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LEADERSHIP IN THE NINETIES
By
Ronnie Garner, M.P.A.
Deputy Chief
Beverly Hills, California, Police Department
On a hot, lazy afternoon, a small boy sits barefoot under a
shade tree, idly watching a small stream of water from a
sprinkler trickle down the street toward him. As tiny rivulets
inch their way along the asphalt gutter, they seem to pause at
each pebble to build momentum and then push forward again.
Eagerly, the boy grabs handfuls of dirt and builds a small
dike that momentarily halts the flow. However, the water slowly
wells up in a puddle and edges its way around the barrier. The
boy adds more dirt, vainly attempting to outflank and contain the
water.
As the battle progresses, it becomes apparent that despite
the boy's best efforts, he will never prevail. There are larger
forces of nature at work.
How often do organizations struggle in a like manner against
the forces of human nature? An organization is, after all, a
large pool of human resources. Not unlike the stream of water,
this pool seeks movement--PROGRESS. It cannot stand still; that
is not the natural order. It must either move forward or
stagnate.
What organizations require is guidance of that movement.
This guidance comes in the form of direction and leadership.
Visionary leadership is not for everyone. A gnarled police
veteran once counseled me to "never try to teach a pig to sing.
It sounds like hell and it annoys the pig."
There is some wisdom in that advice. Many police
administrators become so preoccupied with current problems that
they fail to plan for the future. Some do not believe that
strategic planning is worth the effort. Others lack the
imagination and creativity required to project in the abstract.
To ask them to conceptualize the organization 5 years in the
future is akin to asking a pig to sing--it only annoys them. For
these individuals, the vision of the future must be articulated
with such vividness and detail that the abstract becomes
concrete.
ORGANIZATIONAL VISION
An organizational vision presents a clear picture of what
direction the organization plans to take in the future. It should
represent an achievable, challenging, and worthwhile long-range
target toward which personnel can direct their energies.
For example, one police department's vision statement
projects that a mutual understanding of shared problems will
result in a high level of confidence and harmony between the
police and the community. The statement then specifies that the
department and the community will forge a close and consistent
partnership to address issues and to solve problems effectively,
making the city a safe, healthy, and attractive place for
commerce and community life.
Having a clear understanding of the organizational vision
can change an employee's entire perspective. The story is often
told of a passer-by who asked a bored bricklayer, "What are you
doing?" The bricklayer replied, "I am placing one brick on top of
another." The passer-by then asked another bricklayer, who was
working with greater enthusiasm, "What are you doing?" The second
bricklayer replied, "I am building a magnificent cathedral where
hundreds will worship."
To form an analogy, how many officers simply drive around
answering radio calls and how many actually make a meaningful
contribution to the quality of life in the community by
maintaining order and ensuring that justice prevails? To attach
real meaning and value to their jobs, employees must understand
that they are collectively engaged in a worthwhile endeavor. A
clear organizational vision fills this need.
ROWING v. STEERING
Articulating the organizational vision and holding it firmly
in focus for personnel is a demanding task. Frequently,
operational problems divert the attention of administrators from
their primary role as leaders. They must ensure, however, that
they do not become so involved in rowing the boat that they
forget to steer the boat.
In fact, some organizations shift to systems that separate
policymaking from service delivery in order to allow top managers
to concentrate on decisionmaking and direction. (1) Those who
steer must possess the ability to view the whole spectrum of
issues and possibilities and then balance competing demands for
resources; rowing requires individuals who focus on one task,
performing it well. (2)
Unfortunately, law enforcement administrators often become
so intent on overseeing the delivery of services that they
neglect their primary responsibility--steering. Instead, they
should concentrate on a basic steering challenge: Communicating a
clear vision of what they hope the organization will become in
the future, giving employees a goal to work toward.
While setting such a goal is crucial, leaders must, at the
same time, make additional information available to employees.
For example, employees need to know how managers plan to meet
this goal, what types of conduct are acceptable, and what
criteria leaders will use for decisionmaking. Administrators
should make this information available to employees through
mission and value statements.
