively.
I agree Matt, I too seem to spend a great deal of time trying to develop a plan and not really think much about how to successfully implement it. This module gave some good insight on how to do that.
I am also guilty of spending the majority of my time on the planning and very little on the implementation of the plan. But now, I will reverse the amount of time I spend on each. This should produce more positive results.
As I reviewed the skills presented in this module, the implementation planning resonated with me because much too often my agency forgets to do this. The agency as a whole does a great job of coming up for ideas on change, agreeing on the value of the change but the implementation is weak leading to SPOTS. The suggested Action Log will be a great tool for our organization that I plan on introducing. Putting the change goal on paper with clear actions to be taken , by whom, by when and the result will help us realize the changes we want and need. In turn, the credibility of the organization will increase because the team will see there is follow through and they are heard.
Implementing changes in our organization is a daily task, and something that not everyone will be on board with. The parts of this module that really intrigued me was the ways that Dr. Anderson talked about reviewing the changes to make sure that they were being implemented correctly and that they were working for the organization. I feel that this is something that most of us lack the forethought to do on a regular basis. Working toward change is important, but verifying that the changes we make are correct and beneficial is a very important part of those changes.
I agree, review is critical as you work through a plan for change. It is through this process that we will discover if our plan is working or if we need to adjust it to reached the desired goal. Often times the best laid out plan will have flaws and it is important to monitor these land mines that can undermine the entire project. I also think it is important to monitor the morale as these changes become necessary. A team that looses heart due to set backs can be just as damaging.
Rodney, I agree and I would also add that reviewing the changes not only ensures that the changes are beneficial but also that the changes are actually happening. I think a barrier for long-term change for us has been that we tend to write new procedures (asking officers to change) but don't always develop new processes to help the change happen or to rack whether or not changes actually have happened. Instead, there is a tendency to make changes on paper that don't actually translate to the field. This makes the procedure feel like a hammer to our officers that has no affectual purpose except to be pulled out when things go wrong to hit employees on the head with. This creates a trust problem within the organization.
One of the many things that this module focused on was clarification for change. In the workplace, change is anything that interjects with previous work routines, team members, job roles, or specific job duties. Being able to adapt and deal with changes in the workplace enhances communication between you, your coworkers, and your superiors. It also helps you work as a team to adjust to changes and strengthen professional bonds with your coworkers. When you have strategies for dealing with and adapting to workplace changes, you can maintain your productivity levels and ensure minimal errors or setbacks.
One of the first videos in this lecture was of Tom Peters discussing the idea of "managing by wandering around". This isn't a new concept to me, but every time I hear someone talk about it, it resonates more importantly to me. Agency leaders need to schedule time to get away from the work we have to accomplish behind our desks, and walk amongst the troops. From our dispatch centers, our jails, our investigative units, and patrol teams. They all deserve face time, and we can garner so much more insight on the daily happenings of our agencies when we do this. Not to mention, it helps us get to know our people better, which builds rapport and respect. All of this help an organization come together as a team to implement growth and change.
I agree! So often, executives leaders, or leaders in general, it is imperative to walk around and see what's going on within the organization. This motivates employees to do a better job, and it allows you, as a supervisor, to see things that cant be seen behind a desk. Walking around and knowing your team, congratulating and thanking them for a job well done will produce better results.
I was impressed by Dr. Anderson's 5 Step Problem and Opportunity Coaching Model. It built on the previous modules and showed them concerning the final goal. I plan to use it in my essay because I feel it is a plan that can be followed for better problem-solving, just like the modules reinforce.
The skills in this module are continuing to build from the 2 previous modules with Dr. Terry Anderson. Change is something that will continually happen in life. You have to learn to embrace those changes. People become resistant to change unless they understand the need for it and what the benefits will be for them. They also have to know the negative aspects of what this change can bring. As a leader you have to know your people; this is where skill 37: Informal Assessment comes in. You have to know your people in order to assist them with adapting to change. You can converse with your people; really listen to what they have to say. They may have concerns they the need to express or new ideas they feel may help the department.
Kimberly, good point! My thinking as well. I've found that the Informal Assessment Skill also pairs well with Readiness Checking Skill in that once you have developed the Informal Assessment Skill, its easier to get to the root causes of problems because of the built-in rapport.
In the world we live in, change is inevitable and constant. We must accept changes to grow and stay with the times. If we don’t accept the change, we will be left behind. Change is difficult for some to accept. This module was informative in providing skills and best practices for managing change. Everything comes into perspective once we understand the needs and wants of the change and communicate this to our teams. This will encourage trust and buy-in from within the organization. I think forming a committee to identify change needs and providing strategy is a great plan to implement changes. The members of the organization are key to successful change management and we as leaders must be good managers of change.
I agree that communication is key. To often changes are implemented without enough clear communication. We may still have resistors to change, but if the reasons for the change and the potential benefits are communicated it is easier to get buy-in from employees. I also thought the point regarding considering how the changes impact individual employees was important.
The idea of continuous improvement is great and it is a model any organization can benefit from. It is so crucial to involve members from every part of the affected areas in the cross-functional team to create a learning environment and to break down any potential silos that may be there. Where some organizations fail though is the bureaucracy that limits the teams ability to set into motion the changes they believe will work. Those not in the group, usually in higher positions, tend to armchair quarterback the changes because they think they know better than the low level workers. This leads to changes being unsupported and sandbagged to the point of failure. Once this happens, other no longer believe in the culture of continuous improvement, leaving it to fail.
This past year, we have experienced a tremendous amount of change. We have a new chief and several new fellow staff officers. My division has made modifications and detour projects to accommodate the changes and the new directions within the department. This excessive change has had an impact on my detectives' morale and productivity. I recently created a strategic one year and five year plan for the chief. I allowed my detective supervisors input. After the chief's approval of my plan, I shared it with my detectives. I believe their productivity and morale greatly improved. Knowing the direction and future of the department is instrumental to motivation.
Again, so much information and all of it great. What I can't get past is how you take all of this and implement it when you are not the head of an organization. I think to a degree it can be implemented within a team that you lead, but unless you're the head of the organization, your ability to control the people on the bus and in the right seats is actually pretty limited and you can't work within your time frame if your not allowed to make changes. I think this information is great, but it gets frustrating knowing you're limited with your ability to put it into practice.
100% agree! The organization will go where it's leader goes, and if they do not buy-in then the men and women who work hard to follow these concepts are fighting an uphill battle.
Dustin - I like how you brought this back to the buy-in. No matter what the change is, or just the direction that the department is taking, without the buy-in of the people none of it is going to function properly.
I agree this is one of the most frustrating things to deal with. I find it difficult to actually implement things within my own division because someone higher up the chain will inevitably become involved.
This module focused on building up the team and developing the skills throughout the team through various ways. It's good information to have right now as I have been working to change a few things within my organization and the implementation of the change failed. I have spent hours trying to figure out why because everyone thought it was a good idea. Well, this module showed me why the change failed. Armed with this new knowledge, I will be hitting the drawing board again.
I agree with you Tyler. I have made some recent changes that did not take hold. Knowing how I failed and what I need to do to overcome my shortcomings, I will give it another try.
Building a mission statement within a law enforcement organization is a crucial part of the department’s identity. It provides a brief description of the organizations reason for existence to the ones it serves. The statement supports the vision and serves to communicate purpose and direction of the law enforcement agencies employees and others. From experience, the mission statement will offer a strategic focus to a department and motivate officers to work together toward a common goal.
Having an organizational identify with the public is the most important. What you've outlined is on the money.
Joey, I agree that the Mission Statement is important. I think that just as important is making sure it's distributed with a value alignment so that all the values for achieving that mission are visible. A mission statement is more than just a plaque on the wall or painted words; it is a posted sense or pledge, apparent to all employees.
More importantly than actually having that mission statement is for it to be lived out in our organizations. Too often I see mission statements that are long, wordy, and unclear. It needs to be simple, concise, and have a message that all of the stakeholders (employees and public citizens alike) understand and can get behind. Then it needs to be lived out every day. As leadership, we need to constantly be asking ourselves "how are we doing?" as measured against that mission statement.
This module was informative and outlined several ways that us as leaders can improve through a variety of skills. One of which stood out to me was the Informal Assessment. Getting out and getting to know your people is extremely important. Good leaders stay in touch with their people to ensure that problems do not present themselves. This produces the best type of information from your subordinates and helps you address any needs that may need to be addressed in an informal setting.
Continuous learning for continuous improvement really stands out. The world never stops and change happens every day. We must work to improve everyday and help others to expand their capabilities as well. Skill 47 states: “Leaders are responsible for making sure that learning happens”. We should make it a point that our people learn something every day.
Curtis, I strongly agree. Leaders must be responsible for constructing the organization so others can expand their capabilities.
I am in complete agreement with Curtis. Change continues to happen daily and we have to learn to adapt to it. We have to be accountable for what we do; we have to be responsible leaders.
It's important for all Law Enforcement agencies to have a meaningful plan for change to adapt to the constant changes and needs of the society we serve and protect. Constant evaluation of the way we do things in our organizations is critical in order to be trusted and successful in our mission. As an agency, we need to improve from being reactive to these changes and become more strategic in our planning. In order to be successful in this mission, we must have the support and backing of our officers. As a leader, it's our job to build personal and professional credibility among our employees to create this support.
I found the reasons people resist change to be accurate and informational, reflecting on my own feelings through different changes in my career both in law enforcement and employment prior to LE. This module clarified skills needed, and explained the different processes of creating a change. One of the take aways from this module was that people will implement what they help create. Getting the leaders from all levels within an organization involved early in the discussions, asking input, being open to feedback and variation, building consensus and empowering them to take ownership of the change being implemented so that the energy surrounding the change radiates from within and builds momentum as the change occurs.
Skill #40 Need Clarification for Change stuck with me the most. One commonality that all people share is "Why". People are more willing to change if we provide a logical reason for the change of course. They may not like it or necessarily agree with it, but will be more susceptible to the change if they have clarification.
Don, I agree, Explaining the why always sets the foundation.
I really appreciated the message of this module. The analogy by Jim Collins stating " getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats" speaks volumes about team, unity, buy in, and shared vision. Sometimes in our careers we all have the one person who just never seems to get it or wants to be the positive influence. As leaders it is our job to cut the cancer out for the good of the team. With everyone on the same page success is assuredly possible.
Andrew, my upper management has been using this analogy for years. We try to get the "right people on the bus" starting from recruitment and also through mandatory ride-alongs with patrol officers. For the most part, it has worked out well but there are those few occasions where they were run over by the bus by their own doing.
I agree, but I wonder is it a systemic issue that you just can't seem to get the cancers cut out? The one CEO who demoted one of his managers had an excellent idea, but in law enforcement, even a demotion is usually just moving the cancer from one spot to another.
There was a lot of interesting concepts in this module. Something that stuck with me is accountability and continuous improvement. At my agency we went through a strategic planning committee to establish our goals, mission and values. A part of the plan was how do we track the progress. This was very important during the planning part, but I feel like in some goals we created we have fallen short. We used special software to help us stay on track and be accountable for our work or the lack there of. This was good thinking; however, no one was really tasked with keeping track of the software to see who was working towards the goals and what goals were falling behind.
I think that this falls under the accountability section. I think we needed to establish who would track all the progress listed in the software to achieve top accountability. This would also help recognize all the hard work that everyone was putting towards the agency goals.
