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CRJS 395
Pauline Criste
Old Dominion University
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Effective Leadership
One with a purpose of unleashing their highest potential and elevating others creates
effective leadership. Leading a group by modeling the way of excellence will inspire people to
demonstrate the same actions resulting in success. It is valuable that a leader gives importance to
their people by having effective communication, gives time to develop others for their growth,
and gives acknowledgement to their employees’ hard work. A leader cannot successfully lead
without the aid of their followers.
Leadership in public safety involves a lot of variables such as the law, criminals,
employees, and people in the community. Their leadership does not only take a role in the
workplace, it also involves everyone’s safety in the community. The decisions that a leader
makes in this field is critical because lives are at stake. According to the reading, "Effective
Police Leadership: Experiences and Perspectives of Law Enforcement Leaders.", “Effective
leadership involves a set of actions and initiatives to better the agency and the community it
serves while also protecting the welfare, well-being, and interests of employees and the citizens
they protect.” (Schafer, 2008) The traits of effective leaders are setting a proper example and
demonstrating trustworthiness, considering the input of others, taking accountability in their
actions, make informed decisions, treat all employees equally with respect, and allowing
subordinates to have space for creativity in handling their duties with their skills and level of
authority. Leaders that strengthen these traits will increase their employees' satisfaction at work.
Leaders can influence people in communities and organizations because they are the
individuals who stand out in the crowd to motivate, inspire, manage, and encourage. To be an
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effective leader, one must have confidence in their speaking, listening, and self awareness.
People tend to acknowledge their strengths but have trouble identifying their weaknesses.
Unrecognized weaknesses that can hinder a leader’s success are called blindspots. Having
blindspots means that there is a gap between what one does not see for themselves that others do
see. In order to have a better understanding of one another’s blindspots in a group, it is necessary
to have strong communication skills and practice effective feedback. According to the journal
entry “Strong Communication Skills a Must for Today’s Leaders.” , “Good communication skills
enable, foster, and create the understanding and trust necessary to encourage others to follow a
leader. Without effective communication, a manager accomplishes little. Without effective
communication, a manager is not an effective leader.” (Barrett, 2006) A weakness in
communication can create misunderstandings and conflict. The conflict comes from distractions
and inactively listening. Leaders tend to have a lot of tasks on their to-do list, however, giving
time to learn how to actively listen without interrupting the speaker and putting full focus on the
interaction will result in a clearer conversation and effective communication. Repeating the main
topics will help in confirming that both ends of the conversation have the same understanding of
the messages relayed and providing feedback to one another after the engagement. Providing
feedback will help the team and the leader to have knowledge on what is being done well that
one should keep doing, what needs to be started, and what needs to be stopped in order to have
successful results. Feedback will encourage them to improve on their work and will help build a
stronger relationship within the team.
Words of affirmation are valued in a healthy work environment. When a leader lacks to
give acknowledgment to their team, this discourages them to put in effort. A leader can motivate
their team by rewarding and recognizing their hard work. Human Resources Encouraging the
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Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others states that “People obtain a great
deal of satisfaction from positive feedback, but most of us do not think we really need it because
we are smart, strong, and independent.” (Landen, 2007) Being a part of the public safety field is
riskier than any other occupation because their life can be put in danger for the safety of others.
In return for their dedication to the community, a celebration of an individual or a group's
success can cheer them on. In a work environment where people are cheered on for their
accomplishments, the employees are most likely to collaborate with their team in order to
succeed. It inspires them to improve their work when there is a reward given. Rewarding the
employees with opportunities such as promotions and bonuses inspires them to continuously
excel and to seek growth in the workplace. Exchanging acknowledgements from one another
creates a bond in the workplace and respect for one another is given.
Leaders that have credibility will be perceived by their workers as someone that is
committed to the values of an organization. An environment that values growth, respect,
proactiveness, collaboration, and integrity is an outstanding place to work in. An example of an
effective leader is one that models the way of a good work behavior and invests their time for the
growth of their employees. Putting people first is the key to success in public safety.
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References
Barrett, Deborah J. “Strong Communication Skills a Must for Today’s Leaders.” Handbook of
Business Strategy, vol. 7, no. 1, 2006, pp. 385–390.,
https://doi.org/10.1108/10775730610619124.
Landen, M. (2007). Resource Review: Human Resources Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's
Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others. Journal of Research Administration, 38, 123-
124,11. http://proxy.lib.odu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/
resource-review-human-resources-encouraging-heart/docview/216590011/se-2
Schafer, Joseph A. "Effective Police Leadership: Experiences and Perspectives of Law
Enforcement Leaders." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 77.7 (2008): 13. Web.
