It is time to stop measuring a leader’s effectiveness by measuring their actions and accomplishments, or lack thereof. For it is not their actions that best represent their success, it is the how their actions affect the behaviors of others. Let’s look at this by assessing police officers and police chiefs.

It goes without saying that a police officer’s job is extremely challenging.  One minute they need to be the utmost representation of professionalism and respect and the next moment they can find themselves fighting for their life with a crack-fueled junkie in a dank, condemned building.  Few professions have the swing of responsibilities that are assigned under the “serve” label of “to protect and serve”.  Difficulties aside however, the job must get done and it must get done right.

Chiefs hold the ultimate responsibility for “getting the job done right”.  Obviously they get the mission accomplished through the members of their department, and for that reason the job of chief can be the most difficult.  They need to develop the members of their department to a degree where service-excellence is a behavioral norm.  It doesn’t matter how technically competent a leader is, the number one job of a leader is influence.

For that reason it is not the leader’s behaviors that are the measure of effectiveness, it is the behavior of front-line officers, detectives, and civilian personnel that reflect the competent leader.

A chief must engage in communication and actions that influence every member of the agency toward ideal front-line behaviors.  So, if behaviors occur by any member of the organization that are outside of the norm of appropriateness, the chief owns it.  Now there will be chiefs who take exception to this thought process and will find ways to shift blame or rationalize how inappropriate front-line behaviors are not their fault.

But the best leaders:

• understand the real meaning of integrity and consistent behavioral influence
• engage in an endless process of taking responsibility, setting clear expectations, and proactively inspecting and affecting personnel behaviors
• know that they must succeed despite less than optimum resources and forces that work against a well-functioning workplace, such as a dysfunctional organizational culture.

It is the lack of direct control that can make the chief’s job so arduous; as is often stated: “if it was easy, everyone could do it”. Clearly, very few earn the right to serve as a chief of police.  And once earned, it is then re-earned every minute of every day. It involves unpleasant work, such as suspending and terminating employees for their inappropriate behaviors, even if the employee is well-liked or a personal friend. It can be a constant uphill battle; but it is remarkably important work and it must be done right so that the ultimate recipients of service receive that level of professionalism that has earned us the right to be called “The Finest”.

The best chiefs take and keep their jobs to engage in ongoing influence for a driving cause; and that is why the simplest way to measure leader effectiveness is to assess the behaviors of the leader’s personnel.

In the years that I have been conducting leadership training for law enforcement, there has rarely been a session where the topic of the police department mission statement has not been raised.  As a matter of fact, my Leading and Influencing for Law Enforcement Supervisors and Managers course begins with attendees having to record their department’s mission statement from memory.  To date, the best response that I have received was when 25% of the supervisors and managers were able to recall most of their mission statement; the worst was when only one attendee out of the 24 could recall their mission.

Alas, the frustration.  A mission statement done right is an excellent tool to enhance decision making consistency.  Stephen R. Covey, in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, recommended engaging all members of the organization in the creation of the mission statement so that it is familiar to all and, more importantly, so that their involvement drives commitment to its attainment.  Yes, that is time consuming, but to have a statement that is unknown or not followed can be even more problematic.

Let’s keep in mind that a mission statement is a core descriptor of your department’s purpose; the reason that your department exists.  Doesn’t it therefore make sense that everyone knows what it says?

So, chief, I am throwing down a simple 3-step challenge:

1.       Right now, without looking it up, write your department’s mission statement.

2.       Next, approach one of your direct-reports and ask them to do the same.

3.       Lastly, contact one of your patrol officers at random (be honest, don’t go to one studying for the sergeant’s exam) and ask them if they can tell you the mission of the department.

That’s it.  If you get three favorable responses, congratulations, you have done a great job reinforcing the purpose and function of your department and you have increased the likelihood of receiving mission-aligned behaviors at the front-line.  If, however, taking the above challenge has identified a weak link, I encourage you to re-emphasize the mission in your formal and informal communication.

When your expectations are clear, understood, and reinforced there will be increased certainty at the front-line.  A well-ingrained mission statement is one powerful step in that direction.