Planning really stuck out to me in this module. One of the things covered in this module that really stuck out with me when planning is creating an action plan that outlines what the plan is and puts steps in place on how that plan is carried out and achieved. This is important to have for accountability purposes for those the plan affects as well as you yourself. These action plans should detail who is responsible for what and when things need to be completed by and who's responsible for what. Overall, this module was extremely important and taught about so much more I should be doing as a leader. This module was extremely important in teaching how important follow through is to the mission but also so those you lead see it as well.
Zach,
Very good points here. I agree about the importance of follow through. My agency completed its strategic plan a couple of years ago. It was very thorough, well thought out, and organized. However, one of the biggest things I learned from it was that the follow through was lacking in some areas. As you mentioned this ties directly into accountability.
I agree, follow through is important. Our agency did a salary analysis study a few years back where the company conducting it held small 20 person forum groups with the entire agency. They discussed everything from pay, benefits, satisfaction with the job, and what not. After completion it took nearly 1 year to get the results back and then the staff said they couldn't understand it so they hired another company to translate it for them which took another 6 months. During that time unrest was pretty high because the general belief was that they just didn't like the results which most likely was "you need to pay more" and it got dragged out. Sadly there was never any type of ending resolution and no information was ever passed down.
I believe the informal assessment skills are very important no matter your rank or assignment in the agency. Getting out from the behind the desk and talking with your folks goes a long way. This skill is especially critical when change is coming that could be disruptive. Your folks will feel more engaged with you and free to speak about concerns they may have if you have always had that open line of communications.
Jeff,
I absolutely agree with you. Informal assessment skills are important just in life in general. I like your example of how getting out from behind a desk to talk with people goes along way in leadership. I think just showing that you can interact with others and how important a simple conversation is and how far it can go with people.
One of my co-workers recently pointed out an interesting fact from our newly published Strategic Plan. In it, our agency states they want to be a regional leader. Yet, the officer pointed out, our pay is far from leading the pack in our region. It has been a struggle to move from really under paid, to under paid. His point was not that we deserve more money, but that our organization’s focus on regional leadership is still too narrow. If being a regional leader in investigations, collaborations, and technology is valued, then it would seem paying our staff comparably to nearby agencies should also be a highly valued portion of regional leadership.
Strategic Planning is vital. But backing the plans in a way to include all staff and to increase morale and input must never be forgotten. If we throw our hands up in victory because we jumped on board with the regional weekly intel meetings, well…. It means little to the staff that gets recruitment flyers from next door touting substantial pay increases and retirement funding. Plus, bonuses.
Leadership must show staff is valued first and foremost. Strategic Planning can then go outside when members of the organization are fully on board because they are clearly shown how their value directly influences the values of the plan.
It is so important to get out the office an interact with your people. This is the only way to get to know them on a personal level. This is why I think that informal assessment is such on important skill to master. This is one of the ways to properly be able to coach individuals and be an effective leader.
Jose,
I agree that interacting with your people is the key to getting on a personal level with them and in turn creating that trust they desire to have with their supervisor. Informal assessment is an important skill that all supervisors should improve on.
Change is any law enforcement agency is rarely accepted whole heartedly and is necessary to change with our ever evolving societal views. Creating a team who share a common vision and empowering them to implement a consensually approved plan for change is an immense undertaking, especially if the need for change was not clarified. To be successful in this endeavor requires accountability and persistence from all, specifically the leader. He or she is accountable to the team to ensure they are set up for success, and this will lead to the trust of the team, which will assist them in reaching their goals.
I strongly agree with skill #40 (Need clarification for change). Letting your employees know the "why" will help them understand and let them know the reasons the change is necessary and the benefits. The employees may disagree, but however a good leader will get his employees to conform; which is necessary for a successful transition / change. As always if individuals know the "why" and how it'll benefit them, they're more and likely to support the implementation.
I agree. It also helps if you have established good relationships with your personal, and they trust you have their best interest at hand.
I agree Kevin, clearly stating why the implemented change is needed will help those who where not part of the early discussion see the reasoning behind it. as you mentioned, gaining their acceptance is showing them how the change benefits them, providing motivation.
During my time in law enforcement, I have found one of the biggest skills that need improvement is #37, the informal assessment. It has been my experience that one of the biggest complaints amongst deputies is that they feel they are not known by command staff and upper-level supervisors. By creating causal conversation, coming into roll calls and briefings just to check in is a good way for people to get to know each other. unfortunately for some people, this only happens during a formal assessment or meeting and the personal bond is not established.
I am a big fan of skill #48. The building accountability skill is one that I wish more leaders would utilize. You have to first hold yourself accountable, before you can hold someone else accountability. Personally, I like the fact that in the skill it basically tells you You tell people what we are going to do, then we do it.
And yet another highly informative module that gave me a lot of information. Skill # 43 is one that I need to work on and one that when implemented will help my personnel, as I have a lot of new young deputies on my shift.
Building trust is a crucial part of having a team that will buy into your vision, beliefs and philosophy on how to attack different operational needs. I believe that the vision and beliefs of the organization have to be very clear and concise and that needs to be communicate properly amongst all levels throughout the department. In order to have unity and effect change throughout the team, everyone must be held accountable to include the leader. The leader sets the example. This will cause others to follow and then additional members to follow, thus causing great advances in your mission to implement change and the impression will be a more defined organization that is orderly.
I agree Kevin. We need more leaders who understand this
I agree, Kevin. As a leader we must set the example and model behavior we expect from our staff. When we show we are accountable to ourselves it will help build credibility and trust with our staff.
Taking the time to know your people and putting them in the right position was an important point for me. As well as asking for their input on a consistent basis in order to develop a team and make them feel that they belong to something special.
That is true Chris, some individuals are stronger then others in some areas. Having them in the right place; will benefit the team and themselves. They'll be able to thrive and in doing so; they'll enjoy what they're doing. This will benefit the team and make a supervisor's life a whole lot easier. Allowing or asking them for their input; will give them the sense of belonging and that they matter.
The concept of readiness checking and making sure the right people are in the right places is so true and something that many organizations overlook. I really like the bus analogy. Having the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, then making sure everyone is in the right place. This is a picture of how an organization needs to be. Many times, people are allowed to stay on the bus because they have been on the bus the longest. These people are often the biggest opponents to change and the ones that will sabotage it if given the chance.
It is a good concept. Unfortunately, I, and others, have seen the wrong person advance in their career because they have the best answers during a one day test, rather than the right attitude throughout their careers. As long as we allow poor employees to be assigned specialized assignments or be promoted, we will rarely have a bus full of exceptional leaders. KSA's are good. Fit is good. Somehow, we must allow more of the right people on the bus rather than following the "way it has always been done."
Value Alignment was the skill that resonated with me most out of this module. I think that being able to identify the values of the agency and the team and then lining those up with the mission is the most effective way to bring a group together and create a team. This module gave me insight in how I can try to bring my team together better so we can work toward completing our mission more effectively.
Anderson, T. (2017). Every officer is a leader cluster 4. Module 10, Weeks 3 & 4. National Command and Staff College.
I enjoyed several of the skills covered in this lecture. One that I feel is very important, and that leaders often forget about is the formal assessment. I think a leader must know the wants, needs, and problems within their organization or team. I think that's the only way things will become better within the an organization, and for the organization to become successful. I often ask my team members if they need anything, or if they have a problem with anyone or anything. Many times they give feed back that benefits our department. We also discuss our goals for the week or month. I think a formal assessment should be done often within an organization.
I feel that many leaders put too much weight on a formal assessment and not enough time on the informal assessment. They want to send out something to get a mass response instead of going and meeting with the people that work from them and creating a relationship of trust.
One of the skills from this lesson that stuck with me was strategic consensus building. One of the main points was that a strategy does not get implemented without consensus. In other words, a leader can not make a change on their own and get it successfully implemented. It is well known that people will help implement a change they had a part in making. This is not something that has to be done on the organizational level, instead it can also be done within workgroups or patrol shifts within the organization. The biggest takeaway for me is just that. I have always thought about this as something that really only happens on, or applies to, the organization as a whole. I haven't really used this on my shift. The lesson opened my eyes to the ability to use this more frequently on changes or consensus building for just my shift. While changes may be directed down from management (and thus have to be implemented), I can use this approach within my shift as to how we implement it. While my team may not get to determine the change, we may be able in some instances to gain buy in by gathering input as to how it is implemented.
This stood out to me as well. I like the idea of involving the whole team in goal setting and the change process. This creates a vested interests for everyone due to their inclusion and involvement. Also it allows team members to have a voice in their own fate and avoid the aggravation of feeling helpless.
I have been at my agency for three months. I hold a command staff position; and am the only outsider. Knowing this and the role I play in the organization. I have used many of Dr Anderson's suggestions prior to taking this course and it seems to be working. Seeking out input and historical knowledge, providing opportunities for input and giving clarification have been well received. Goals and providing a strategy on how we are going to achieve them with their input has been beneficial.
Anderson’s (2021) thoughts on organizing and developing teams encompasses a myriad of skill sets. A key theme throughout his posits includes the consideration of leadership as a tool or support apparatus as opposed to a perquisite. Such an attitude is fundamental and instrumental in building and developing teams, building trust, setting visions and finding consensus for implementation of change. To see successful implementation of change, a consensus will be necessary. Failure to do so will likely doom any change to failure.
In building a team for change, it is strategically important, imperative even to place the right people in the right places on the team. Doing so will ensure synergistic action that, provided consistent and clear leadership is involved, leads to successful implementation of desired change. This has been a tested, successful model and significantly inclusive, which is strategically important in its own right.
Additionally, suggestions for adjustment, or the identification for any needed changes can be made in an ongoing system that centers on consensus. This can be accomplished by leaders participating actively in the planning sessions and observing the modeled behavior desired in the process of implementation (Phillips, 2009).
References
Anderson, T. (2021). Team organization and development skills. Module # 10, Week # 4. National Command and Staff College.
Phillips, D.T. (2009). Lincoln on leadership: Executive strategies for tough times. Grand Central Publishing: New York, NY.
This was a much needed module for me. When I was first promoted to Lt. on the shift I am on now, it was very much compromised of individuals, not one team. We've made some strides in the right direction and built unit cohesion where none existed before, but I'm thankful for the information this module provides to assist in maintaining that momentum.
Robert,
Well sounds like you are sitting at the goal line of my current objective. I am a Sergeant working toward eventually having my own shift as a Lieutenant. The shift I have now works great as a team during adversity but on the regular day to day basis breaks down into cliques and groups of individuals. I am struggling to identify what we can come up with to make us work every day like we do during crunch time. I’m hoping that we can sit down and figure out some career goals for each of my officers and then a goal for the shift. But it is still a work in progress right now.
Yes I can relate. Prior to taking over my shift I was informed by a member of our Command staff that the shift was very divided. When I got there I did see it, but was amazed that after talking to each one individually with an emphasis on their goals and ultimately putting them in or in line of certain positions how the morale grew.
All 12 steps are vital to any organization but the one word that really sticks out is value. You have to value your people and they in turn have to trust you. As we have learned in this module as well as others it takes a lot to gain the trust of others especially your co-workers. To get anything accomplished in any organization you must get everyone on the same page and get everyone on board with any changes you make. If they trust you then the changes you make will go off without a hitch.
I agree, we must value our team and we must make sure they know that they are valued. People will do more and perform better when they know they know they are valued.
