Commitment to Leadership

Explanation of Outcome:

Commitment to leadership for the common good

The mature ability to "see the bigger picture" and continuously develop interpersonal skills are key and integral aspects of the PACE program. As a result, I found taking the core classes which focused on the various and unique ways in which adults learn, often under tremendously difficult odds, to be the most helpful, informative and meaningful for me. Particularly when it came to that part of the class when we focused on the theories, concepts, and principles, coupled with our own life experiences, and the manner that they become a cohesive synthesis of all that we have been exposed to in the PACE program and life in general. 

Various classes, such as Adult Learning and Motivation, Teaching Diverse Adult Learners and the Social Foundations of Education taught me a great deal about what it means to be an adult learner contending with multiple stressors, limited social supports and the challenges of race, gender and class bias. Learning about these complex issues has taught me how to be a more observant classroom facilitator and ultimately, that increased awareness translates into my ability to lead a classroom and be a leader. My involvement in the PACE program has helped to strengthen, refine and expand my leadership qualities and the most important aspect I take away with me, as I leave this program, is the knowledge that the best leaders can be just like me. Quiet, serious and introspective. This awareness has been a gift to me and I feel extremely grateful to PSU as a learning institution, the PACE program, and particularly to the talented, patient and skilled professors and instructors who have been so instrumental in helping me achieve that awareness and understanding, who make up the PACE program. 

ARTIFACT:

Leadership in PS Ed.

Voices of Leadership paper 

Professor: Andy Job

Student: Ms. Theresa Kennedy 

Fall Term, 2010

ELP 528

Leadership in Law enforcement: What works and does not work

Leadership roles are an important and integral aspect of any form of government or private employment; as they can either create success and harmony within a company or organization, or if lacking in that regard, can undermine that company or group in a detrimental fashion. In post secondary education and professional development, these issues become extremely important, in being able to create and sustain an environment that is conducive to learning and enriching with regard to development and success, both professionally and personally.

Interviewing PPB Sergeant Chris Davis was an interesting experience for me, as a student looking to better understand the various dynamics of leadership and the problems that can arise when leaders fall short, particularly in a career in law enforcement. What I discovered from my interview with Sergeant Davis, which occurred October 16th, 2010 at the Central Precinct Sergeant's Desk in Portland Oregon, seemed a combination of common knowledge concepts I might have already known and other concepts that I hadn't formerly considered in any real depth.

When examining my own qualities, as determined by the Strengths Finder quiz, I was not entirely surprised to learn that I got stronger leanings toward strategic thinking and relationship building. Apparently, I got no scores in the executive ranking portion of the quiz, with regard to leadership traits or qualities.

This really surprised me, because I can be very assertive when necessary, at least with regard to being the mother of an 18-year-old daughter. But I began to see the manner that executive ability is really paramount when working in a law enforcement venue. This aspect of leadership is not only important with respect to the officer or Sergeant in his or her dealings with colleagues but also in the manner that he/she must contend with the pubic or with potentially violent offenders. What I learned from Sergeant Davis, not surprisingly, was that if an individual lacks “credibility” with their colleagues, they will not be a successful leader or at least a somewhat ineffective leader.

Davis went on to say “People have to know that you’re capable of doing the job that you ask them to do.” Explaining that if a Sergeant does not understand that aspect of their work, being able to do what they ask their subordinates to do, then they will not engender the respect of their peers or the officers that they must lead, influence and mentor. Davis expressed the idea that sometimes Sergeant's and Commander's lose track of what it’s actually like to be an officer and it’s when they lose this perspective and empathy, that they often alienate the officers they are training and attempting to lead.

He also spoke of considering the needs of the “organization” as an entity separate from the group of individuals who work within the organization and that people need to work together to make this aspect of leadership work. This harkens back to the text Strengths Based Leadership by Rath and Conchie, with this particular passage, “Strong teams prioritize what’s best for the team and then move forward.” (Rath, pg 72).

The book also states “…members of high performing teams are consistently able to put what’s best for the organization ahead of their own egos. And once a decision is made, these teams are remarkably quick to rally around it.” (Rath, pg 72).

This seemed to be an idea Sergeant Davis shared with me. That a good leader is able to remove themselves emotionally from a stressful situation and make their decision based on what is best for the organization etc. Davis also stressed the importance of honesty in relationship building and what can happen when co-workers aren't honest with one another.

