“The right of freely examining public characters and measures, and of free communication among the people thereon … has ever been justly deemed the only effectual guardian of every other right.” — James Madison, Virginia Resolutions, 1798

George Washington

“We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our won country’s honor, all call upon us for vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the cause, and the aid of the supreme being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions.”

— George Washington, 1776

…because there are two sides to every question, and taking one with decision, and acting on it with effect, those who take the other will of course be hostile in proportion as they feel that effect.”

— Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, 1817

Several subscribers to the Police Dynamics site reported to me that they were unable to access the page with the free downloads when they first signed up. I believe I have been able to remedy the problem with a temporary fix. Follow the link that was sent to you by email when you first subscribed and use the password PDINTRO when prompted. This should give you access to the free downloads. Please try this and let me know if you have any further problems.

The site is a work in progress so I appreciate your understanding and patience…

Sheriff Ray

Team Building Roles are those based upon relationships. It is the Power of Influence.

In keeping with the sports metaphor, there are at least six Team Building Roles that an effective SuperVisor will play:

Team Building Roles of a SuperVisor

Coach
Referee
Scorekeeper
Cheerleader
Team Player
Water Boy

Coach

The coach is the mentor and the director of operations. He has the Super Vision – the ability to see the big picture, to know the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and the strategic vision to direct the plays. He sees things the players themselves may not be able to see and leads the team accordingly. He hopes that the team players will get the big picture, and it’s his duty to try to pass it on to them, but he can’t count on it. They may not yet have the maturity to see things from a larger perspective.

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Al Mozingo

from Al Mozingo – the Fire Manager…

As leaders we are often asked to motivate people.  We have our supervisor asking us to “motivate your subordinates.”  How many leaders really have some techniques, methods, or theories they utilize in this endeavor?  Hopefully, the below information will assist you in motivating your people.

The definition of motivation is: to incite or impel another.  Further, the definition of motivational research is: a systematic and scientific analysis of the forces influencing people so as to control the making of their decisions.  With those two definitions presented, now let us look at motivating our people.

Motivation:
to incite or impel another

Motivational Research:
a systematic and scientific analysis of the forces influencing people so as to control the making of their decisions

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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.

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Good Stuff from the Fire Manager – Al Mozingo…

I recently read a book about Four Star Generals and Admirals.  At the end of the book was an article about comments given to a group of new Brigadier Generals.  It was given as part of a two-day training session at the Pentagon to brief these new Generals on their promotions.  Unofficially it was called the “Charm School.”  The presenter was General Louis L. Wilson, Jr. a graduate of West Point, a former Air Force Inspector General, and Commander in Chief for the Pacific Air Forces.

This General looked at the canned speech that was normally given and decided to change it.  After going over thoughts of his successes and failures as a leader over the years, he presented the following:

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A couple of subscribers to the Police Dynamics site have notified me they are having problems with the free downloads after they go through the subscription process. If this happens to you, please use the Contact Me tab on the main menu or the one that appears on the left of the page and I will email the documents to you. I am still working out some kinks in the system so your patience is appreciated.

Sheriff Ray

As a SuperVisor, a leader with Super Vision, you have a bunch of roles to fulfill. And I think you can break them down into two main categories — Organizational Roles and Team-Building Roles.

Organizational Roles are those based on policy and reflect the power of position — your rank, assignment, or position within the organizational structure.

Organizational Roles
based on policy
Positional Power

Team-Building Roles are those based on relationships and reflect your power of influence.

Team-Building Roles
based on relationships
Influential Power

Both types of roles are important for a SuperVisor to possess and you will find yourself moving from one role to the other throughout your workday. Doing so seamlessly is the mark of a dynamic leader who knows how to use principles of character-based SuperVision.