The importance of having Value alignment, or Skill #42, is vital in having a successful team. Having shared values builds team spirit and keeps the group grounded by working toward a common goal. One of the tips I liked was ensuring the values are made visible to all in the team. An example of this might be having the core values posted in a break room area. This is a visible reminder of our goals and shared team values. In our agency, we have our a list of core values posted in our break area and our mission statement is posted on the front page of our policy manual.
Samantha, I agree with you 100% the values are the most important in any organization.
Samantha, I agree with you. We also have core values posted in our roll call room and the deputy diner. I think it is good to always have those visual reminders for everybody to look at.
I agree with this. When we also share the same values, we know why we are working towards our goal. These values are what drives us to do what we do. we have ours posted on the walls in our patrol roll call room.
I found the idea of "readiness-checking" to be interesting. I liked the concept of taking time to identify and resolve any barriers and then take action regarding those who would bring poor performance and destructive conflict. Getting the right people involved early and preventing others from distracting and sabotaging the process is critical for success.
I found this very informative as well. I'm currently dealing with an officer who I perceive as very capable, his attitude and desire to have conflict where there is no conflict is leading to a toxic environment. It's time to have accountability and change the behavior, or remove the issue.
Eric- This was also my favorite subject amongst the models. Finding the right folks for the right spots on a change team is a challenge unto itself. Ultimately, it will forge the direction your team moves in implementing change...so I can see why it is so critical.
Best and stay safe-
Ken
I liked how they talked about the implementation. That there should be set dates and good communication. Having monthly meetings to make sure the goals of implementation are needed. Too often we get busy and hope and assume things get done. Without actually checking in to make sure the change will not get implemented
Agree that goals, meetings, dates and implementation team are important.
Steve,
Most of the times I've noticed there is no follow through, which people know this and take the easy way out and continue to avoid the implementation.
I really got a lot out of “readiness checking” I believe some leaders, myself included get lulled to sleep by mediocre performers. This was an eye opener. Loved the "Get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off. We have to surround ourselves with great people if we are to make an impact.
To me the greatest advantage to subscribing to this lessons idea of holding monthly review meetings etc., is to minimize uncertainty. You don't know what you don't know. Holding meetings identifies problems and creates the opportunity for new proposals. In this lesson we learned that with no proposal, change will likely not occur.
I agree, keeping staff members in the loop regarding the progress and the implementation status of a project helps them answer questions along the way and can make them feel like they have a say.
I think skill 46, "Strategic Plan and Team Performance", is an excellent avenue for implementation of a plan and the evaluation of the progress as you continue forward. It allows everyone to report their progress in a supportive form and makes them accountable each month for the goals they have for themselves and the team. Under our previous administration, this strategy was severely underutilized. It was common for an idea to be developed and then tossed onto someone to see it through without any follow-up until the assignment was complete. As you can imagine, the final product wasn't what was intended by the administration and caused frustration for the person assigned the reasonability and for administration. Regular communication is key to any projects success!
Doctor Hogan said that Leadership evolved as a resource for the groups. Leaders get teams moving and the followers get the work done. When building a team this is exactly what needs to be done. Assemble the best people you have, provide them with the needed resources and get out of their way. Leaders should never micromanage as it will defeat the purpose of the team and every member on it. We should be there for them to encourage and inspire and make course corrections when needed. By having faith in our people abilities we allow them to work with a sense of fulfillment. This fulfillment can be worth more than the paycheck to some.
In Skill #44, “Strategic Consensus Building,” enlisting others in change and innovation by collaboratively developing a planning agenda is key point. The module also discussed how beneficial monthly meetings are – these meetings can review progress of plans and keep everyone updated and informed. The implementation of the plans have a higher success rate with these meetings, as well as improved communication.
I can relate to this – monthly, or sometimes bi-monthly, staff meetings are held at our department. This not only keeps everyone informed and up to date on current events, but I can see how the open communication ripples positive effects throughout the department, as employees feel they are kept in the loop.
I like this as well. I think keeping people informed is important and assists in building and maintaining a shared vision. This also provides a regular opportunity to provide feedback and new ideas.
Clarification is needed for any change, especially when that change is trying to be sold to older employees who are more set in their ways. Change is good and should be embraced. Change is also needed within an agency to stay vibrant.. I agree with Dr. Anderson that team leaders are back bones with the team members being the part of the team that makes things happen. Working in an agency that has 12 hour rotating shifts, I like to refer to those shifts as "teams". This simple word change makes the members of their team have a feeling of belonging all striving for a common goal.
We changed the wording from shift to Team. It really has seemed to make a difference in the deputies as well. Who knew simple words could make such a difference.
Replacing the words 'problem solving' to 'problem management makes a big impact, I equate it to damage control versus damage repair. When a vessel is damaged and is taking on water the priority is to control the amount of water coming in. Keeping the vessel above water is the priority, repairing the damage is secondary. Sometimes in life, we need to control or manage issues or events until we have the ability to slow down enough to solve or make repairs. Continuous improvement teams sound like a good idea. A team to assess policies and processes, to suggest, or implement changes would be handy. Now we work together by assignment, not through collaboration just assignment, there is very little to no discussion.
One of the skills that stood out for me as part of this module was the idea that people need clarification to change. When I first started supervising others, I thought that just because a directive was given people would follow it and that was enough. I soon found out, however that if I took even just a few moments to give some background on the reason for a change, they were much more likely to accept the change and carry it out. I have discovered that people value information and if you share what information you have with them they will respond in positive ways.
The concept of teaming and the differences between that and a team is interesting. Like many things discovered in the course, simple changes or uses of words can be compelling. For the longest time, taking the effort to build a team within this profession may have been a slight waste of time. With recruitment and retention suffering, I wonder if the organization is truly a team, or are we just teaming? Regardless, within the group, we must stop seeing each other as competitors. Granted, individuals desire promotions or positions of favor. Still, in the execution of our duties, all must engage equally to achieve the mission.
A good leader keeps in touch with their people who are implementing new strategies to help their team members that are having difficulties. Without our respective teams operating to the full potential, we try to develop change within our organizations. I think as leaders by effectively learning and applying the 12 steps from this lesson we can change the culture,
I agree with this module that all too often we have a plan and implement it but fail to complete and assessment. I agree that the assessments should be both formally and informally. There's so much information that gets lost when just a formal assessment is conducted because in Law Enforcement is more likely to be open with their opinions when the setting is relaxed and informal.
Planning and implementing a great idea without the follow-through is the death of a great idea. I have noticed many great ideas are left up to the individual with the idea to go forth and conquer, only to have the idea slip away because there was no one to assess and or follow up with the individual. If the idea really is that good maybe we as leaders should provide a team to help the person, brave enough to speak about a change, see the idea/project through to the end.
Skill # 39 Problem Management Facilitation. By letting people know what is in the change for them will help sell the change. Typically law enforcement is not usually overly excited about change, but by having buy in, and what they can achieve from the change can help.
I agree not only are they typically not overly excited, they resist it. They definitely want to know what is in it for them.
I agree. Changing just to change isn't useful. WE need the support of everyone for the change. It is normally the frontline officers that will be most effected by the change so their buy in is most critical for the change to work
This module was on a topic I found incredibly applicable to my own agency. We have not had a strategic plan in years. This has caused accountability, credibility, and other issues. Great information that again focuses on people; getting them involved; and getting buy-in within the process. People that have buy-in accept ownership and feel more personal responsibility towards accomplishing goals and success. The strategic plan helps and team accountability helps drive the team towards accomplishing the mission.
Having a documented plan of action seems to be the first step in strategic planning. That said, I feel like more time is spent talking about strategy than actually writing out a plan. The discussion is fine, but seldom does discussion turn into actual strategic plans.
Yes, agree with this – and I can often become guilty of this. Hectic work schedules, multiple obligations, and random things that pop up can affect this. Having these great ideas and strategies to attack a certain project is great. But, like you said, there needs to be follow up done. Sometimes this follow up should be done soon after the discussion to get assignments delegated, goals set, and deadlines made.
Team building is all about getting "buy-in" from those that re going to be involved. You have to inspire and sell your subordinates. You have to convince and show your peers that this will help everybody. Lastly you have to sell your bosses that this new idea is better, more efficient, and saves money. I've also found that if I can make my bosses lives' easier by already having a policy, training, and implementation plan ready, they are much more likely to use it.
I agree. Sometimes "because its how we have always done it" needs to be challenged and put on it's head. Change often times can make our lives easier and or organization more productive - if properly researched and implemented.
I took a lot from this module, some I've experienced and others it was a good reminder or new concept. A couple of key things I took away:
1. Accountability = credibility. The two co-exist. When we hold ourselves and others accountable that breeds confidence in our customers (the public) and ourselves.
2. We need consensus from the members of a group in order to have a successful strategy carry forward. If members of a team aren't on board with the vision, we're doomed to fail.
3. Quality is defined by the customer (the public). We are public servants and as the module indicated, we can and have lost focus on that fact. Too often I think we are arrogant as administrators in our vision and purpose. We have to consider the bigger picture and use that to steer the organization in a continually better direction.
A repeating concept that I find to be prevailing through the different modules is "ownership”. When we empower our people to take ownership of their careers, the organization becomes more productive. When strategic outlooks are implemented, and we have ownership of those goals from the newest hire to the most veteran officer due to our personnel having an active voice in the goal setting, while consistently tracking those goals through monthly meetings great things are possible.
My thoughts exactly. Ownership and inclusion are both continually brought up. From personal experience, I can understand why. We need to be accountable individually and as a team. That brings empowerment to the equation. Taking ownership is easy when there are successes, not so much when we fail or fall short.
I agree as well. The fact that ownership is repeated so frequently demonstrates the importance it plays on buy-in from the employees (officers). The monthly meetings that are suggested should ensure that the strategies aren't easily forgotten and will help the organization stay on track.
My biggest take away from this lesson was how fragile change is and how it should be handled. I don't think that change should quickly happen unless absolutely necessary. Most people don't like change, unless they know it is going to be beneficial in some way. With that being said, strategizing is very important and should be well thought out. It is impossible to make sure nothing is missed, but the more thought out something is the less room there will be for errors or mistakes. With more strategizing before change, it will allow more buy in from others, especially if they are asked to give ideas or for their opinions. That is very important to most people and will create a smoother change process.
I believe that setting goals and having your peers implement them will make them feel some since of belonging. We all know that change is something that no one likes. It could be good change but no one especially the seasoned officers like change.
I felt like I was able to digest this module better than the last. In going through the all the Skill levels the consistent thing I got was the importance of follow-through, inclusion and clear communication. Not necessarily in this order, but follow-through seems be be where I've failed or seen other projects fail, so for me it became very important. At times my lack of follow-through was more an effort not to give the impression I was micro-managing. I never considered that it could also generate an appearance that I had not bought in on a project, so why should they. I'm fortunate to be in an agency whose command is constantly forward thinking and believes in change, leadership development for all, and trusting its supervisors. I've seen a lot of the skills at work and it helps to understand the concept behind them.
The follow through I found to be a key point as well. When he used the data of only one missed meeting in a 12-month timeframe significantly reduced the likelihood that the long term or short-term strategic goals would be met.
The amount of skills is a bit overwhelming. Again they do make sense but there is a lot of substance. Good substance, but a lot to think about for sure.