“And another part of that credibility is people have to be able to trust you. You have to…you have to tell the truth. You don’t want to lie to people who work for you and you really don’t want to lie to cops because what do we do for a living? We catch people lying to us…for a living! And so it’s kind of hardwired into us to know when someone’s lying to us.”

This perspective seems directly tied to the importance of emotional intelligence, as discussed in the readings, the Rath text and some group discussions we've had in class regarding the importance of EI. When Sgt. Davis made this reference, he was not referring to offenders lying to police officers, as I had initially presumed, he was referring rather, to officers lying to their Sergeant's or vice versa, because it destroys and eliminates trust in a working relationship.

Davis spoke quite eloquently on the importance of this trust, of being able to honestly relate to other colleagues without deception and of being able to ‘read’ people. This corresponds with one of the definitions of what emotional intelligence is and how it can be used in a working environment. “Those who have the ability to sense how their employees feel about their work situation and to intervene effectively when those employees begin to feel discouraged or dissatisfied.” (Cherniss & Goleman, pg. 4).

This ability to read others responses and behaviors seems an important factor in being able to understand the motivations, problems or behaviors of individuals working in law enforcement, as Davis has suggested.

Davis also had interesting ideas and perspectives on how balance in one’s personal or family life contributes to a better ability to lead others. This is also something we've discussed in class, “Members of strong teams are as committed to their personal lives as they are to their work.” (Rath, pg. 73). This is another aspect of leadership skills that I've found insightful, the need to create balance in one’s life, because as in so many other areas of life and/or various disciplines, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of a balanced life in totality, by becoming overly engaged in the professional aspect of a one’s life. Davis sadly recounted several stories of how some officers or Sergeant's became obsessed with the job, because it was exciting, fulfilling and rewarding and how ultimately their leadership abilities and their jobs suffered, when they developed family problems due to neglecting that aspect of their lives.

What I learned primarily, from my 51 minute interview with Sergeant Chris Davis is the importance of being able to discern particular behavior from others and what that behavior may mean. I also learned about the importance of honest communication among members of a group and the manner that EI can play a role in that complex process.

Leadership tends to be a group effort and all people tend to have leadership capability, in some form or another. Being able to focus on one’s strength’s rather than primarily an area of weakness is one way a person or institution can capitalize on personal strength and leadership talents.

Interviewing Sergeant Chris Davis was a very enlightening experience, especially from the standpoint that I learned some things I had not formerly known about the PPB and some of the responsibilities inherent in this organization. Like many others, I had presumed it was okay for the media and community members to grill the PPB about the various forms of discipline that they give to an officer who has been disciplined due to inappropriate or unprofessional behavior. I didn't even think that the PPB and other law enforcement agencies are unable, legally; to share that information with the public, just as any other organization or company would not be able to. “Reflection gets to the heart of the matter, the truth of things. After appropriate reflection, the meaning of the past is known and the resolution of the experience-the course of action you must take as a result, becomes clear.” (Bennis, pg. 116.)

I learned the importance of being genuine and honest and of demonstrating that if you expect someone to do something; you ought to be able to do the very thing you are asking them to do as well. Sergeant Chris Davis had his own very unique manner of riffing on leadership and what it often takes to lead. I came away from the experience, much more curious about certain dynamics than I had been before, by his interesting and original ideas.

Clearly, Sergeant  Davis is someone who is a very talented and careful leader. I hope to emulate much of his thinking and behavior one day, in a leadership position, in which I may actually make a difference, with regard to post-secondary education and the development of the population I hope to enrich, influence and assist. 

                    Works Cited 

1.) Bennis, W., On Becoming a Leader. (2009). Cambridge Mass, Perseus Books.

2.) Cherniss, C., & Goleman, D. (eds.). (2001). The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace: How to select for measure, and improve emotional intelligence in individuals, groups and organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

3.) Denning, S., (2005). The Leaders Guide to Story Telling San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

4.) Rath, T., & Conchie, B., (2008). Strengths Based Leadership. New York, NY. Gallip Press.

Partial Transcript of October 16th, 2010 interview of Sgt. Chris Davis. 

