Leaders shape the outcomes of the agencies they direct and the job satisfaction of the people they manage. Given the current staffing crisis in the criminal justice profession, the role of the leader is emphasized in determining the outcomes of the organization and the profession as a whole. This session discusses the concept of adaptive leadership and how it can help address existing organizational issues in the profession.
This webinar’s instructor is Thom Dworak, the founder and lead instructor of The Adaptive Way who developed and facilitates The Adaptive FTO. Thom retired as a Sergeant in a Chicago police department where he served as the Field Training, Evaluation Program Coordinator, and the Lead Defensive Tactics/Use of Force Instructor.
Specifics discussed in the course include:
- The crisis the criminal justice profession is facing in terms of recruitment, retention, retirements, and resignations.
- The different factors that brought about this mass exodus of law enforcement professionals.
- A glimpse into the gravity of this crisis for different law enforcement agencies and what is being done on their end to manage and offset the effects of the crisis.
- The things that people want in their employers that drive a sticky culture where employees stay not because they have to, but because they want to.
- What Adaptive Leadership is, how it helps individuals and organizations, and the four different areas incorporated within it.
- The qualities found in an adaptive leader as it relates to their disposition on successes, failures, changes and uncertainty, their emotions and relationships, their sense of purpose and values, and their ego.
- How adaptive leaders create and nurture a sticky culture.
- How leaders behave in an adaptive leadership model in terms of participation, communication, problem solving, discipline, dealing with mistakes and soliciting feedback.
- The five pillars of emotional intelligence, what they are, how they manifest, why they’re valuable in leaders, and tips on how to improve each one.
- Hacks to enhance emotional intelligence development in leaders.
- What organizational justice is, and how psychological safety, decision fairness, information sharing, and outcome concern foster organizational culture.
- The key elements that comprise character, questions to reflect on that influence character, and the value of humility.
- The different facets of development that leaders must partake in for themselves and provide others with.
- The importance of having courageous conversations and how it benefits the people and the organization as a whole.
- What a learning organization is, its benefits to its workforce, and the central role of leaders in it.
Points raised during the Q&A are about:
- What criminal justice agencies and the profession can do to address the staffing challenges and how this impacts the personnel’s personal lives.
- What the criminal justice profession can leverage to attract recruits apart from just the salary.
Other Webinars with this Speaker:
- Feb 3: Emotional Intelligence and Decision Making
- April 12: Lateral-Hire Onboarding: Field Training for the Experienced Officer
- May 26: Adaptive Leadership: Creating “Sticky” Organizational Cultures (this webinar)
Resources and Handouts
- Handout: Resource List
- Handout: Upcoming Class Listing
- Book: The Power of Adaptive Leadership by Heifetz, Linsky and Grashow
- Book: The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter Senge
- Book: Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- Book: Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by McChrystal, Collins et al
- Book: The Empathetic Workplace by Katharine Manning
Audience Comments
- “I really appreciate the focus on the importance of leadership in creating a positive work culture, especially in law enforcement. The presenter said “um” a lot which became slightly distracting, but the information he presented was great!” — Madeline
- “Excellent.” — Robert
- “I like that the presenter reiterated two things I frequently state, “You can either make excuses, or you can make progress. However, you can’t do both. Choose one.” and “If you present a problem, advise of the recommended solution. Otherwise, you are a part of the problem.” — Sukenna
- “The presentation was great. Thank you very much!!” — Tami
- “This seminar was absolutely phenomenal! So much great information, discussion, and questions. Wish more leadership members would watch and learn. Thank you for hosting. Hopefully, we can head off the resignations and retirements with adaptive policies, programs, and leaders! Thank you.” — Kim
- “I truly enjoyed everything. It hits home on some of the problems in my organization. Training is something we all can use more of and would benefit my organization. Thank you.” — Constance
- “Validating that staff needs leaders, not necessarily more managers.” — Donya
- “Very knowledgeable speaker. Empathy is the most valuable take-away from this seminar. Thank you for offering this very important training.” — Roseann