To your point on "micro-managing". That's a tough one. Damed if we do, damned if we don't. There is a sweet spot in there and I know I fail more often than I would like o to admit. Our jobs, I remind myself, as administrators are to hold the line, promote accountability and mentor our followers. Holding the line is not micro-managing, it is "managing". Holding someone accountable is not micro-managing either. Some of it falls to emotional intelligence and lack of information.
My biggest take-away from this module is the idea of implementation planning. Dr. Anderson states that if you are successful, you will spend 5% of your time planning and 95% of your time focusing on implementation. I have found personally that much time is spent on making my plan, and then after a good plan is written I sit back with a feeling of accomplishment. I need to focus more time on implementation steps, tracking of progress, and timeliness of completion.
My biggest take away was this section is implementation planning. Often when I hold meetings with my teams, I have a purpose and usually goals that I want my implement, but I rarely have an action plan in place moving from point a to point b. Thus, leaving out accountability and enforceable time frames which is likely why I do not see results that I had hoped for. I currently have a small team assembled and what I have noticed is that I have specific goals, assignments and deadlines going from meeting to meeting. What I have failed to do is define the mission, vision, and purpose which I wanted to do collaboratively with my small team. I have some steps to add to my action plan.
Planning is a big one for me in this module. The hardest part I have found is when an idea or concept is brought up, everyone agrees, and follow-through is lacking. The monthly accountability meetings suggested here were a good idea. Not everyone will buy in but if we're consistent with the monitoring process maybe that will bring the change we need to successfully implement our visions.
The monthly accountability meetings were a good way to thwart the lack of follow-through.
One of the most important ideas I took away from this module is the ability to be persistent in implementing your agenda or plan. It was discussed by Dr. Anderson that only 5 percent of time is spent planning, the rest is spent implementing. If 80 percent of strategic plans get placed on the top shelf there are so many great ideas that go by the wayside. Dr. Anderson really emphasizes the importance of a monthly meetings to celebrate accomplishments and talk about problems. Then utilizing support from team members to correct those problems and not to criticize. I also agree that it is important to have buy in from senior management. If you don’t the process or agenda will more than likely fail. I liked the idea that as leaders we must let our people be part of the creation process. They will be much more likely to follow through with the agenda and be more accountable.
I plan to have my team create a mission statement based on their reality of the position they hold. I believe this is a great way to gather insight into any possible deviations from the organizational goals.
Great idea, William! I may borrow a page from your book and do the same. I like to refer to the workers of a shift as a "team". The" team" strives for a common goal.
Liked the first initial comment on this section from Dr. Terry Anderson who says, "The vision for this cluster of skills is that you would become more capable of creating high performance, high moral teams in our organizations thus creating a better work place resulting in enhanced public safety." Very simple concept for all of us to understand and implement. This has been the common theme all along that building better teams will result in much happier, more productive people. Probably doesn't cost much to get this off the ground and running, someone from each organization just needs to be watching for it and making sure there is follow though.
For this discussion, I want to actually focus on the initial TED talk where Amy Edmondson talks about "Teaming is teamwork on the fly." As we look at the work of Public Safety, this is our reality many of our days. As I heard this, I immediately reflected on the most recent Pandemic Crisis and how our country and world has been working to live day by day as well as working to find long term solutions to beat the virus. Under a crisis situation you have to have a clear understanding of what individual roles are and have to have documentation to ensure everything has been assigned and the work is being completed. This type of team work is dependent on the ability to communicate, share different expertise and working together to reach a common goal.
One other area she spoke about was the term, "situational humility" where it is essentially giving permission for leaders to be able to say, "I do not have the answers". Often in times, when we are looked at to always have the correct answers, there is power in being able to say, "I don't know."
In this lesson it talked about having clear communication and follow through to be successful as a leader in your organization. The importance of your monthly meetings and making sure you are talking about the mission, vision and values. Follow through on this and making sure the plan it on course is always important.
Exactly right Sam, I think sometimes the biggest failure we see in our department as well as others in the actual follow through. Lots of new ideas and implemented and tried but not many people see them through to the end or check to see their status.
Clear and consistent communication is something that I've seen done poorly over time. This is especially true in the email/text message world we live in. Information overload!
Follow through is where I usually go off track. I agree that monthly meeting to make sure the tasks are being done is needed. I like (will add) to my meeting the part about talking up the mission, values, and core principles during meetings.
Yes, communication and regular meetings to review the mission, vision, and values as well as monitor the progress so far. This step is harder than it would seem. However, I agree follow through is key to implementing a plan.
"I don't like that man, I must get to know him better". Abraham Lincoln
What a great quote, I had never heard this before and I really enjoyed the Ted Talk video. Imagine what are work groups would look like if instead of avoiding those that we don't really care for, we went out of our way to learn more about them. I think we would probably find many similar qualities and traits and more than likely work better together. I also enjoyed the statement from Dr. Terry Anderson "It is a well lead team that builds the kind of quality organization that you want to enjoy. I agree whole heartily, when I have been part of a well lead team I loved coming to work. Work was a joy and I spent little time complaining about it. By getting to know one another better we can improve our teams and our organizations.
I agree that being part of a well lead team makes all the difference in workplace satisfaction. Our agency has really started to focus on common sense initiatives that have a focus on employee well-being and making sure they have the right tools for the job. Knowing that the ship is being steered in the right direction is a great feeling and can do wonders in the areas of employee retention, satisfaction, and engagement.
I really liked that quote as well and know that I need to adhere to its philosophy more. You make a point that we all have seen. When we don't like someone, we are less likely to agree with them or work together. If we just took the time to get to know them and decide if our feelings were correct, we would be far better off.
That was a powerful quote indeed Robert. Makes me also rethink keep your friends close and your enemy’s closer. It is also a wise idea to work with those who don’t necessarily care to be around you. Sharing your values and belief systems will also help break through barriers. By bringing them on our team for a project they will grow as an individual and take a feeling of accomplishment with them. Our real legacies will be what we have instilled in others (during our time spent with them) and how they pass it on to the next person.
To implement change, we have to unify our team, addresses their fears and concerns, and reassure them that the change will benefit them personally. The message has to be genuine, otherwise people will see right through your façade and you will lose credibility. They need to feel that you are on their side and that you are acting in their best interest. We have to adequately explain why the change is necessary too. People can’t read our mind and when change is imposed upon them they grow resentful. I like the idea of informal assessments to encourage open communication and invite feedback and input before implementing change. I also think that Readiness-Checking should be used more frequently to gage shadow resistance, which can really derail our efforts. It can give us an opportunity to truly “ferret out and control obstacles” and implement “genuine consequences” for not following agency values.
I agree with you completely. I like to think of myself as a change agent but often find that I'm constantly bombarded with the resistors to change. It makes it difficult to remain positive and advocate. I liked the analogy Dr. Anderson used with using a bus. Finding the right people to put on the bus, removing the wrong people from the bus, and putting the right people in the right seat. I often feel I am surrounded by other leaders that don’t support the changes needed because it is too much work. I have never started something I couldn’t finish. I may have failed along the way, but I learn from it and try different ways.
Maja, that's well-spoken. Being genuine so as not to lose credibility is a top priority. Once you lose it, it's extremely hard tough back with officers. Also, I found that adequately explaining why we are making a change was crucial in persuading the team to get on my bus to implement a morning meeting for my division. It disrupted their norm, and I had to ensure this change was for them.
This module had quite a few strong points on implementing change. I like how it clearly defined and broke down how to ensure accountability and task completion when working within a group. The video discussing removing persons who are adamantly resistant to change was also refreshing, all to often I feel we are focusing on how to convince people to accept change when we know deep down that they will always resist it. Even when they are on the team or in the group they can create discontent and slow the progress of the team down…or even break it apart.
One of the topics I appreciated in this module was strategic planning and team performance. We should have monthly meetings to discuss what was said about what was going to happen to move the strategic plan ahead and to review/improve team performance. These "check-ins" would allow everyone input and also gauge how we are doing towards our goals.
I have worked on several different teams throughout my career and have seen examples of a cohesive team as well as dysfunctional team. Usually the key is getting buy in from the team members for the mission, values and beliefs. As a leader, we need to be able to bring people together for a common goal. There were several things I enjoyed in the TED video. I had never heard the term "situational humility" before but it definitely applies. The Abraham Lincoln quote was interesting as well. I had not thought like that before but I like that mentality.
I really enjoyed the Ted Talk video as well, and really liked Abraham Lincoln's quote. I remember the rescue mission of the Chilean miners and was amazed how a group of people could survive these conditions but equally amazed that humanity was able to come together and device a solution. Team work - who knew
When one looks at teams or teaming, the main issue is for the group to embrace each other, regardless of perceptions, feelings, or beliefs. Everyone has value; it is a matter of inspiring and engaging. Creating a mutually supportive group is critical to get after any plan, goal, or objective. Too often, egos and the fear of competition creates walls and boundaries.
I enjoyed this lecture series, specifically the portions about how to keep the strategic plan rolling. I know that everyone hates meeting but I think it's essential for the achievement of the strategic plan. Having regularly scheduled meetings creates the accountability that must accompany the plan. In order to do that, organizations need to make sure that they are integrating the key people that are needed to achieve the goal.
I agree Paul about meetings. I think many times meetings become complaining grounds. If someone in the meeting can make sure everyone stays on track with the agenda, the meeting will be more efficient. You almost need to have a time keeper to keep the focus.
I also agree that meeting is essential to the overall strategic mission. There does need to be a strong leader in charge however to prevent the meetings from becomes monotonous and unnecessarily time-consuming.
I appreciate the reference to Jim Collins book "Good to Great". This is an excellent resource that has provided me with tools and guidance. I also agree with other that there is a fine balance to creating and implementing change that is meaningful and meets the needs of our communities, as well as our employees. We should all seek to get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and the right people in the right seats.
I like this analogy. I have not read the book but I certainly agree with the concept. I heard the great football coach Nick Saban say those very words when he was describing what the goal of Alabama spring football training was. Get the right people on the bus, in the right seats and get the wrong people off the bus. It's certainly proven to be a successful strategy for Alabama football.
This module starts with discussing doing an initial assessment. This is process that I currently use and feel that it has helped me to build trusting relationships with those I supervise. By taking the time the inquire about employees goals, what they do with their time outside of work, what provides them with energy and drive for their job, enables me to have investment in my staff on a different level. I also meet with them to see what their departmental concerns are. Developing this relationship pay dividends in the future when it's time for changes to be made.
I found this module full of good information. Something that stuck out to me was the statistic mentioned that 80% of department Strategic Plans end up as SPOTS (Strategic Plans on Top of Shelves). This was due to lacking specific action plans, assigned names, and targeted completion dates. That is an important thing to keep in mind when planning. The best plan in the world does you no good if it is never implemented. Take action steps, assign roles, set deadlines, and checking/follow-up.
Great point! Follow up is the easiest part of the scenario but also the most important.
I think the topic that I appreciated most out of this module was accountability and clear written expectations, with progress checks along the way. I have seen often where a task is assigned and there is no follow through to make sure it has been completed. With the proper leadership in place and a strategic written plan, this lack of accountability disappears.
I agree Chad. It takes more than just assigning tasks. Good leaders check-in/follow-up with clear expectation and timelines.
I agree Chad, I think they said %80 of these plans fail without accountability and check ins along the way, I am surprised that number is not a little higher.