MISSION STATEMENT
A clear mission statement may be an organization's most
important asset. It calls attention to what management believes
is important, and it sets goals that align practices with values.
(3) In addition, it expresses the purpose for which the
organization exists, allowing management to set priorities in
decisionmaking. In other words, it acts as a guide for the
organization. The mission statement of a California police
department reads as follows: "The mission of [this department] is
to work in partnership with the community to protect life and
property, solve neighborhood problems, and enhance the quality of
life in our City."
When developing a mission statement, the process of arriving
at consensus among leaders can, itself, be a positive experience.
It requires a debate of the various attitudes and beliefs
existing among organizational leaders and then, finally,
agreement on one basic mission. (4) The final statement should
help employees at all levels make decisions.
VALUES STATEMENT
The values statement declares the moral and ethical
qualities to which the organization is committed. For example,
values statements often clarify how much significance the
organization places on honesty, customer satisfaction, ethical
conduct, innovation, teamwork, community awareness, self-directed
work, tolerance of dissenting views, and public relations. While
the mission statement describes where the organization is going,
the values statement articulates how it will get there. It is a
detailed guide of behaviors that management accepts and supports
within the organization.
A POSITIVE FRAMEWORK
The organizational vision, mission statement, and values
statement form a framework to support management decisions by
attaching reasons to actions. The philosophy, goals, and work
standards embodied within these documents provide a basis for
decisionmaking within the organization. They are the lodestars
by which the organization navigates its course through the
uncharted waters of both the present and the future.
Creating this framework for leadership is vital to maintain
consistency and direction in the management of the organization.
However, this framework alone is not sufficient to attract and
motivate employees to achieve the organization's mission.
Organizations need to incorporate a final leadership principle--
empowerment.
Much like the stream discussed earlier, it is the nature of
an organization to change and progress. Individual members of the
organization continually develop plans and expectations about
their roles. Each creates a personal agenda. It is the confluence
of these personal agendas that creates a dynamic under-current
within organizations. Leaders must channel this undercurrent in
order to accomplish the organization's objectives.
The cumbersome, monolithic organizational structures in
which many agencies currently labor do not allow leaders
sufficient latitude to channel individual talents. A more open,
flexible participative model must be used so that leaders can
successfully empower subordinates.
EMPOWERMENT
Empowerment is enabling others to participate in the process
of change within the organization. It often involves sharing
power with subordinates and allowing them sufficient leeway to
accomplish tasks in their own way.
Empowerment is the most effective way to gain the active
participation of others. When employees are truly empowered to
make meaningful decisions and effect appropriate change within
the organization, they develop a stake in the system--a
franchise. Enfranchised and empowered employees have a vested
interest in the success of the group. They become important
members of a team with a meaningful purpose.
Most individuals want to believe they are contributing to a
common purpose and that they are not consumed with pointless
exercises. Leaders who promote such an atmosphere secure the
commitment and trust of employees. (5) True leadership involves
providing a collaborative atmosphere, where all workers focus on
the critical work of the organization. (6)
However, some leaders resist sharing power. They fear that
subordinates, if not sufficiently controlled, may take over the
organization. Although there may be some rationality to this
fear, establishing a positive leadership framework ensures that
employees are both motivated and unified in achieving the
organizational mission. By focusing on vision, mission, and
values, an enlightened leader empowers and energizes
subordinates toward the attainment of organizational objectives.
CONCLUSION
The issue of leadership in law enforcement is neither broad
nor obscure. It involves the concrete process of articulating the
vision, mission, and values of the organization within the
context of a long-range strategic plan and giving impetus to that
plan by empowering subordinates. Without this base, police
managers serve only as custodians of a bureaucracy that
preoccupies itself with the present at the expense of the future.
ENDNOTES
(1) Ted Gaebler and David Osborne, Reinventing Government
(Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,
1992), 35.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Burt Nanus, The Leader's Edge: Seven Keys to Leadership
in a Turbulent World (Chicago, Illinois: Contemporary Books,
Inc., 1989).
(6) Ibid.