Police Leadership Development: An Application of Leadership Transparency and Leadership Role Modeling Through Ethical Leadership
Police Leadership Development: An Application of Leadership Transparency and Leadership Role Modeling Through Ethical Leadership
Lonnie Cain | 2017
Abstract
One of the most difficult challenges for law enforcement executives and training cadre is to find the time and resources to develop practical and formidable leadership curriculums for police officers in the junior years of their law enforcement careers. Leadership development is used to enhance the quality of leadership and leadership potential of individuals, teams, and organizations.[i] Law enforcement municipalities desire to attract the brightest, most ethical, self-motivated candidates to be employed in their respective agencies. Modern law enforcement officers are expected to solve many problems that range from domestic calls for service to mass casualty critical incidents. Naturally, the very best emergent leaders, those members deemed the most influential by people in the organization, should prepare themselves to promote from informal leadership roles to formal leadership positions.[ii]
The assurance of a successful transition from informal leaders to formal leaders rely heavily on the individual officers’ work performance, motivation and willingness to accept responsibility to shape the organization’s future. Mutually, the organization is charged to guide and provide the young officers with essential leadership development training. Leadership development programs are vitally important as they shall provide the framework and expectations of organizational leadership. Leadership development is more than an educational program; leadership development must be entrenched within the organizational virtue.
Successful leadership development embedded inside the organization support succession planning. Leadership curriculum fosters learning conducive to the organizational leadership expectancies of how officers shall lead followers. The most critical aspect of successful organizational leadership development is role model leaders, transparent in their leadership styles amid a firm ethical foundation.