You are absolutely correct. Clear expectations have no value without accountability. The key is to assign a credible leader to manage implementation of the strategic plan and see that it becomes a reality. Accountability has to be enforced up and down the chain of command to ensure everyone follows through on their commitments.
This module came in handy as I was just recently re-assigned to over see our Sally Port and Visiting Operations for our facility. A long time ago, one of my mentors taught me how to enhance my team building by using the acronym of LSBWA (Leading and Supervising By Walking Around). Most police leaders or supervisors spend countless hours performing administrative duties such as scheduling, report reviewing, planning, etc where they should be leading and supervising by walking around with their troops. This can greatly benefit organizational development if the leaders clearly explain the mission, vision and values to their people and spend time with them. I found it fascinating that in order to fully develop this message you have to practice credible leadership by being involved in the process. In terms of implementing change, leaders have to allow their officers to become involved in the process. In order to carry the mission, leaders have to lose control in order to gain controlling. This can be achieved by forming team leaders within the organization that can embrace the mission. In respect to creating change, leaders have to put themselves in their subordinates' shoes to see what the change may affect them.
If team members are given autonomy and the leaders empowers them, team members will be become innovative. By doing this, the leaders provides team members the ability to have a say in the process, therefore, making the change a team decision. Constant team meetings will ensure effective communication is distributed among the team. Command staff should also be included in the process and should be invited to see how the team performs. This will proof to be effective by showing the team members that their work is meaningful and valued.
I was drawn to 3 points in this presentation. First, was Amy Edmonson's comment in her intro video presentation. She mentioned that teams suffer because of several reasons: culture clash, different values, different concepts of time/priorities and different jargon. Good team leaders work with team members at the first meeting to identify expectations, norms, time tables, priorities and points of commonality. Once the group gains consensus on this, they can tackle the problem at hand. The second point was Dr. Anderson's comment about the haphazard manner in which agencies process, gather and track data and statistics (Skill #38 Formal Assessment). As part of our accreditation, we have to generate yearly use of force, traffic stop and pedestrian check memorandums/ reviews. One year, I was assigned to complete the pedestrian check review. I had to check a bin of hand written information, our report writing system and then our Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) system etc. to ensure I had all the data I needed. Nothing was at my fingertips. An organization that can manage this data in easy to access/ understand formats will be trend setters. My last point is from Skill #41 (Readiness Checking). The importance of the preliminary work that a team does to identify and develop remediation's to confront obstacles to change, cannot be understated. We were contemplating a major schedule change. I got (what I thought) were the "right people on the bus" as Dr. Anderson put it. We identified obstacles, developed strategies to counter the barriers we identified and created a communications plan (Skill #45). In hindsight, where we could have done better was to invite more supervisors on to the bus. We anticipated supervisor involvement in the unveiling of the plan but we failed to build consensus with many of them early in the process. As a result, even though it was obvious that this particular change was needed, the final product appeared to come down from the top.
Thinking on a little larger scale based on a huge change in command staff I am experiencing in my agency at this point, I can't but help but reflect on redefining our MVP (mission, values and purpose). Not necessarily as an organization, but that of as a team. With more change coming in the near future as well, several senior command staff personnel will be busy learning their new roles. The modules in this set really focused on change and although all skills would be put to good use, I found value alignment, MVP consensus building and strategic consensus building to be most insightful. Particularly, the need for a facilitator that has a proven track record of garnering consensus in order to get the group focused and moving in one direction. Law Enforcement personnel don't always like to rely on others to get things done, particularly from the outside. When we are trying to lead and manage change, an outside perspective from someone with great experience could help define and reach those goals.
The ideas and concepts discussed in this module are integral to the whole concept of what a Team is and should be. I particularly found Skill #39 Problem-Management Facilitation, an important one. The idea of uncovering the "shadow side" of resistance to change is important, not just for working through the issue but also to see what the staffs' fears are in terms of what they will lose. If you are able to get that out for examination and discussion, then you can show them what they have to gain instead. As others have mentioned, I again hear Dr. Anderson saying "people will ultimately implement what they help to create." Again, this supports what I have always considered important to success- the "buy-in" that we need to move forward.
This module discussed Team and Organizational Development. An area of focus was defining your organization's vision, mission, and purpose. When doing so, include members of your organization. I heard this statement a few times from Dr. Terry Anderson; "People will implement what they help to create." Using the skills taught in this lesson will help you accomplish defining your organization's vision, mission, and purpose. If one is already in place, make sure you have the right people on the bus in the right seats. I enjoyed the emphasis on team building and tea performance. It's easy to say that you are going to hold people accountable but it's another thing to do it. Meeting regularly with your team will increase accountability.
This particular module on team and organizational development skills talked about defining the mission, vision and values. Once defined, have a strategic plan to carry the message through. It also talked about identifying those within your organization that can help set the course and get the needed buy in from staff. Dr. Terry Anderson addressed the point that just as important as the mission, vision , and values is having a team that can meet on a regular basis to make sure the plan is on course and getting accomplished. I agree that most times the mission, vision and values are defined but shortly after, because there is no follow-through, the plan tends to stall. By having monthly, quarterly etc. meetings we can keep the strategic plan on course and people can feel a sense of accomplishment along the way.
Sheriff Jahner,
I agree wit you that having a defined mission, vision and organizational values can help enhance the overall performance of an institution and get the buy-in from staff. I find that having regular meetings with other supervisors and as well as the team is highly beneficial to the overall operations of my department. With Covid this has become a great challenge as we can't hold meetings. We still continue to distribute information to our teams by email and regularly meet with team leaders. Team Leaders in turn distribute the information to their teams to ensure our plans of action are on course as well. Our personnel are very responsive to the emails, which in my opinion, shows the feel a sense of accomplishment. Good point Sir.
In this module, Anderson discussed Team and Organizational development and how to create high performance and high-morale teams. I think it is imperative that we continue to develop as an organization grounded by building a solid structure based on all these skills in the last few modules. Skill 43: Vision, Mission, and Purpose Consensus-Building focused on how to understand the important of consensus about mission, vision, and purpose. These three steps provide a foundation for an agency, which will hopefully develop all individuals to have the same common values in order to develop unity and commonalities.
In addition I like the suggestion of having scheduled meetings to make sure that the leadership team is on task and the organization continues to move forward.
Building a consensus for vision, mission and purpose is a huge step to building a strong team. The members of my team change quite often and I've seen a huge difference between a team that has consensus and one that doesn't. When there is consensus, the team works so much better together and they don't compete against each other to try and get their personal mission completed.
Dr. Anderson discussed informal assessment skills, which he described as informal communication between a leader and the team members to gather information and identify any potential problems. I believe this form of communication, with those in the trenches, is an effective way for a leader to identify team-related issues and get feedback. For this reason, regular communication between the leader and the team members is essential.
I agree and the communication needs to be a two street. It needs to trickle from the top down and from the bottom up. Often times communication tends to get stalled in the middle.
The skills that were addressed regarding team and organizational development are ways that I assist my team members. Effective communication is key. I truly enjoy listening to my team members and being able to address their concerns. I utilize this practice when I sit in board panels to discuss changes to policy.
Informal assessment is a very important skill in law enforcement. I have established that I am well polished as a Leader. On many occasions I have maneuvered my subordinates to work together. I have stepped from behind the desk and worked side by side with my team. My actions show them that working together as a team is our common goal every day.
In this module I really liked the Need for Clarification Skill. It sometimes seems law enforcement agencies implement necessary change, but do not feel they have to explain the WHY to their employees. Your employees will be less resistant to the change and the transition will be a lot smoother. The "because I said so" style of change was never positive.
I agree. This also goes back to the learning area which covered Generations. Knowing the "Millenial Officers" will want to know the 'WHY" behind the change, leaders should express this when implementing change.
I can't agree more with this observation. Its natural for people to want to know why, even in a paramilitary organization. If we appreciate and expect it, why would we not give that same courtesy to those we supervise? If we are being an effective supervisor, the extra time explaining why on the front end often saves time, headaches, and resistance after the fact. Like you pointed out, "Because I said so" is not the way to lead your troops.
Like Rich, I was interested in the concepts presented in the Need for Clarification Skill (Skill #40) especially as it related to Skill #43 Vision and Purpose. As I listened to Dr. Anderson, I could not help but think about the WHY-HOW-WHAT information presented by Simon Sinek in Module #2. Everyone in the organization should know its WHY-- it is the organization's purpose for being. As Dr. Anderson put it, it should be at the heart of a department's "Rallying Cry". I have always pushed telling people the why (It's a military thing) but when I was promoted at my agency, I made it a part of everything I did. Where I struggle sometimes is that I have to remind my leadership team of the importance of this concept even though they themselves have used it to great success in the past. When the WHY is used to build consensus it has even more impact because it really does stifle the nay-sayers.
Changing for the sake of trying to make a "name" for yourself vs. change because it is needed and requested is one of the most significant issues I have seen in law enforcement. Many times it seems we are just trying to reinvent the wheel with feel-good topical changes that have no depth to them. When we do this, we lose the support of the staff and, soon after, the public. Following the steps lined out by Dr. Anderson helps address if those changes are what is needed or is it a change in personnel trying to make the change where the change should occur.
I see this issue a lot too. I can't think of a time that I have not seen pushback from people when change is made for the sake of change. In order to get buy-in, the change needs to be discussed and put in terms of how it is better for the organization and better for the employees. It's important that change is made for improvement and that is explained to those that it will affect so they have a better understanding of said change.
This module was very informative. I would strengthen is formal assessment using research, interviewing, and reporting. As a leader, I would like to know more of how my employees view the organization of our workforce. I will develop interview questions and have a one on one with employees to get an idea of their concerns. This will be a warm and friendly meeting for the employees to feel ownership.
As I was going through this module, I started reflecting on the changes that my agency has gone through in the last couple of years (since our latest Chief came in). Focusing on one of several changes that was put into effect. The governing agency initiated a HR survey to look at ways that the agency could improve. A key issue to a lot of people was a lack of leadership/ supervisory training. This was in fact very true. The solution was to require ALL employees to complete the Institute for Credible Leadership Development course. The course was uploaded onto everyone's Mobile Data Terminals in our units and we were told we had X amount of time to complete the first phase. There was little warning that this was coming and no explanation to the watch commanders how we were suppose to accomplish getting everyone through this training. So everyone including the ranking officers had to complete the course while continuing our normal operations. Once officers got into the course and learned the length of some of the modules, that is when the push back really began. This was a long winded way of saying that the entire module gave me some great incite into dealing with the lingering problems we are having with the implementation of the massive changes we continue to experience.
Boy, it doesn't seem like the new chief thought this one out. ICLD is a great program, but in order for it to be great, there has to be buy-in from staff at all levels. Perhaps he/she didn't have the foresight to understand the process and implementing change. It would have behooved them to have staff at all levels in for some discussion about the program and even have some of them start taking the program, affording them time to do so. That way, a better implementation plan could have been forged.
Unfortunately being a good leader is something that we need to work on, on a daily basis. It is not something that can be forced upon people and not something that can just occur as a result of completing a course. While I understand the concept and what the Chief was trying to do, I can also appreciate why there would be feedback. Supervisory training is critical and often absent in many organizations. Our current Chief values professional development and is not afraid to spend money on it. There will always be those supervisors who want nothing to do with it!
I agree Lt. Hodgman. Leadership training in many organizations is lacking. Great leaders are not afraid to spend money for top notch training. The gain they will see from their leaders and department will make the investment worthwhile.
