Anyone that has spent any time in law enforcement is familiar with the Peelian Principles which were crafted in the early 1800’s as ideals of what an ethical police force should look like. What is amazing about these ideas is the relevance they still hold for modern police work. This lasting effect provides strong testament to the value and simplicity of these principles. A recent interaction as part of my role as a patrol sergeant made me wonder if these underlying principles would also hold lessons for supervision and management of police work (and presumably other work as well) if slightly adapted. With the utmost respect and homage to the original crafter, here is my adaptation to management and supervision:
The basic mission for which supervisors exist is to prevent disorder.
In other words, it is your job to provide guidance, skills, training and planning which are designed to prevent problems from occurring. No one wants to see you running around putting out fires at the first sign of smoke. What they really want is to not see any smoke in the first place.
The ability of a supervisor to perform their job is dependent on the employee approval of the supervisor’s existence, actions, behavior and ability to secure and maintain respect.
John Maxwell commented that if you are leading, and no one is following, you are really just out for a walk. Sometimes it may seem like employees aren’t paying attention to anything you do. Don’t fall for this. Trust me, you will be reminded of every policy violation you made and rule you bent when it is time to hold someone accountable. In all seriousness though, be sure to model the behavior you want the employees to follow. They should know where they stand, and they should also know where you stand on issues and items of importance.
The supervisor must secure the willing cooperation of the employee in the voluntary observance of the rules.
No one wants to be in a situation where every task requires a direct order to accomplish it. This is heading down a lose-lose path where both the employee and the supervisor will suffer as the use of positional authority escalates, and the defiance by the employee will likely increase. Worse yet, maybe the employee lands smack dab in the middle of mediocrity, where the both of you are stuck with a situation in which no one can succeed.
The degree of cooperation of the employee that can be secured diminishes, proportionately, to the necessity for the use of positional authority to achieve objectives.
One of the least favorite parts of my job is when I have to be a “Sergeant.” I am specifically referring to those times when I need to exert that positional authority and pull out the “or else” part of my job. To avoid this, we should work to learn as much as possible about the people that we supervise. What motivates them? What skills do they possess? Where are you likely to be at odds? What is their favorite part of the job? Are you assigning them a task because you know they will be good at it or is it to remind them who is really in charge here? Take what you learn from them and use it to leverage them into a position where they can be the most effective with their particular set of skills.
The supervisor seeks and preserves employee favor, not by catering to popular opinion, but by demonstrating impartiality, individual service, friendship, courtesy, friendly good humor and individual sacrifice to all.
We have all heard the mantra that when you are promoted to a supervisory position your friendships will change. You are no longer one of the guys or gals. While there is a lot of truth to this, one of the worst things you can do as a supervisor is try hard to be liked or popular. This will often put you in the bad position of not making the decisions you should, or employees not respecting you because you do not address problems that need it. One of the most important lessons I learned as I began supervising was to separate the problem from the person. Deal with behavior on its merits, and try to avoid letting personal feelings for the person influencing the decision. By doing this you will be more consistent, and more successful in maintaining respect.
The supervisor should use positional authority only to the extent needed to secure observance of the rules, and only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to achieve the objectives.
None of this is to say you will never encounter a situation that can only be fixed through the “or else”, known colloquially by some as “motivating through consequences.” However, this should be a last resort when you have tried all other techniques at your disposal to gain voluntary compliance with objectives. Being a good motivator can mean that you have outlined the objective, identified the purpose and means to accomplish it, and relayed all of this information effectively while demonstrating your support for it.
The supervisor should at all times maintain a relationship with the employees that gives reality to the idea that supervisors are employees; paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every employee.
We often hear this recited along the lines of, “don’t forget where you came from.” Usually referenced when a supervisor starts to exude an air of being better than the people they work with. We learn different lessons all of the time to include both the positive and negative. Take time to self-reflect and think back to your days before you were a supervisor. Everyone has a story of a boss they didn’t care for and hopefully a story or two of a favorite. Be the boss that you wanted when you were in their position.
The supervisor should always direct their actions toward their functions and never appear to act in retaliation or usurp any process put in place for fair and impartial treatment.
Grudges are bad business. They don’t belong in a professional organization and certainly not anywhere near supervision. Always take the high road, the view and the smell are much better, and you will not have to worry about the need to apologize for anything later. There are processes in place in your organization. Show your employees your respect by following them.
The test of supervisor efficiency is the absence of disorder, not the visible evidence of supervisor action in dealing with it. Resist the urge to show up at the next staff meeting to talk about how you cracked some heads and got everyone back in line to fix the latest crisis on your watch. Instead, think how much nicer it would have been to not have a crisis in the first place. Work with your people. Train them to do their job better. Train them to do your job. By teaching them how to do what you do you will be showing them respect and creating a whole team to help you accomplish the objectives. Play to their strengths and teach them to look out for each other. I know we are all busy, and sometimes delegating a task today will take two or three times as long as doing it yourself. But we are not looking for a payoff today; we are looking for one next quarter and the next year. Help your people grow and take care of them. In turn they will take care of you.
Sergeant Erik Johnston has been an officer for over 13 years and a Sergeant for 5 years. He has held many roles to include SRO, Investigator and Field Training Officer. He currently manages the Field Training program for the department. Sergeant Johnston holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Metropolitan State University, and a master’s degree in Police Leadership from the University of St. Thomas. He is a Community Faculty member at Metropolitan State University where he teaches criminal justice courses.