Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/473011
44 Law Enforcement Technology March 2015 www.officer.com LEADERSHIP when you can. A little praise can go a long ways. 4 Praise your staff publicly — Giving lip service in the parking lot on the way to your car is one thing. Before your council, the media, civic groups and faith-based organiza- tions, give up the praise for them. It is not about you. If you are the chief or sheriff, then you have made your mark. Give them the shout-out that they deserve. The citizens and business owners who interact with the officers know who is taking care of their needs. Praising officers gives the satisfaction of recognition and reassures the custom- ers that they have quality officers tend- ing to their safety. 5 Keep your grumbling to yourself — I have been amazed when some leaders have thrown their staff members under the bus. If you have a hot or uncomfortable topic there is no need to personalize it. Handle with dig- nity for all involved. I was taught praise in public and chastise in private. 6 Let your supervisors supervise — Micromanaging will only garner you one thing; you create high paid patrol officers and remove their ability to lead. You entrust your officers to wear the strips and bar that they wear. Let them do their job. 7 Learn to delegate and follow-up — No leader has ever said that they wanted more to do. Therefore, learn to delegate properly. What I mean here is give clear direction, offer help to accomplish this but in no means micromanage. One does need to check on progress to see if it is on track and to assist in removing big rocks that get in their way. My favorite question during the process is "What can I do to make you successful?" The best takeaway is let the staff learn from the process. When you look back next January, make sure this is the year that you made a difference as a leader. No benchmark year can be accomplished without sweat equity on our part as leaders. Invest some time after hours in mentor- ing a new rising star. Be patient with them. None of us were miracled into our positions without some help; time to pay it back. ■ Circle 31 on Reader Service Card Circle 32 on Reader Service Card William L. "Bill" Harvey as a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (GA) Police Department.