This module gives the term accountability and transparwncy renewed meaning. The ability to move chnage forward within an agency is essential today. The way things have transistioned with technology, speed, and vigor is swift. The ability to keep current trends and have transformative leaders is essential. Public Safety is is in a renaissance to be more efficient, transparent, and more acountable. Meeting this head on is the new mission amongst others and must be implemented with great leadership.
I agree. Accountability and transparency are the only way to move forward in this day and age. The year 2020 has been a hard one for law enforcement.
This module had quite a bit of information to relay. I can see many issues developing with smaller agencies, such as mine, in utilizing this process, which we have in the past. The biggest problem that I see is the employment of outside consultants, due to cost in the ever increasing battle for budgetary funds. An idea that I did like, and I think it might relieve some of the monetary cost is the use of college or graduate students to assist, in the process. I believe that if issues could be worked out that a type of internship program could be implemented. I realize that most of the internship programs deal with working in patrol or other action oriented divisions, but perhaps those looking at management or business would be more apt for the task.
Another idea that I think would be beneficial is the use of an action log, in a "here your are" format as opposed to being on a board o computer screen. This would necessitate meeting to discuss and make corrections if needed, but it may very well improve the service that we give to the public and our fellow officers.
This training module was very informative. I believe it is crucial for leaders to understand the importance of getting out and talking with their subordinates. Giving them your time and listening to them helps build trust, establishes bonds, and helps create a culture of team unity.
One of the issues our agency has from time to time is researching or establishing plans when implementing certain projects. This issue doesn't happen too often, because most of our leadership staff understand the importance of planning and research. But, we have a handful of high ranking "old timers" who come up with ideas and jump into them without any preparation. In the past we have squandered valuable resources on "special projects" that rarely get completed or end up wasting away over time. Those types of issues have a negative impact on staff morale due to the irresponsible waste of money and other resources that could be used to upgrade equipment or other items that are actually needed.
Organizational development has to be just that, the development of the organization, not just the individual. One of the great quotes provided during this module was from the TED Talks speaker at the beginning of the module. She stated that if you want change than involve everyone. I have thought about this to. Everyone is willing to rally around an idea for change when all see benefit and feel that they are a share-holder in this change. Everyone wants to feel included and all people want to be heard and valued. This, I feel, is indeed a necessary step in building solid, foundational change.
Of the skills that we presented in this section Informal assessment is the most important. As discussed in previous skills you need to be empathetic and coach your people. You can not achieve these two skills without getting out of your office and interacting with your people. Get to know them and it will be easier to implement the change needed.
I think one of the most underutilized skills in this module is the Informal Assessment Skill. I don't think supervisors walk the halls or meet with their subordinates enough and have casual conversations to find out what is going on with them. This is something I will work on in the future.
agree but it is seldom done. Because as we learned earlier this may bring up issues the subordinates is having and the supervisor does not want to deal with it.
Devin, I agree with you in that many supervisors forget where they come from and neglect their people. The informal assessment can produce so much information and bring about fantastic ideas for meaningful change in an organization.
I agree some supervisors forget where they came from and what it really takes to make it to becoming who we've become
This module started off by discussing the value of doing an informal assessment. I believe in my department this is the most valuable skill. We often do informal assessment to understand the needs, wants, and concerns of our personnel. I agree that some of the best information is received through informal communication. If we based our goals and plans on the information that we received from our personnel then we will easily create buy-in.
I agree that developing an assessment strategy will help identify needs, wants, and concerns regarding gathering information from personnel. These assessment strategies will help to identify areas that need improvement and will get everyone involved on potential decision making.
This cluster showed how vital communication with everyone involved leads to the successful implementation of change. When everyone has a voice in the issues and understands why the change is necessary, it allows for smoother transitions. Often it seems like the decisions come from the top without understanding how it will benefit or hinder the performance of employees. The five-step problem and opportunity coaching model is proven and will be a tremendous help for me moving forward in the future by addressing my division's changes.
I agree with you. I don't think a change that is implemented is communicated well by higher-ups. If commanding officers would communicate how the change is beneficial, I think they would meet with less resistance.
This is so true. So often decisions to change come from "on High" and lower level rank is held responsible for the implementation of these changes. However, there seems to be little thought of the ramifications that such change may have to our subordinates or operations.
I think you are spot on Lt. I have frequently heard people complain about the change, even when it is for the better. The reason being is that they were not part of the process to help formulate the change.
Again, this lesson provided some great practical skills needed in our day to day jobs as law enforcement professionals. I really connected with the idea of being a "change manager". As a leader, it is my responsibility to introduce change and explain the importance of the change. I must educate the team on why the change is needed and the benefits of the change.
I find the implementation planning a useful skill to help make our initiatives more successful. With the recent implementation of our new records management software, we had developed a building team that was responsible for building, testings and implementing the software to ensure we maximized our benefit and productivity.
We had many great ideas on how to work with what we were given yet not everyone was on-board, some of those weren't the right people, and we didn't have a clear action plan. It ended up taking us longer than expected to adapt and work out the kinks in the new software because we failed to have a clearly defined plan as a team. I think in the future, this will better help me, as a team member, set us up individually and collectively to set a momentum and direction for success.
I learned from this module, to effect positive change, these skills need to be implemented. These skills will build trust and let people voice their opinions to boost morale. Many different variables play a factor when trying to implement change. When done correctly, people will have a better understanding of the change.
I agree that if these skills are implemented correctly it will build trust and boost morale.
I enjoyed a lot of things in this module and took away several key things. The biggest as it seems to be with a lot of people is the need for clarification for change. Convincing people that change is necessary and planning the change together with managers and team members is key. Having a strong team built through team-building exercises in my opinion, builds trust between leadership and team members and therefore can make change more manageable.
I support your statement and agree that incorporating all interested parties in “change” is a team effort. When individuals are allowed to have input into “change,” the investment is greater than not allowing it to occur.
I to echo the same. This was in fact the basis of my post as well. Within any entity, agency, business, what have you, everyone wants to feel included. A positive change that most all can easily agree with comes with broad-based support and everyone feeling a part of the solution.
Derek, clarifications for the change always seems to be a sticking point with rank. They get their feelings hurt when anyone questions the motive for the suggested change instead of taking the time to lay out their plan. If someone points out a hole in it, they should be grateful it was discovered before it began costing the department money or jobs.
This portion of the command college should get us all fired up. Policing in our area is extremely difficult to promote positive change due to politics. Politics does more harm than good and most agencies are more concerned about how a change will affect an organization politically than it will affect an agency’s personnel positively. The people within an organization are the ones who make the agency shine, not the politics! If followed, the process discussed in this module is a fair way to promote positive change within an organization, even if politics is part of the change.
I agree, Politics are always going to play a role, but we still have to strive to promote a positive change. We do not have any control over what the media does, but we can affect what our department does.
Politics, in one way or another finds its way into any change. Whether it is a new attitude or the controlling of money, it is a tight rope, that the heads of agencies have to walk. I see more of officers feeling that they are burned every time that they look at a new initiative, but now I see a problem that goes to the heart of the matter and that is that people do not want to change because, they were not included. In larger agencies it is sometimes a moot point, but in small agencies, you are going to hear about it If we use the process, we can , hopefully put the bus back on course, with the right people, in the right seats.
I agree completely with including people in vision and mission. Too many times, I have had major changes dumped on me without knowing anything about it until it was happening. Major change is sometimes needed and if you have everyone on board to voice their opinion, they won't be resistant to the change. We have regular department wide meetings and let everyone know what is on our mines and some things we've been thinking about and ask them to give their input. This has really made a difference in morale.
This lesson has shed light on how effective teamwork can move an organization, and bring on a positive culture within an organization, and as a leader have a strategic plan can make teambuilding stronger.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit. The second time I ever saw that was walking to my seats for a Saints game.
This lesson I learned a lot about the best way to bring about positive change and hope to utilize this for my team. the learning of strategic planning will help me involve the entire team to be a part of a change that they design, want to implement, and are accountable for.
learned a lot about the best way to bring about positive change and hope to utilize this for my team. the learning of strategic planning will help me involve the entire team to be a part of a change that they design
The lesson focused on Team and Organization development, with a big emphasis on change within our teams/organizations and how to implement change to make us better. I like the skills mentioned that reference informal assessment, consensus building, and clarification for change... the three all mention having your entire team involved in decision/change making processes and the "buy-in" it creates. If you feel that the change, vision, mission, etc. is a product of your collaborative efforts you are more willing to work towards achieving them!
Change can be a good thing as long as it done so in the right way that the module has taught. Many times change happens just to mix things up which can ruin the morale of a department. Regular meetings within a department can bring about change that will lift the department up. The meetings can bring about anything that may negatively impact the people working on the front lines.
I agree and believe we have all been a victim of change for the sake of change at some point in our careers. These skills should allow us to eliminate that from our respective departments and drive morale to new heights.
The open communication is very morale lifting and I feel is a positive tool for the agencies and its employees This is were everyone has an opportunity to be heard.
Skill 40 Needing clarification for change really hit home. I know as a leader you cant run by committee, but change just to shake things up can be demoralizing to an organization.
I agree with your statement, as a leader just wanting to shake things up for the sake of shaking things up is not wise, nor does it sit well with the department. Sometimes as a new leader in an agency, we need to sit back and see what is broke, before we go and attempt to fix it.
Yes. Clarification for the change helps the department buy in to the change and makes it feel like it is there own.
What it seems that I have learned most from these module as well as this whole course is that clear communication and follow through are the keys to being successful in change and leadership in general. Many meeting we attend seem mundane and usually don't achieve much. It would be nice to have meetings that in the end you feel like you have accomplished something. That's not to say we don't have fruitful meetings, it just seems many go nowhere. Something to work on in the future.
I agree, I found the section on implementation planning particularly helpful. Having everyone come to a consensus that a change is needed, a common goal, and implementation plan helps give the concept momentum to be effective.
There were many times we have attempted to create vision and mission statements for the patrol shifts. Different leaders and division head had their own agendas, some good and some were great, but there was never a consensus by them because they were not brought in for the creation process. Additionally, there was not a lot of follow up or accountability for not meeting or exceeding the goals which were set forth by the brass. All of the shifts operate on relatively the same basis, but each has a different vision. In order that we have more continuity in patrol, I will offer this information to my command staff in order to generate our vision (with a purpose) and mission statements, which should coincide with the agencies overall vision. I believe the implementation of a Continuous Improvement Team (CIT) will help us reach or exceed goals set and develop new goals for the future.
This is a different view on meetings, in our department we have plenty of meetings, but tying them all together with a monthly steering type meeting might make them more valuable. A monthly review meeting is something I would like to institute in my district.
I liked this module. I think a monthly review meeting is very important for any agency. The executive review meeting outlined by Dr. Anderson was very informative. I also believe that more than 80% of strategic plans end up on SPOTS. I also like the idea of having an action log. This was very informative module that covered a lot of information.
I agree with every point you made. My hope is that in the future we (my department) can have all of meetings to be meaningful. By that I mean that when you leave the meeting you feel as though you have accomplished something, like the modeling examples.
I felt this module really drove home the team concept and how to lead a team. The emphasis on planning and having a strategy to implement that plan is essential. I agree that many plans end up as SPOT. Getting everyone on the same page is critical to success. The concept of monthly meetings to review and celebrate success is important. I have found that many meetings turn into gripe sessions or reviews of what went wrong with little celebration of what went right. The successes are what drive team members forward and boost confidence and moral.
