As I wrote in an earlier blog, one of my sons is playing tackle football for the first time this year. It has been a blast for me to watch him grow throughout this season. One of the things that goes along with him playing football are volunteer requirements for the league. Today I fulfilled …
We have talked before here in the Iron Blog about the leader’s responsibilities when their people are tired. And because leaders always should put their people first, it would be worth your time to go back and read that blog here. But what if the leader is the one who is tired? What if the …
It was reported this week that Nike, the shoe and sports clothing giant, is closing their corporate offices for a week. Not because of COVID, or restructuring, or anything seemingly business-related. In fact, they did it so their employees could focus on their personal mental health. Now I am not advocating that public safety agencies …
You folks probably already know this, but just in case it isn’t clear, there are certain people that I hold in very high esteem. To say I’m a fan of these people is probably accurate but perhaps it doesn’t completely convey how much I admire some of the great leaders in our field and in …
They certainly don’t happen that often, but once in a while I get one of those days. You know the days I’m talking about. The kind where you look at your calendar and there is nothing, absolutely nothing, scheduled for the day. Waking up on one of those days is glorious. Laying in bed asking …
“I have an open door policy” seems to be one of the requirements of those who gain formal authority in an organization. It’s possible that it’s one of those non-negotiable tenants that one must accept in order to get promoted. Now don’t get me wrong – I support the intent behind the open door policy. …
When was the last time you were in a meeting, and it ended because everyone in attendance simply had nothing left to say? If you are like most folks, the answer is either never or it has been so long you can’t remember. Most meetings end because we run out of time rather than run …
We are big fans of Left of Bang – one of the most, if not the most, officer safety books that has come out in the past decade. There is so much in there that can enhance the way that officers perform their daily tasks. If you haven’t read it yet, you need to. In …
This week I was reading an article in Harvard Business Review called 6 Strategies for Leading Through Uncertainty. One of the strategies really hit home for me and I’d like to share my thoughts with you. One of the strategies discussed by the author is the to resist oversimplifications and quick conclusions. Wow! This certainly …
If you’ve ever been to a Command Presence class, you know that we are big fans of the Arbinger Institute. They have some incredible material that is worth your time and effort. One of the things that they stress is the importance of seeing people as people, not as objects. And it’s powerful when you …