Futurist Field Notes:
Can Millennial Gen Public Safety Leaders Save the World? Or at Least Keep Us Safer? By Gene StephensNOTICE: Essays and comments posted on World Future Society Web Forums are the intellectual property of the authors, who retain full responsibility for and rights to their content. For permission to publish, distribute copies, use excerpts, etc., please contact the author.A new brand of public safety officer—police, fire, emergency services, community corrections specialist—is taking to the streets across the world. He/she is young—under 25—tech savvy, self assured, independent but capable of working with others, impatient, and, oh yes, absolutely certain saving the world is part of the job. This Millennial Generation public servant had better be as good as he/she thinks—because the job is clearly gigantic, as crime and disorder has become a worldwide phenomenon—with danger likely to come from any place around the globe. Traditional street crime has been joined by international terrorism and cyber and biotech offenses coupled with multinational battles for control of the earth’s dwindling resources on the one hand and efforts to save the earth from destruction on the other. At the individual community level, this infusion of threat from sources and places heretofore unknown, has public safety trainers scrambling to discover how to infuse the values and skills necessary to provide leadership in a field where an aversion to change has been a tradition. High technology and instantaneous global communication already have changed the public safety landscape beyond recognition from the beginning of the 21st Century—with many in the field unable to grasp the significance of recent events. "Leadership in public safety agencies, particularly police agencies, is at a critical crossroad," says Rick Michelson, 30-year police veteran, in an article posted on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) website. He cites early retirement by many and the "graying" of departments as experienced Baby Boomers (born 1943-1960) and Gen Xers (1960-80) are being replaced by Gen Nexters (1980-2000) in the ranks at a time when fewer dollars are being allocated for training—especially for leadership. Still, there is reason for hope, as Michelson says Nexters are competent and comfortable with technology and are fast learners who like change and are often impatient and bored with the status quo. As for the education/training necessary to prepare this new generation of leaders, a first-of-its-kind Public Safety Leadership Summit was held in January in Columbia, SC, where representatives of more than 20 states, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, plus Canada and the United Kingdom gathered to exchange ideas and create an ongoing organization "to promote leadership development in public safety." Many of those attending are members of the World Future Society and its associate group, Police Futurists International, including PFI President Dr. Joe Shafer and Research Director Dr. Bernard "Bud" Levin. There was general agreement among the leadership educators and trainers (many current and former public safety leaders themselves) attending the Summit that future leaders in the field can make us safer, but only if the methods of identifying, developing, and supporting them are improved and professionalized. Some worried that the aversion to change that has permeated the field in the past could stymie the rapid pace needed to deal with the current dilemma. Others, however, felt the new generation of leaders will welcome change and the situations evolving will demand change: "Traditional aversion to change will be crushed and left in the dust as change and flexibility become fundamental to progress and success," said Pat Bradley, Executive Director of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions and President of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). "How else will police respond to the mandates of preventing and responding to terrorism, community collaboration and problem solving, calls for accountability, diversity, rapidly evolving technology, and a new generation of knowledge workers?" wondered Broken Arrow, OK, Police Chief Todd Wuestewald. "Those who will not or cannot change with the times will be left behind." Another major change is growing acceptance of the concept: Every Officer Is a Leader. It is the title of a major text in the field (Anderson et al., Trafford Publishing) and is leading to monumental revisions in the philosophy and curriculum of leadership development. "Leadership is a behavior, not a position"—the motto of the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice—describes the new thinking. Thus even entry level officers need leadership as a component of basic training, because, "Officers are leaders from the day they put on the uniform; they don’t have any choice about that" (Doug Graves, Idaho Peace Officers Standards and Training). New technology and focus on community as the basic building block of public safety make the line officer the direct link with the citizenry served. "These folks have to be willing to step up and take charge, solve problems, be proactive, devise creative solutions; that calls for leadership," said Wuestewald, an internationally recognized expert on the team leadership model practiced in his police agency. "The best opportunity to identify and develop leaders is to ‘let them lead’," Wuestewald declared. "Using leadership teams with appropriate delegation of authority much earlier in their careers develops leadership skills…much faster and earlier than would otherwise be the case." Summit speakers agreed there are many values/skills important to leadership in the public safety field, with honest/integrity being at the top of the list. "Good leadership starts with building good character," Graves said: "We need to teach young men and young women that principle-centered living is what it’s all about." "A leader is a person who does the right thing for the right reasons at the right time, even when no one is looking," said RCMP Sgt. Lynn Hall of the Pacific Region Training Centre, Vancouver. Fellow Canadian Ruth Montgomery added a need for "political acumen" and "strategic perspective" with ability to execute decisions. Steve Burge, Leadership Academy for Policing at Bramshill, UK, said "emotional intelligence" and "transformational leadership style" are also important. "Speaking, listening, researching, critical thinking, teamwork, appreciation for diversity, holistic thinking, shared mental models…" added FBI Academy Leadership Development Director Larry "Nick" Nicholson. Dr. Dorothy McCoy, of the SCCJA, said being "creative and courageous" plus "assertive rather than aggressive," are increasingly necessary