I agree, I think it is critical to have regular meetings with the leadership. This isn't about just holding people accountable, but rather about ensuring there is a shared vision and that the vision continues to grow and adapt with all members of the them. In addition to checking in on the progress moving forward, it also allows members to grow and develop by sharing their teams strengths and weaknesses.
I enjoyed this module on how to identify areas of improvement thru assessments and then how to develop actionable plans for positive change. More important than developing the plans was the lessons on practical ways to implement the plan and follow up on its success. I agree completely that 80% of plans end up on a shelf. I also like the idea of creating a "Rallying Cry". That seems like a simple way to constantly reinforce your culture.
I agree that most plans end up on shelves and this is the main cause teams building and teams come to a halt in growth.
There was a lot of information in this module. I like the five-step problem and opportunity coaching model. It is something I can print up and reflect on during implementation. This model can be used either in the department or for the community. As with the other modules, my eyes are continuing to open to other concepts and principles in leadership.
i agree with how using the 5 step plan provides us with a proven blueprint for success and i will also utilize it in the future.
In Module 10 I really enjoyed the modeling face of each of the skills discussed. The discussion about having a strategic plan and the strategic plan template was extremely useful. I downloaded both the strategic plan template and the Continuous Improvement Team Process and I have already began thinking of ways to use it within my department. I will follow the example in the module about having these team improvement meetings on a monthly basis.
The learning in Module 10 was very intriguing, learning that the vision for this culture of skills is that you would become more capable of creating high performance, high-morale teams in your organizations so that you help to create a better place to work resulting in enhanced public safety. Having that vision for your department in itself would definitely increase the morale.
The vision of an organization is simply the direction or future that the organization is heading. I agree that it is essential in creating high performance and high morale teams. But I enjoyed the point that Dr. Anderson continued to make about, people will implement the vision and plan they help create. So having a total participation and buy in during the process is key.
Once again, a wealth of information to think on in regards to the team concept. There were three ideas mentioned in the TED video presentation that I enjoyed—being humbled in the face of challenges ahead, curious about what other bring to the team, and the willingness to take the risk to learn quickly. I believe incorporating this idea into our leadership philosophy will only strengthen us and will build trust in those that we are surrounded by.
I agree - the Ted Talk had some great lessons reagarding "teaming". It is important for all of us to remember this lesson and how we can work in this capacity moving forward. Building trust during troubled times is most important!
The importance of informal settings and common goals is an interesting concept that I like to utilize in my unit. Having a relaxed setting allows your people to let their guard down and give you good information to help guide them to a common goal.
I totally agree as well, it is times where I take my shift out for a relaxation day just so they can talk about whatever they need to off the clock. Having that bond bother/sisterhood makes your job a lot easier and less complicated.
I agree, every team needs the opportunity to decompress and relax. When the leader shows that concern and support the team members respond and respect is gained. Whlle working on this Area my staff has been hard at working making sure that one of their goals is realized. They have poured hours and equipment, much of it their own and off the clock to ensure their goal is accomplished. Today we shall celebrate their progress with snowballs. We all have a kid inside.
Change is never easy. In order for us to evolve as law enforcement agencies, we must be able to effectively steer through change in order to successfully adapt. I like how Dr. Anderson summarized his skill sets which are incorporated into the “Five Step Problem and Opportunity Coaching Model.” Hence, they are capable of guiding you and your team through the transformation of change.
This model gives us steps to apply meaningful change within an agency. Having everyone on board and supporting the same vision yields success. It’s good to see that it promotes having the lower level employees and the senior level employees meeting at least monthly to follow up on what was achieved, see what is left, and validate to see a change to the end of implementation. In law enforcement, we need to start visualizing and treating our public like customers. We need to leave our comfort zones for serious change.
I too like the idea of a once a month focused meeting that results in an outcome with clear direction. We seem to have meetings just to have meetings to talk about having a meeting. This gets frustrating for all involved and leads to no real improvement.
I agree Stacy. We do need to have a meeting once a month to get a clear direction on where we are going, what projects are on time, over due, etc.
Same with my department and organization, sometimes it seems like its meetings about meetings.
This lesson focus on team building, As a leader you should create a environment for your people that will yield a high performance form them as well as high moral in the organization.
This is another module with a lot of information. I am considering using some of these skill to improve my shift. I have several new deputies who may benefit from having a detailed plan on their duties.
I agree, I have several new Deputies on my shift and will definitely be implementing the skills these clusters have taught.
In my position my team consists of many community partners and governmental agencies. We bring lots of innovative and creative programs to our area in order to engage the youth. When you're able to work with a team who have the same goals as you do is priceless. We develop action plans and address problems on a regular basis. Our team is always doing something productive. This benefits the community.
Yet another module with a lot of things to take in.
I found that I've done well by getting my personnel on the same page and working well as a team with common goals.
What I have not done, but will begin working on next week, is work with them to develop a vision statement. Once that is agreed upon and everyone has taken ownership of it, we will work together on a purpose statement.
I look forward to these next steps!
Chris,
Creating a vision statement is the first step. This will help your team a lot. Good luck!
Common goals and vision is important. I like to have an informal setting to get deputies to let their guard down an be honest about their feelings and ideas to reach that common goal.
This was an interesting module that broke down from the assessment stage to the accountability stage of making changes within an organization. Far too often, organizations will discuss changes that need to be made within the organization and fail to implement them or fail to follow up on the progress of the implementation, thus causing everything to fall to the wayside. Leaders should focus on follow through and follow up to ensure the changes are made and done so in a reasonable and timely manner.
I agree with you on the failure to follow up. I feel that as leaders, this will fall on our shoulders to not follow in the footsteps of our predecessors; we must be the change by following up and seeing the implementation through.
Dave we continue to see this as a problem, meetings are held, discussions take place and nothing changes. I see it as a leadership issue in particular divisions. They seem to continue to resort back to the frame of mind that, "we've always done it that way".
Another very informative module. I agree that people should be involved in the decision-making and planning or they will not accept and support the change. I have seen this in the past with new software and equipment.
I agree. The more people who are involved in the planning and implementation of change, the more ownership they will take in helping to ensure accountability.
I agree, very informative. Allowing people to have an input give them more incentive to go along with the new change. Which happened when we implemented the new Software system. Each division was allowed to have input as to what they would like in the system.
It was informative to hear that everyone should be included in creating the vision statements and mission. It makes people feel more included and work for a greater purpose when they help create something. Also, get buy-in when making changes. Let people know the “why” and it usually makes things a little easier to understand.
I agree everyone in the organization should be included and have effective communication when it comes to change. It's a vital source to continue team building in relationships. The initial plan of action and changes that affect my organization begins at the top.
#42: Value Alinement was interesting. As this century of leaders, today is not about gaining followership because that is old fashioned. We in leadership start with learning alignment with the mission and values of the organizations or agency: What are we about? What do we believe as an agency? In my agency, we believe in integrity, accountability, leadership, respect, confidence, compassion, and commitment, which are our values. It’s evident that anyone who doesn’t buy into our values could work somewhere else. Values alignment is well understood in agencies that have a large amount of people with shared values. We should also be clear about how our personal values align with the desired values.
I really like the idea of having or more input from people on the vision and mission statement. Because just like it said in the lecture, " get everyone involved in preparing this because if they are involved in creating and defining the statement instead of having one thrust upon them, they are much more likely to accept it and work hard to achieve it"'
I agree, and can speak from experience that I'm more likely to accept something I was a part of.
I agree with this aspect it give your people a since of worth.
There's nothing like getting hit with a major change you had no idea was coming.
I agree, whenever we feel like we are fully apart of something we accept it so much more.
This was an interesting module in discussing transformational leaders. I found this interesting because I believe in my department our Chief of Police came in with many ideas of how to transform and improve the department. He used many concepts discussed in this module and has for the most part has been successful. He believed in the development and fostering of relationships and is in constant communication with members and teams who are directly affected by the changes he makes. By doing so, he has been able to accomplish things that were thought to be impossible in the past. He conducted assessments of what the agency, special teams, special units and patrol needed in the field. He listened to their input and incorporated the command team to help with the changes as we all had institutional knowledge. His ability to get buy in and support was successful and for that we are a much improved department.
I am very happy to see your Department is doing well with communication.
Some of us need to work on that a LOT.
It takes a special leader, with the fortitude, to effect and successfully implement change. Here is proof Dr. Anderson’s model works when applied appropriately.
I appreciated this module and found it beneficial to where I am currently in leadership. There were many suggestions that will be useful to me. Change management in particular as it is such a taboo word within police culture. Learning techniques to bring better presentation to employees is useful. The sentence, "change is usually accompanied by uncertainty, poor communication, power plays and chaos" is so true. To give employees buy-in is important.
Judith, I agree...getting buy-in is important and will make the change go over alot easier if it still needs to be done.
My takeaway from this module was the concept of value alignment. I've been fortunate to work in specialized units where the common value between all the members was easily identified and enjoyable to maintain. Now as a lieutenant over numerous special assignments, I need to identify ways to align the values for each unit. Doing a vision, mission, and purpose statement for my units, that are in line with the department's mission statement, will help.
Brian, I agree. Even having a vision and mission statement for your division is a great idea. Even a simple one can have a great impact on small divisions in their performance.
I agree with you Brian. I like the thought of a vision and mission statement for a division. Even a simple vision and mission statement can have a such a big impact on the teams performance. It really gives the team something to work for and uphold a standard to.
Change is difficult to implement and many officers will resist it. I believe if they are kept informed of upcoming changes it would be an easier transition. Also, if they "buy in" to how this change will benefit them, it will be much easier to get everyone on board.
Chastity,
We had almost the same thought in our posts. Refreshing to know within our agency their are similar views and methods of improvement.
In this module there was a lot of information on team building and strategic planning. I can see the importance of staying on top of the progress made toward reaching the goals through monthly meeting. It is a lot easier to come up with new ideas when we incorporate teams in to our agencies.
Jason I agree with you that no one likes change including myself. This course we are taking requires us to make a lot of changes in our daily work schedule. So just imagine working with your peers and trying to get everyone on the same page to do what needs to be done.
In this module skill #40, clarification for change is important for the forward progression of your agency. For officers to "buy-in", to a change, the "why" must be explained. This will cause less confusion and often motivate the officers.
Lance i agree. With so many legislative changes that are happening it is imperative to keep people in the know. For one how these changes impact the department and how they conduct business is very important. Too often we leave it up to officers to figure things out on their own. I agree with you that any changes officers must understand the Why of these changes. It may lessen the confusion and allows the officers to work more effectively and efficiently. It increases their confidence also creates trust amongst the ranks and peers.
No one likes change. Have heard that and said that my whole life. After this module, I don’t necessarily believe that anymore. No one likes change that they are unaware of or uninformed of. Having everyone on board and explaining the action plan with continuous learning will get the team on board and have them working towards the common goal.
I agree with you Jason, I have always heard no one likes change but they also complain about things staying the same and the agency or organization is boring to work for. Some people you can not make happy. Your right though getting their buy in our them taking ownership of the change will have them on board.
