Organizational roles are those based on policy. It is the power of position. So, an effective SuperVisor will play a number of roles based on his or her position within the organizational structure.

Organizational Roles of a SuperVisor
Obstacle Remover
Resource Officer
Problem Solver
Change Agent
Risk Taker

Obstacle Remover

Part of a SuperVisor’s job is to identify the obstacles that are preventing team members from achieving the highest possible levels of performance. Obstacles to high performance include lack of training, faulty equipment, outdated policies, too much red tape, political interference, inadequate resources, weak relationships, or a host of other issues that require your attention. Many of these may not be immediately evident so you must put on your SuperVision goggles, look beyond the obvious, identify the obstacle, and remove it so that you can pave the way for your team.

When I teach the Dynamic Leadership course, I always like to ask my students this question:

“Are you an Obstacle Remover… or are you an Obstacle?”

This is a question that we should constantly ask ourselves as leaders since one of the greatest obstacles to high performance is often poor leadership.

Resource Officer

You may not always have control of the resources that your officers need to accomplish the mission set before them. But you had better know where these resources are and how to mobilize them if they exist. I have often said that the resources to solve your community problems are already present in your community. They just aren’t mobilized effectively.

Problem Solver

So much of what we do in law enforcement and organizational management is window dressing. We spend way too much time, effort, and resources dealing with symptoms rather than actually solving problems. To identify the problem, you have to again look below the surface. Often the true problem lies with a lack of character. And the solution to the problems we face can be found in the character-based principles of Police Dynamics and Dynamic Leadership.

It would be like me going to the doctor with a splitting headache. If the doctor gives me a painkiller, is he dealing with the symptom or the problem? The symptom is the headache but the problem could be a tumor or an aneurysm. If I take a painkiller, I might feel better but I’m still going to die! An effective SuperVisor sees beyond the symptoms to the problem, then takes action to solve it.

Change Agent

This is such an important role that we have a whole dynamic dedicated to it – the Dynamic of Change. But accomplishing pre-determined objectives, by definition, involves change. It means moving from where we are today to where we would like to be tomorrow in terms of our organizational and community goals. So an effective SuperVisor must understand the dynamics of change and use them to his advantage. As an instigator, as well as a manager, of change, you can shape the organizational environment so that it encourages a willingness to change.

Risk Taker

I don’t mean this in the sense of taking physical risks – like driving without your seat belt or patrolling without a ballistic vest. I mean risks within your relationships with your officers and staff. The most important risk I ask you to take is the risk of letting your people make well-intentioned mistakes. Not malicious or ill-intentioned mistakes. But those where you know their heart was in the right place, you know their intentions and motivations were sound, but something still went wrong and they failed. If you, as a SuperVisor, deal with the situation correctly, you can restore the officer or employee without breaking their spirit.

Too often we see supervisors beat up an employee when they made a well-intentioned mistake and it trashes their morale and motivation. Think about your own experience. Most people have been in a situation where they were disciplined by supervisor for making a well-intentioned mistake. Think about what it did to your motivation and initiative. If we want officers and employees that perform at the highest levels then we must be conscious of crushing their spirits when they are trying to do the right thing.

I always like to ask two questions at this point when I am presenting Dynamic Leadership:

“How many of you have beaten up by a supervisor when you know your intentions were sound but you still made a mistake?”

Then,
“How many of you have been that supervisor?”

We tend to treat our own people the way we were treated with often devastating results when it comes to morale and performance. Put on your SuperVision goggles and look into the heart of your officer. Were their intentions and character pure? If that’s the case, restore them gently so that they do not repeat the mistake without crushing their spirit.