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.
25 Comments
One part of the module that stuck out to me was from General William Nesbitt. He shared a story about doing early morning rounds and coming across a crew that was short-handed and worn out while working on a tank. Instead of just checking on them and moving on, he jumped in and helped them finish the job, then went about his day.
This stuck out to me because far too many leaders sit at their desks and don’t get their hands dirty anymore. I understand that there is administrative work that needs to be done, but there is down time to go do a traffic stop. When is the last time a Captain of your agency showed up on a call to back you up? If command staff got out more and were seen, morale might shoot up a little bit.
I have never served in the military, but there is a strong correlation between effective military leadership as there is law enforcement leadership. This module really reinforced that strong character, honor, and commitment are the foundation of being a good leader. The generals highlighted that leaders need courage, honesty, competence, and dedication. We have to be willing to take risks, communicate openly, and demonstrate our knowledge and skills. Trust is at the heart of leadership, and people follow leaders they know are reliable, ethical, and committed. It is also important for leaders to recognize where they can improve and help their teams grow. By communicating clearly, following through on tasks, and staying focused on serving both the mission and the people, leaders can build strong, effective teams that get results.
To things in this section for me. First, we all know trust is the foundation of any good leader. No one will follow a leader they do not trust. No organization will let someone be a leader they do not trust to get the mission done. Every leader who was a role model to me was someone I valued and trusted deeply. I knew they would help me grow in my career. The second thing I never thought about mention was often a leader having more education than those they are leading and how they speak to them. What they military did to communicate to their troops. I never thought about this but now I see how often it is done without noticing it is being done.
I completely agree. I think what is not discussed enough is how we gain trust from members within our agency. We often discuss the tenants, phrases and words to be a good leader, but not enough real life examples. As public safety officers, we all have overlapping duties, and experiences that we can share with each other to show how we gained trust or credibility.
Trust, as we all know at this point, is the primary component of effective leadership. Every leader and commander we have come across in this course emphasizes trust. We know that this is also built on your actions, much more than your words. Be a role model, have candor with your troops, know your troops, and seek their welfare. All of those are good lessons. The leadership principles they spoke about in this course come from the United States Marine Corps, which every NCO and beyond must learn.
Military leadership is deeply rooted in tradition, discipline, and values that prioritize the well-being and effectiveness of the unit. In the Marine Corps, leadership isn’t just about giving orders, it’s about setting the tone, building a cohesive team, and earning respect through consistent action. Trust is built in the field, through shared hardship, clear communication, and leading from the front. Leaders who don’t “walk the walk” lose credibility fast.
Military leadership also reinforces the idea that leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege. The best military leaders serve their people, lead by example, and make decisions that reflect courage, humility, and integrity. Those lessons translate to any setting because when people trust their leader, they follow them anywhere.
Law enforcement organizations often parallel the military style. They have structure and disciple that are very similar. Often you will find law enforcement organizations following military values and traditions. The leaderships ideas are the same and many come from the military model. Many law enforcement leaders come from a military background also thus further rooting the leadership models.
I thought the section in the lecture about education levels was very interesting, not something we always think about but I work in a dept that doesn’t require anything higher than a high school diploma. not to say that people with HS diplomas aren’t educated, I only have a high school diploma but some struggled to get though school, some didn’t pay attention and some went to college and received a higher education. I think that opened my eyes when dealing with certain officers that maybe I think aren’t paying attention but might not understand the context that i am speaking in.
I agree with this. We have an agency of approximately 75 sworn officers. Out of those 75, about half of them have some type of college experience. Then there are some that dropped out and got their GED later on in life. We should know our audience when giving orders and speaking in groups, so they all know what is expected or asked of them.
As we delve into the topic of Military Leadership, it is essential to note the requisites of a strong and honorable leader. According to 3 and 4-star generals, a leader must possess a solid and honorable character while being committed to the profession and personal ethics. These values are the foundation for being respected and trusted as a leader.
In addition to these values, the generals highlighted four essential human values: courage, honesty, competence, and commitment. Leaders must be willing to take risks to achieve their goals, even without guaranteeing success. It is also crucial to have honest, open conversations with people above and below you. A leader must possess the proficiency required in their chosen profession related to knowledge, judgment, and skills. Above all, a leader must have the dedication to carry out the mission and serve those above and below them.
As we consider taking up leadership roles in our organization, we must commit to upholding these values. It is our job to serve to the best of our abilities, with the understanding that these values will guide us toward success. We must be willing to take risks, have honest conversations, possess the required proficiency, and commit to carrying out the mission. Let us strive to be leaders who embody these values and set an example for those around us.
This module provided a good overview of the command essentials that every leader should be aware of. This module was geared towards military leadership but the essentials easily apply to police leadership as well. Chief Gary Benthin also covered important human values for leadership as well which include courage, candor, competence and commitment. These are important core values to adhere to, as the true measure of good leadership is the ability to influence and the role of leadership is to add value.
The unanimously agreed upon requirement by 3 and 4 star generals is that a leader must be a person of strong and honorable character and committed to the profession and personal ethics. It’s a very good summary of what we’ve learned so far. We’ve already talked a lot about character, honor, commitment, and ethics. We know having strong character and high morals is an essential foundation to be respected and trusted as a leader. The generals also gave four human values that are essential: courage, candor, competence, and commitment. As a leader, you must be willing to take risks to achieve goals with no assurance of success. As a leader, you must be able to have honest, frank, and open conversations with people above and below you. As a leader, you must have the proficiency required in your chosen profession related to knowledge, judgement, and skills. And above all, you must have the dedication to carry out the mission and serve those above and below you. These are all things we have to consider and be willing to commit to if we accept a role as a leader in our organization. It is our job to serve in our positions to the best of our abilities with these values in mind.