As leaders, the skills outlined in this module serve as a guideline for staying on track to produce highly effective teams that are goal-oriented. By utilizing these skills, the teams created will be able to provide accurate data needed to make real changes within an organization. The skills will help the teams clarify the need for change, which will assist them in dealing with the resistance to change that they will face. The skills will also assist with ensuring that the goals are met by providing a detailed action plan and hold team members accountable. The skills in the module have enlightened my knowledge base and provided many new skills that I intend to utilize as I proceed forward in my leadership role.
I liked the idea of implementing a Continuous Improvement Team. If you cross reference specialties among the team members , you could gain much insight from such a group and following Dr. Anderson's 5 step team process. At my agency there are meetings and then there is the meeting before the meeting to discuss what is to be talked about during the meeting...
Joey, I guess our agency to a degree has done something similar with an advisory board, but I'm sure like you, I question some involved in that board. The Continuous Improvement Team would definitely be a positive asset if done right.
Joey, i agree with you. Some days are spent in meeting after meeting and nothing is accomplished.
We have experienced a tremendous amount of change recently in my office. My team has had to make modifications sometimes daily and detour projects or tasks they've been working on to accommodate. This excessive change has been detrimental to morale and impacted productivity. I recently have integrated the team to create a proactive response and collaborative environment to help minimize negative perspectives and rumors. The team buy-in and ensuring there was clarification for the change has greatly assisted.
We are about to go through change in my department as well, So far the team leaders have done a great job of selling the product and the productivity to everyone. From my knowledge most people are on board because they see the benefit it will have in their day to day activities as well in the long term require less work on their part.
Being part of a team to implement to help implement changes is definitely an honor. Agency leaders want to implore transparency and push forward team members they trust to do the proper job. Being part of change plans is an opportune time to be the chnage we wish to see.
The agency I work for seems to be in a constant state of change. We just recently upgraded our computer operations management system across the entire agency and it required changes in almost every aspect of daily operations. We had teams dedicated to preparing our staff for the initial launch of the new system and everything went better than expected. Everyone was on board with it and there was very little resistance. The teams responsible for preparing everyone for the new system did a great job of keeping everyone informed with their progress, answering questions and listening to feedback about potential problems.
My agency recently underwent a change to our Report writing system (RMS) and then we changed our Jail management system not long after. Teams were put together for each system change and were there to train and answer any questions from the agency. The teams are still in place for any issues that arise. Having the teams in place was a great help in preparing everyone for the change and they did a great job of keeping everyone informed about the changes, the progress, and the continuing updates.
With today’s society, change is inevitable in everything we do. If we don’t, we will be left behind. With this module, using the process for assessments whether formal or informal to identify the changes is beneficial. Gaining the knowledge of the needs, wants and problems will give you guidance on how to manage the change and the route or steps you take. With this module it was very useful on the best practices to use to gain success in the change process. Facilitating, clarifying and removing obstacles to get the “buy in” to be a successful change manager is crucial for the team and organization. At times while I was in the military, I seen a change taking place without a vision, mission or purpose statement and not all parties are considered in the consensus on building a plan to make an effective change. Implementation was difficult and normally failed
This module was informative as it helped to build on the skills presented in previous modules and provided greater clarity on how to become better change managers. It is important to involve others in creating goals, assessing values and needs to ensure alignment and in providing clarity regarding the need for change. It is difficult to implement change because as human beings we find our comfort zones and grow content in those zones. To continue to grow and develop as individuals, and hence as organizations, we must be willing to step out of those comfort zones. This takes courage and requires leadership to implement change with purpose - not just change for the sake of change. This module discussed the need for a strategic plan that provides a road map of action steps for how change will be implemented and establishes accountability checklists to ensure the organization and/or team stays on track.
Nancy, your exactly right. We must, as humans, find our comfort zones and only grow within those zones, sometimes afraid to leave because of change. To improve more in our leadership skills, then we must step outside of our comfort zones at times, encouraging ourselves along the way with a purpose.
Skill #47 - Continuous Learning and Continuous Improvement - stuck a chord with me because of the increasing challenges that we face from the accelerating rate of change that is occurring within our world and within the communities that we serve. Charles Darwin said "it is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change". If we don't adhere to this line of thinking and commit to continuous learning and improvement, we will ultimately perish, which in our line of work is simply unacceptable.
Chris Corbin,
I agree on the changes we face. Policing yesterday was not the same as today and will forever change in the future. By learning what our “customers” want and adapting to their needs will add a change process for us and we become a better organization. It starts with change manager and leaders at the top recognizing what it is that we need and teaching us. We are always learning and we should always be teaching… it well never end.
I liked this as well. We should strive to be continuous works in progress even though that journey will never end.
Chris,
Great post! The quote from Charles Darwin is very appropriate for today's policing. I would argue the changes within the law enforcement profession are more common and coming at a much faster pace then (10) years ago. It has gotten to the point that change at times (even though small in nature) can be a daily or weekly occurrence. Now I realize this skill was referring more to larger, organizational changes. However, if a leader can't manage the small more common changes they will not be able to handle the larger ones that occur.
Chris, great point! Change comes everyday and we must be able and willing to adapt. The work will never be completed and our journey to become better will never end.
As leaders, we must be good change managers. Change is a difficult idea for some and in order to be an effective change manager, you must work to obtain buy-in for the change. Various methods are at your disposal for change management, including forming a committee to identify the need for change, obtain ideas from team members and create a strategy for change implementation. Once the strategy for change has been identified, holding regular meetings to check on the status of change, assigning tasks with deadlines to groups of managers and holding the team accountable can prove to be effective in implementing change.
Frank
Frank, I am on board with you. Change can definitely be a positive thing in an organization and it makes it easier when you allow the people that it will impact to have input. By doing this it also assists with these team developing problem-solving skills that they can utilize in every aspect of the job.
It’s hard to leave our comfort zones and implement change but I agree with you. If it’s done as a team for a team then it would be easier. This requires quantitative input and continuous follow-up. Even law enforcement has to adapt to the ever changing environment that we operate.
I agree change is much easier when the leader can get everyone on board.
Frank, this is has become a common practice at my agency among staff members in the last few years. We build a committee to address policy changes and stick to agendas with deadlines. It has worked out well, we hold ourselves accountable and it shows when the “changes” roll out. Our teams are aware that we meet to discuss changes and we ring their ideas to the table. More buy in is occurring within the agency.
I strongly agree with skill #40 (Need clarification for change). Telling your employees the "why" will let them know the reasons that the change was necessary. The employees may not agree, however a good leader will get his employees to back the change which is necessary for a successful change.
Monte, Agreed! It also helps if you allow them to explore the need for change and what they might benefit from the change. It creates a win/win.
Monte - we recently had undergone significant changes in my office. There was quite a lot of negative discussion surrounding the changes already implemented and rumors of further changes. Trying to get ahead of it and having numerous meetings before any further changes were implemented helped greatly diminish false info and attained group buy-in.
Jarod, I agree with your response. Over the years I have learned that communicating changes before they occur will help reduce the number of rumors and speculation. I have made mistakes where I did not communicate something and it hurt in terms of the trust my team had for me.
I agree Monte, the "why" is key when it comes to change. For years, when officers have asked "why," the common response was, "because I said so." That prehistoric style of management will not fly with the new generation of Millennials in law enforcement.
Monte,
I agree. This skill has forced me to reevaluate a few tactics that I've used in the past. Having regular meetings to share information helps everyone understand the vision and increases the buy-in. I've also found having people involved in the planning stage can help impact how the change is perceived.
I also like the idea of regular meetings for the purpose of building accountability. This is also a opportunity to identify and discuss the "shadow side" of the organization as discussed by Dr. Anderson in this lecture.
Explaining the "why" will allow the team to know why the change was necessary, but we also need to empower them. For example, they may better understand what changes need to be made and how to incorporate those changes better. This will also assist in the transition and acceptance stages of the process.
As I review this module it stood out to me that my organization is mostly reactive rather than strategic. It starts with our weekly staff meetings where we review what has occurred and whats ahead on the calendar. but when it comes to strategy, how we respond to various community issues, identifying city council goals, as well as internal goals, we do little on a regular basis to address these issues. This often results in knee-jerk reactions and last minute scrambling to address issues as they arise. With the emphasis on goal setting as well as strategic implementation of these goals, and then adding accountability for each member of the management team, we can clearly communicate expectations and ensure people are handling their area of responsibility. Then we can be more proactive (prepared) and less reactive to situations.
My agency is similar to yours Kyle. Many times the administration implements change only after one officer "pushes the envelope" on an existing policy. I believe that we both have described most policing agencies.
Monte, I agree with you and Kyle about most police agencies. With the current issues facing law enforcement today, I believe you will see a shift from a less reactive to a more proactive or strategic response to policing.
Kyle, it is not uncommon for agencies to be reactive rather than pro-active to change. As LEO's we are primarily reactive to crime and problems and lots of planning, analysis and strategies must be in place to make a shift toward preventative or pro-active policing.
Frank
I would agree that my agency is also very much so reactive versus strategic. I think some of our administration does a better job than others at being strategic, but I think as a whole they are more reactive. Anytime an issues comes up, some of them think it needs to have a quick fix, which some things do. But if we are always putting a temporary bandaid on things, nothing will get fixed the correct way for the long term. Also, with making quick fixes that aren't well thought out, you may upset staff. We are trained to adjust quickly to things but if they constantly have to fall under new procedure and policy changes, they will become frustrated. That could potentially create a negative work environment and may even decrease morale.
Kyle, We operate the same way at my agency. In our staff meetings we discuss what just occurred and we have just gotten into a pattern in which we respond to issues as they happen. Our staff meetings need to be adjusted also to setting strategic goals that we implement as an agency.
I agree Kyle, if no one is holding people responsible then the finger pointing game surfaces and the goal isn’t reached. An unnecessary amount of stress can be avoided if we stay prepared and keep everyone involved on task and held accountable.
One of our greatest challenges as leaders is to have meaningful change that is in the best interest of our community, people, and organization. We all know that people are naturally prone to resist change- even when that change will have a positive impact. Doing it the way we have always done it...is just easier! If we are not constantly evaluating our organizations, we are not improving, developing, or getting better as an organization. It seems simple, but it is far from it. I have referred to author Jim Collin's book, Good to Great, for many years, using his analogy of the bus, "Getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats." If you have not read his work with COPS/PERF: "Good to Great" Policing, June 2007; it's worth the read. Great ideas on how to build your team of positive change agents.
Brian, I read the book about 10 years ago and loved it. It really helped me to understand the difference between leadership and management and the important role that leadership plays in succession planning and building organizations that can successfully navigate the most difficult of situations. While I had read the book, I was not aware of Jim Collins' work with COPS/PERF, and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the suggestion.
I agree it was a great book and flows well with this lesson
Brian, I agree that it is imperative that our organizations work to continuously grow and change. "Good to Great" is an excellent resource to provide ideas and guidance in this area. I also agree that there is a fine balance to creating and implementing change that is meaningful and meets the needs of our communities, as well as our employees.
I wish more managers would embrace the team and allow their input prior to making change. If the leaders of an organization aren't involved in the planning, there will be a serious disconnect.
Brian I have read his work years ago and loved it. I learned the difference between being a leader and not a manger. It taught me how to inspire and influence people not be controlling.
Stewart you are right you have to be a good leader to inspire and educate the workers. I believe that trust influence people to work their heart off for you.
I agree a good leader will inspire and should be enthusiastic about motivating their team members.
You are correct, great leaders must inspire. Once trust is garnered, your employees will follow and do whatever is asked of them.