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.
12 Comments
So much to take in but it all ties together. Great leaders provide great customer service to the people they lead and those people in turn will provide great customer service to the people they serve in the community. When a leader steps up and willing to make change by challenging the way things are is a big first step. Employees now days want to know the why when told to do something. The thing they hate the most is hearing “We’ve always done it this way” is why. So, a great leader will step up and see areas that can be improved without being told to. They are problem solving and want to be productive. they will empower their people, and they are looking out for the organization and not themselves. They are looking to make positive changes for the good. This leader is providing great service to the employee. An empowered employee is happy and productive and will in turn provide good customer service to those they serve in the community.
This module contained a wealth of valuable information. It clearly emphasized how excellent leadership and outstanding customer service go hand in hand. As members of law enforcement, we can sometimes become complacent in our interactions with the community, forgetting that we are ultimately here to serve them. Every interaction with the public should be treated as a priority.
The section on “being relevant” resonated strongly, and it is an approach more leaders need to adopt. Progress requires a willingness to challenge existing practices and, at times, break them in order to improve. The mindset of “we’ve always done it that way” must be left behind. If we can clearly justify and explain why a practice continues, that is one thing, but if it exists solely because it always has, then it deserves to be reevaluated.
I enjoyed the segment about initiative and how our leaders should also model initiative. That means spotting areas for improvement, encouraging new ideas, and making it okay to fail forward. Initiative is about doing what’s right without being told, and it thrives when leaders provide both support and accountability. Leadership initiative is one of the most powerful forces in shaping a successful department. When leaders take the initiative, step up without being told, identify problems before they escalate, and act in the best interest of the team, they inspire others to do the same. It creates a culture where proactive thinking, problem-solving, and innovation are encouraged. Officers begin to feel empowered rather than micromanaged.
Poor leadership and no initiative, on the other hand, damage both internal culture and public trust. Officers leave for better opportunities, morale drops, and the public sees the difference. The truth is, customer service in law enforcement begins with leadership, because how we treat our people will reflect in how they treat the community.
I agree completely. Initiative starts with leadership and sets the tone for the entire organization. When leaders show proactive thinking, support new ideas, and allow room to learn from mistakes, officers feel trusted rather than micromanaged. That trust boosts morale and retention and carries over into how officers interact with the community. Strong leadership initiative also encourages people to speak up, take ownership, and address issues before they become bigger problems.
Supporting new ideas and having a chance to make mistakes is big. Officers don’t want to be micromanaged. Being empowered and a chance to be a part of change makes for great moral within a organization.
I thought the section of the book the 4 agreements was interesting and seeing the author’s vision was also interesting. I have read the book previously and always thought for me was the most important was the 2nd agreement, don’t take anything personal. In a business like this someone either from the inside or outside of the organization always has something to say and critique your leadership style. After seeing the author’s explanation being impeccable with your word could be tied in my opinion. The old saying your word is your bond kind of sums it up if people don’t believe you or don’t respect what you say then you will never move forward in your dept., and that would be for any organization not just law enforcement.
There was a lot of good information in this module and the importance of customer service. One section that I found useful was about building “street credibility.” This is important to be seen as a leader that people want to follow. Being able to demonstrate expertise and reinforcing character traits with knowledge will help gain followers. Sitting and not doing anything will do nothing to establish credibility. Some of the bullet points on street credibility include:
– Important in order to establish professional relationships within the work place
– What you say and how you say it is important
– When credibility is not established the message may not be received or received with open hostility
– 1: identify issue and invite colleagues to brainstorm instead of simply announcing your own solution
– 2: make your colleagues the primary focus – way to lose credibility is to not consider colleagues opinions
– 3: draw your colleagues in and solicit ideas so they can be negotiated and combined with your own. Producing shared outcome
– 4: speak at the listeners level, you are an agent of influence
– 5: never try to avoid bad outcomes with deception, you will quickly lose your credibility
– 6: build a reputation of sincerity
– 7: always keep commitments to your subordinates and colleagues
– 8: expertise gives you credibility and the right to be heard
– 9: you must do more than articulate to be true, match your claims with what your audience believes and have to substantiate these claims. Do more than just say we’re going to make this happen, have a logistical plan
– 10: build a successful track record
Hello everyone,
I am sharing my thoughts on leadership and customer service in public safety agencies. Specifically, I found it interesting how the Police Department responded to all calls in under four minutes, as I learned in the module.
Effective leadership plays a crucial role in ensuring that public safety agencies are able to provide excellent customer service. This includes having the right resources, training, and procedures in place to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies.
In addition, public safety agencies need to prioritize the needs and concerns of their communities. This means listening to feedback, being transparent about decision-making processes, and working to build trust and positive relationships with community members.
Leadership and customer service are critical components of any successful public safety agency. By prioritizing these areas, agencies can work to keep their communities safe and provide the highest level of service possible.
I thought the “3 Rules” were a great summary for people at all levels of an organization. 1st is “come to work” and be present. 2nd is “do an outstanding job” by making a positive impact and helping others. 3rd is “go home” and recharge, relax, and enjoy life. It seems simple, but many people don’t follow this practice. Having time to reset and recharge is essential to making sure you have a long healthy career.
I was quite impressed by the PD that committed to providing outstanding service. Quite the achievement to get police response times to under 4 mins and all 911 communications to be answered in less that 3 seconds. Plenty of agencies these days have response times of over 15 mins and some are an hour or longer. And some 911 centers are so understaffed that calls are going over the 10 second requirement and some are going unanswered all together. Obviously in addition to quick services provided, they offered quality service which was essential to making for happy citizens and improving trust and satisfaction. All things agencies across the country should be striving for but is tough during our current staffing crisis.
Hi there! I completely agree that the “3 Rules” are an excellent summary for people at all levels of an organization. Being present and doing an outstanding job is essential, but it’s equally important to go home, relax, and recharge. Surprisingly, many people don’t follow this simple practice.
I was also impressed by the PD’s commitment to providing outstanding service. Quality service is essential to making happy citizens and improving trust and satisfaction, which are crucial goals for any agency. This is something agencies nationwide should strive for, even though it can be challenging during our current staffing crisis.
I was also impressed with their ability to reduce call wait times and response times. Unfortunately, in my agency there are days we will have a hundred calls pending on an average day and it’s almost impossible to get to them that quick unless it’s a priority. However, we can still encourage good customer service when the officers to get to the calls to make people feel that they are important and being cared for. I always try to encourage officers to go to calls and treat the citizens like they would a loved family member and make sure they are taken care of properly. I also agree with Jamie that at the end of the day it is important to go home and take care of yourself, being a public servant can be tiring and it’s good to go home and recharge for the next shift.
I also enjoyed the three rules also. I thought it was a simple explanation on how to succeed, find pride in your work, and also leave behind at the end of the day. It reminds me of the “make your bed” philosophy, which starts your day with a good thing and knowing that at the end of the day, you can come back to it. I have three goals that my subordinates know I have for them. Rule 1: make it home alive, rule 2: don’t violate anyone else’s right, rule 3: don’t violate any policies. Rule 3 is actually very low on my list. I mainly care about Rule 1, because if you can make it home at the end of the day, the other 2 rules can be dealt with later.