“There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations … who will raise up friends to fight our battle for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. … Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” — Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775

Abner Nash

Interestingly (to me at least), I was reading Patriot Sons, Patriot Brothers, a book about two of my ancestors Abner and Francis Nash, and found that their elder brother, John Nash, Jr. was present at Saint John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 1775 when Patrick Henry made his famous speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Gen. Francis Nash was killed by a British cannonball at the Battle of Germantown. The same cannonball killed the son of John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of my favorite Founding Fathers. Thomas Paine passed Gen. Nash as his wounded body was being carried to receive medical attention. He died a few days later and his funeral was attended by none other than Gen. George Washington. Just thought you should know…

The Dynamic Leadership Rule of Discipline fits very well within a progressive discipline model. Discerning where the offender is on the downward Path of Destruction described in the Dynamic of Restoration is the key factor in determining their character. There are five steps in the Path of Destruction: Independent Spirit, Wounded Spirit, Bitter Spirit, Rebellious Spirit, and Unrestorable Spirit. Interestingly, these five steps fit very nicely into a progressive discipline model that includes Counselling, Reprimand, Suspension, Demotion, and Termination.

There are specific steps in the downward Path of Destruction that a person will typically experience once he steps out from under authority. To gain a full understanding of the Rule of Discipline and the reasons behind ethical failures, it is essential to understand this process.

Path of Destruction

We start with the Faithful Spirit – protected from harmful and evil influences and acting in harmony with the principles of his authority. He takes the first steps out from under this protection by displaying an Independent Spirit. (more…)

The Dynamic of Discipline series introduces a two-part character-based Rule of Discipline that serves as a guide for administering a progressive disciplinary model within an organization.

RULE OF DISCIPLINE

Part 1: Let the nature of the offense determine the range of disciplinary options that are available 

Part 2: Let the character of the offender determine which option you choose

In any given situation where there is an infraction that requires disciplinary action, there is typically a range of options available to the SuperVisor. Many factors determine the range of options: (more…)

As police and government leaders, we certainly don’t want to encourage someone to do something stupid that puts themselves or their families at risk. At the same time, we don’t want our citizens to be a bunch of wimps that are intimidated by the criminals. In fact, fear and intimidation are the very things that criminals count on to establish strongholds. When fear, coupled with apathy and tolerance for crime, are pervasive in a neighborhood, the criminals often have free reign.

I appreciate Wild Bill for America’s videos and he always raises interesting, albeit controversial, issues…

“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
— Sam Ewing

Joseph Story

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.”
— Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833

Naqib

This will be a different kind of posting for Police Dynamics, but I am asking for your help in supporting Naqib, one of the Afghan street children I have been looking after for the last couple of years. He has been working near the Embassy everyday selling little trinkets, scarves, and other items to send himself to a private English school. However, because of the travel restrictions that have been placed on our pedestrian travels, most of his customer base has dried up and he had to drop out of school. Now, his parents have moved out of town, essentially leaving him to fend for himself on the streets.

He has reasonably good English skills, but I want to get him back in school and help with his living expenses. (more…)

In the first video from the Dynamic of Discipline, we look at the definition of discipline…

We usually think about discipline in it’s negative context as punishment for improper behavior. But that’s only one aspect of discipline. If you look at an older dictionary, one published earlier than 1950 or so, you find a different definition. I found this definition of discipline in a 1948 Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary that belongs to my mom:

Discipline is TRAINING that molds, corrects, strengthens, and perfects moral CHARACTER.

In it’s purest sense, discipline is character training! In fact, the word disciple comes from that same root.

So when you think about discipline within a character-based context, think about it as an effort to restore the individual into a proper relationship with his or her authorities. (more…)

About 10% of any group or organization of people will never change no matter what you do or what you tell them. Their minds are made up. Don’t confuse them with the facts! These 10%ers can be VERY challenging to leaders and supervisors as they tend to resist any efforts to initiate change within the organization.

There is another 10% that will change very readily if you just present them with the facts. If you can show them why Plan A is better than the status quo, they tend to accept that change very easily and even enthusiastically. We sometimes wish there were more than 10% of these folks around!

But there is a majority, the 80%ers, who will change, but only within the context of a trust-based relationship. This underscores the Coactivity Maxim that the power for effective change rests within our relationships. This is why your Team-Building Roles, those based on the power of relationships, are so important for bringing about organizational change. By building the internal relationships first, you create an environment that is conducive to positive change and you will encounter less resistance in the future.

Think about in the context of cigarette smokers. (more…)

A subscriber to Police Dynamics recently asked for permission to use the Classic Challenge to a Law Officer training video during a law enforcement ethics class that he is teaching. Just so that all of our viewers know, you are free to use any of the training materials posted on the website or on the Police Dynamics YouTube Channel. In fact, that’s exactly what they are there for. As my Chaplain used to say, “If it fits your barrel, fire it!” Of course, I would appreciate it if you gave Police Dynamics credit as the source and helped direct people back to the website for more information.

Thanks for your support as we try to make Police Dynamics THE online source for character-based training related to law enforcement and leadership principles. You can help by promoting the site through your social networks and email databases…

Sheriff Ray