Coaching Police Leaders in the 21st Century
Coaching Police Leaders in the 21st Century
Gerald D. Green, Sr. | 2019
Abstract
Today, more than any other time in our history, America’s police are in need of effective leaders and leadership teams with progressive and realistic visions for success. Almost on a daily basis, with the help of technology, we hear or read instantaneously, via social media, how some police officers violate their duty as public servants by not serving with professionalism, integrity, accountability, and the preservation of individual constitutional rights. And not only that, but we see it occur firsthand. When this happens, it paints a negative universe of police officers; police leaders find themselves in a myriad of triaged critical meetings, enhanced public scrutiny and negative media attempting to mitigate the dilemma at hand. This leaves them with little or no time dedicated to generating preemptive ideas and options to solve these problems before they happen. Police leaders need to identify creative solutions to help improve performance that starts at the top and cascades down to the rank and file. Police leaders need coaching in their arsenal.
Coaching is that necessary leadership tool to help enhance performance improvement. Coaching has been viewed by some as punitive instruction for performance improvement needs, but rather it is nonpunitive. Coaching is also not teaching, because teaching is a one‐way communication. Coaching is a two‐way communication process. The person being coached decides their own personal and organizational objectives. In other words, the person being coached (the learner) delivers their own results. In turn, the coach provides encouraging feedback which allows the learner to adjust his/her actions as needed over and over again. This process is an ongoing dedicated process which will continue until they, the coach and learner (or the team) agree they have achieved or reached the expected outcomes. It is a reciprocal relationship between the coach and learner.
Coaches have a distinct and important role, but the person being coached (the learner) is the one who creates his or her plan of action. The coach helps the learner diagnose what is going on in the problem areas of his or her organization. Through this process, the learner can find out what can be improved and how to improve it. In coaching, learners are the main players who thrive to improve their skills as much as possible by listening to reflections or advice from coaches, while coaches facilitate learner performance improvement. As a process, coaching becomes the foundation for improved performance, enriched feedback, and a culture supported by feedback flowing 360 degrees and inclusive of all personnel – direct reports, peer to peer, and then back up to management.