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.
5 Comments
I think succession planning is vitally important. I started my career at an agency that did this and it helped a lot when it came to later promotions. When someone retires from a senior leadership position, it creates a chain of openings down the line. If a commander leaves, a LT will probably get promoted, then Sgt to Lt, then officer/corporal to Sgt. Agencies always need to have someone “on deck” for each level at their agency (or at least mentoring to have that on-deck person ready sooner than later). It also helps when someone leave unexpectedly. Then the agency isn’t caught completely off guard and will be more ready to fill that role quicker with less transition time. This succession planning allows for that to happen and develops individuals to be ready to take on the next level. It empowers individuals to always keep reaching and that’s great to have.
Setting our team for success is key. The way our leader guides us is important so that when they are not around they know that the tasks are getting done properly. They also must be willing to accept change that is happening. A lot of newer generation will do things completely different than of the older generation. They must be able to learn and adapt tp how others learn and take what is taught.
I think the newer generation piece is important to mention. As we learned in the Generations lesson, people from different generations are going to approach the workplace and situations differently. I think it’s important for senior leaders, who normally are older than the rank and file, to be hearing from people who are much closer in generational position to those staff members. It may help bridge the gap a little and they’ll be able to provide different insights on the management team. But empowering new leaders to grow and develop, it gives more people a seat at the table to help improve the organization.
As a leader, I try to be a servant leader not only to my members but also to the entire division. A servant leader possesses personal integrity, is optimistic and is humble. A servant leader puts the wellbeing of others before themselves. They have to be active listeners so they truly understand what their members need or desire on a personal and professional level. They have to have to be receptive to other member’s ideas. They are constantly observing what is going on so they are able to seek the truth and make changes as necessary (Scott, 2017). Becoming a servant leader is capable if an individual is self-aware and willing to change their current practices. However, it will improve them, their unit and the agency as a whole. Servant leadership creates a positive environment.
Reference
Scott, W. (2017). Succession Planning. 212, Week # 8. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses/
NAGVXPB5E6/SuccessionPlanningbee22f0f-363b-44d2-b4c8-0244f898d851/6/index_lms.html
I agree, that servant leadership creates a positive environment. It shows that you are willing to change or adapt what is going on around.