TK: What do you consider the most important qualities a leader of others, like yourself, must demonstrate, to gain the trust, loyalty and cooperation of those whom you lead and direct?

Sgt. Davis: Well! That’s a very good question. I think…you know I think there are a lot of important qualities but I think to boil it all down, you need to have credibility. There’s component parts that go into that. You need to be competent at your job because people who work around you-especially police officers? It’s our job to find the…the ‘lie’ in people’s stories or find the negative thing…about people- that’s our job! So, they’re very good at doing that (police officers) with their supervisors and the people in leadership positions. And so you have to be… if you’re going to be effective as a leader in a law enforcement organization especially, you have to… People have to know that you’re capable of doing the job that you ask them to do. And another part of that credibility is people have to be able to trust you. You have to…you have to tell the truth. You don’t want to lie to people who work for you and you really don’t want to lie to cops because what do we do for a living? We catch people lying to us for a living! And so it’s kind of hardwired into us to know when someone’s lying to us. And you have to be…you have to hold yourself, I think, to a higher standard even than you hold your officers to. Because they’re looking at you for the example and you know, in times like this, not just in Portland but in law enforcement agencies everywhere, one of the problems that we have is…the limits for officers are a little unclear. Police officers like to know what their limits are. Because by nature, we tend to be conformists; so we want to know what our limits are and at least in this organization in the last couple of years, that’s become unclear to a lot of people what the limits actually are. And so they’re looking at you as their supervisor to model what is appropriate and what’s not. They need to know that you’re setting the example for them that the organization wants you to set. And I think there’s a certain amount of balance too, to be effective. You know…you’ll talk to some people who feel like their whole focus as a leader in the organization is just the protection of the organization without any regard at all to the needs of the people who work here. And then there are… probably more people who go the other way and their whole focus is on the people who work here without any worry about the needs of the organization. And so, you have to balance…you have to be able to balance the needs of the organization with the needs of the individual human beings who work here. And I think… if you can do all those things effectively, that will help you gain the trust of the people who work here. But without that? If they don’t trust you, cops especially? If they don’t trust you or if they think you’re…full of it, you’re done; you’re not going to be effective. You can tell people what to do and they’ll do it but you won’t be nearly as effective. 

TK: Would you like to share anything else regarding your experience as a police officer, a leader and as a Sgt? What have you learned about the human condition from all your years of service that you didn't previously know?

Sgt. Davis: You know I think the most striking thing that this job has taught me about people? …When you’re not a police officer…at least before I was a police officer I had this very black and white view of the world. That criminals are all just criminals all the time and have no redeeming value at all and need to be rounded up and carted off to prison and locked away. And certainly there are people who are that kind of Hollywood style super villain who are really bad, dangerous, scary people who we really need to put someplace else…besides out in the neighborhood. But that’s a pretty small percentage of people who end up on the wrong side of the law. And so many of these people just…made a bad decision somewhere and went sideways. And when you stop seeing people in criminal situations as somehow less than human and you start to realize that they’re human beings and they deserve to be treated as human beings? I think that’s when you’ve really arrived in this profession. And you know, I can have all these scary looking people up on the street crimes wall here, (motions to the street crimes poster wall) and I can have a meaningful conversation with almost any of them. Some of these people I know and they’re pretty scary people…who don’t care much about others. But I just remember dealing with this guy when I was a police officer out in SE Portland who was a chronic Meth user-auto thief-fraudster-bad guy. And I arrested him one night-of the many times that I arrested him and we were on our way to jail and he started…somehow the topic of his mother came up because he’d done something that his mom was there…and watched him throw a bottle at somebody or something…and uh, he started crying. And you know it turned out that he’s a human being after all. And you know, this guy, despite all the times I’d put him in jail and towed the car out from under him for driving on a suspended license and chased him around the neighborhood…he still loves his mother! And so it’s not as black and white as it looks from the outside. And police officers are like that too. You know, it’s easy for the public, I think-because it was easy for me, before I was a police officer…to see a police car go by and make a whole bunch of assumptions about the person driving it. You can’t do that. Because every one of us is different and you know…people see…something happen and they see…in the cases…sometimes our officers make some pretty bad decisions. And sometimes we end up prosecuting our own officers for things that they do…but that’s not all of us! And so I think that’s what it’s taught me-is just not to be quite so judgmental of people.