This module every general touched on the importance of trust. They also mentioned how at times we have leaders that are good and bad, and how we can learn from each and everyone. It is important that a leader needs to be committed to their profession. A leader is often challenged in their everyday life both personally and professionally. But ultimately when leading a team the leader needs to have a good moral character and a person that everyone can trust. When a leader struggles they need to be able to recognize where they can improve and help the team to do the same. When they give a task they need to make sure the task is understood by the communication that is presented and then follow through to make sure the task is accomplished.
I completely agree with your post on the importance of trust in leadership. A leader needs to have a solid moral character and the ability to gain the confidence of their team. Leaders must recognize their shortcomings and work to improve them to lead their team better. Effective communication is also crucial for a leader to ensure that tasks are adequately understood and accomplished. Thank you for sharing your insights on this topic!
Trust, as we all know at this point, is the primary component of effective leadership. Every leader and commander we have come across in this course emphasizes trust. We know that this is also built on your actions, much more than your words. Be a role model, have candor with your troops, know your troops, and seek their welfare. All of those are good lessons. The leadership principles they spoke about in this course come from the United States Marine Corps, which every NCO and beyond must learn.
A leader can also be a follower and a follower can also be a leader. A leader may not always have the “title” but with extra responsibilities given to you as follower more your leader trust you. Your peers will come to you with questions, watch how you do things and learn from you. As law enforcement you should always e ready to take on the role of leadership at any given moment something could happen.
One of the most valuable messages a member who is wanting to become a leader should hear is to be observant of all the leaders around them. Having the ability to observe leaders in action and make a mental note of the things that have worked and haven’t will prepare an individual for leadership. Weather a good leader or bad leader an individual can take lessons away from all different situations. As this process goes on the upcoming leader can start to run different scenarios to see if the current leader made the same call or if not how their scenario may have played out if utilized (Nesbitt, 2010).
Reference
Nesbitt, W. (2010). Military leadership. 1.13, Week # 4. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses
/NAGVXPB5E6/MilitaryLeadership399ca817-9a54-4081-8345-16557d149ce9/4/index_lms.html
I also believe it is important to observe and learn from other leaders. I have used a lot of different components in my leadership style from past mentors. I have also learned that it is also important to learn from leaders that we believe were not the best in what they do. It helps us steer away from what we believe is not proper way of leading or communicating to the team. Ultimately we will need to learn from our mistakes and make decisions that we can learn from and admire or improve. We are never going to get everything right but I believe we can at least make sure we stand behind the good and the bad.
I greatly agree with this. You definitely can learn from bad leaders just as much, if not more, than from good leaders. I think bad leaders can identify the glaring problems with their leadership style. I think good leaders can display to a potential leader what can work when executed well. At the end of the day, it’s all important to know. And it’s also important to see when leaders pitch an idea and it’s a major fail, but a different leader (more respected/trusted) pitches almost the same idea and it’s successful. It shows how much importance is weighed on the trust/respect/credibility piece to leadership. Even good ideas can fail under a non-credible leader.
I liked in the module from General William Nesbit as he explained the focus of a leader. He believed that being a good soldier/leader, you need to be observant to leadership of others placed in leadership positions. This can and will help you learn from them on what to do and what not to do. This is just as important in the leadership roles in law enforcement. You have some leaders that have charachteristics that are good and ones that are bad. We teach in the field training program to new hires that each phase will mostly consist of different training officers. The key is to progress forward and take the positive traits they have to offer and implement them to your style.
I’ve listened to Jocko Willink’s podcasts for some time, and I thought that in this module, he highlighted a particularly important point. If you want to lead, always be ready to lead. Live with that mindset, and when the time comes, that will make you a better leader.
We shouldn’t only be approaching our development of leadership qualities and readiness for some abstract future position or promotion; we should also be preparing for the challenges and opportunities of today. Hearing this made me recognize that there are some immediate steps that I can take to be more ready now for whenever a chance to lead comes.
I agree. There will times that you are not ready to take action, but rather are forced into it because your subordinates need direction. You have to know when that opportunity arises, they will follow you to victory because you have shown them you are ready and to exhibit the confidence.
I have to agree that the podcast brought up some great points for individuals who want to be in a leadership role. As we have already previously discussed, an individual doesn’t have to be appointed into a position to be a leader. A individual can be in a leadership role by mentoring or taking on additional responsibilities. So I would have to agree that individuals who want to be in a leadership role always have to be watching, learning and preparing to be ready to jump in and take action when the time comes.
We never know when the time will come to have to step up to the plate and be the leader of other individuals. We should always be ready to go.
I’ve also listened to several of his podcasts and found the information to be exceptional. I like the point you highlighted, that if you want to be a leader to have that mindset and be ready to lead. Often a leader’s mindset can determine whether or not they are successful in their organization. Practicing a leadership mindset can also help your peers see you as a leader before you even take on a leadership role, helping improve credibility.
I am a Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPAC) evaluator and am testing the system.