Length of Course: 2 days
Instructor: James W. Dodson 

Course Description:    “Gone are the days that the person at the top of the organization knows all of the answers.” It has often been said that, “everything rises and falls upon leadership.” Today’s public safety and criminal justice agencies need strong leaders---and lots of them. To meet the demands placed upon these agencies, leadership should be fostered at all levels of the organization and all employees from the agency head and other managers down through the ranks to supervisors, trainers, officers, clerks and secretaries, should be encouraged to act as leaders. 

The Leadership Challenge of developing excellence in yourself and others is a course built upon a well established truth, “You can not lead others until you can lead yourself.” Much of the leadership training today is geared more toward ability and proficiency in one’s profession. It often ignores the benefits of developing sound personal leadership principles in our personnel which serve as the foundation on which to build cohesiveness within an organization and enhance all other professional development. This course focuses on 10 proven principles of personal leadership development. It offers a blueprint that will greatly impact and influence any new, current or future leader that true leadership excellence is doing the right thing, setting the right example, serving as a role model and making a difference in other people’s lives.

 The “Leadership Challenge” is about sound human resource development that highlights the difference in an average organization or one that provides the “winning edge” in employee, staff and organizational development.

Course Objective:     Public safety and criminal justice professionals encounter, on a daily basis, a myriad of society’s most difficult and demanding challenges.  The sound leadership principles and skills taught in this training will provide new and current leaders at all levels with a foundation  that will allow them to immediately transfer these  principles and skills to  real-life challenges that they will encounter in both their personal and professional lives.

Course Topics:  Personal Leadership, Setting Priorities, Integrity, Ethics, Vision, Dealing with Change, Attitude, Problem Solving, Self-discipline, and Wellness.

Personal Leadership:   Becoming a proper influence, are you the CEO of You, Inc., a commitment to excellence, the value of job knowledge, developing great people skills and positive relationships, the importance of a professional presence,  personal responsibility, the mediocre employee, patience, the power of confidence,  the value of teamwork.

Setting Priorities:   Putting first things first and knowing what really is important.

Integrity:    A way of life or lip service, integrity vs. image, knowing where the line is, politically correct is not always correct, bad company corrupts good character, profile of a lie, policing the public safety professions and dealing with workplace misconduct, what accountability and liability really mean, physical bravery vs. moral bravery,  admitting mistakes and avoiding cover-ups, the old culture vs. the new culture, a mistake or misconduct, honesty and the boomerang syndrome, why the truth will always come out, Rambo and the qualified immunity defense, character, courage, honor and duty

Ethics:   Integrity vs. ethics, why situational ethics fail, purpose of code of ethics, promoting the code of honor, the noble officer cause and the end justify the means mindset, testifying or testlying, personal ethics vs. professional ethics, defining true brotherhood, professional courtesy or favoritism, freedom to do the job.

Vision:   Day dreaming or a true blue print for the future, the importance of goal setting and how to.

Dealing with Change:   It will come and how to deal with it, why it challenges us, avoiding self-sabotage, why change equals growth, the challenge of thinking.

Attitude:   Why it will be your best friend or worst enemy, good or bad, it stands out, who’s responsible for it, the jack syndrome, attitude vs. aptitude, is the grass really greener, training for failure, revealing your hidden assets, the challenge of thinking.

Self-Discipline:   Developing self-control, the benefits of self-discipline and pay now or play later

Problem Solving:   Why we don’t like them, they can have meaning, why getting the facts is an absolute, how to develop problem solving skills.

Wellness:  Life’s first prize, the myth about not having the time, how stress sabotages you, how fatigue can make a coward of you, and the benefits of a good wellness program.

Who Should Attend?:   Sworn and civilian public safety and criminal justice professionals at all levels will benefit from this training.  Law Enforcement, street and road patrol officers, FTO’s criminal investigators, trainers, supervisors, mid-level and upper level management.  Fire Service and EMS personnel, Correctional and Detention personnel, Probation and Parole personnel at all levels.

Benefits of Attending:

• Provides professionals at all levels of the public safety and criminal justice professions with a personal leadership structure that promotes leadership from the inside out.

• Provides personnel with the “winning edge: in personal and career survival by equipping them with sound leadership principles to successfully navigate the “occupational landmines” in both their personal and professional lives.

• A great jump-starting course for those dedicated professionals who may have lost their vision and/or are experiencing symptoms of disillusionment, frustration, burnout and who may be struggling to continue in a career that aims to serve and protect.

• A tremendous aid to administrators attempting to reset the organizational leadership picture or culture.

• Develops personal leadership skills of employees while allowing management to adopt a very proactive approach to human resource development and the prevention of employee misconduct.