traits. Many of the programs represented focus on the future in their leadership development endeavors; some even teach futures research methods and visioning. The California Command College requires each student to produce a professional journal article on an issue that will face public safety officials. The South Carolina Executive Leadership program is totally futures oriented, seeking to foster proactive approaches by anticipating and preparing for future possibilities. The Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas Module 2 focuses on the future environment in which public safety will take place and the need for leaders to be "trustees of the public they serve," according to Dr. Jim Alexander, director of the module. There was agreement that leaders have to be more technology savvy, more amenable to change, and ready to research options and make decisions at a much faster pace than in the 20th Century. Transnational crime and increasing diversity within communities will also create change. Leadership will be demanded at all levels of organizations and beyond—"decentralized and even outsourced"—and recruits will need to be better educated coming on the job and then face lifelong learning to keep up with the demands. "Leaders will have to be more communicative with other agencies…and modify themselves to accommodate new ideas from a new generation," said Spears Westbrook of SCCJA, selected as Chairperson of the Summit Leadership Consortium organized by Summit attendees. "Standards to lead will open [public service] up to world-wide recruitment," added UK’s Burge. "Crime suppression will be subordinate to national security," said Maryland’s Bradley. Twenty-first Century public safety leaders "will be more collaborative and less authoritarian…more efficient and service-delivery oriented…." said Oklahoma’s Wuestewald, adding technology is driving leaders toward decisions based on intelligence, crime analysis, and crime forecasting, and "this is in stark contrast to policing of the past, where technology consisted of a super-charged Plymouth Grand Fury, a .357 magnum, and an old hickory stick." "There will be higher demand for services, more accountability to the citizens we serve, and a changing and more diverse workforce," added Mike Crews, Director of Professional Programs at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLEL). Charleston (SC) Sheriff Al Cannon concluded: "There are greater public expectations. The U.S. public accepted that law enforcement did not have the wherewithal to prevent the 9-ll terrorist attacks. They won’t be as accepting after the next attack." Another major challenge will be to change the focus of leaders from being "first responders" to being "first protectors" (Ken Morris, Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training. In recognition of these needs, the Summit Consortium Advisory Board adopted a first-year plan that includes to: (1) identify, evaluate, and catalogue existing leadership programs; (2) showcase leadership development programs that were represented at the first Summit; and (3) explore and develop new leadership paradigms." Chairperson Westbrook said the organization also will seek to develop a worldwide directory of leadership development programs and contacts as well as provide communications networks, including a website and members’ listserv to facilitate sharing information and research findings. The second Leadership Summit will be held within 12 to 18 months, with a goal of expanding membership to include other education/training programs from around the world and refining leadership training methodology. To establish the research component, a project involving leadership program representatives from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, the UK, and possibly others, was set to begin by late 2007. Overall, most see the new generation of officers as a positive sign for the future. "They may be out for self, but they’re better able and ready to adapt to change. We need to empower new blood and give them an opportunity and responsibility," Crews said, adding: "Don’t worry about retention. If we get three years of good service—great! The new generation’s values are not a fad. Their values are the future." Wuestewald held "Gen X and Y employees are sharp, self-directed, professional, educated and IT savvy, motivated, committed, versatile, proactive crime fighters, community leaders and ‘looking to connect with community, with organization and with coworkers’." Thus it seems our future safety is in good hands as long as "we stay committed to our vocation" (Bradley).
By Gene Stephens
A new brand of public safety officer—police, fire, emergency services, community corrections specialist—is taking to the streets across the world. He/she is young—under 25—tech savvy, self assured, independent but capable of working with others, impatient, and, oh yes, absolutely certain saving the world is part of the job.
This Millennial Generation public servant had better be as good as he/she thinks—because the job is clearly gigantic, as crime and disorder has become a worldwide phenomenon—with danger likely to come from any place around the globe. Traditional street crime has been joined by international terrorism and cyber and biotech offenses coupled with multinational battles for control of the earth’s dwindling resources on the one hand and efforts to save the earth from destruction on the other.
At the individual community level, this infusion of threat from sources and places heretofore unknown, has public safety trainers scrambling to discover how to infuse the values and skills necessary to provide leadership in a field where an aversion to change has been a tradition. High technology and instantaneous global communication already have changed the public safety landscape beyond recognition from the beginning of the 21st Century—with many in the field unable to grasp the significance of recent events.
"Leadership in public safety agencies, particularly police agencies, is at a critical crossroad," says Rick Michelson, 30-year police veteran, in an article posted on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) website. He cites early retirement by many and the "graying" of departments as experienced Baby Boomers (born 1943-1960) and Gen Xers (1960-80) are being replaced by Gen Nexters (1980-2000) in the ranks at a time when fewer dollars are being allocated for training—especially for leadership. Still, there is reason for hope, as Michelson says Nexters are competent and comfortable with technology and are fast learners who like change and are often impatient and bored with the status quo.
As for the education/training necessary to prepare this new generation of leaders, a first-of-its-kind Public Safety Leadership Summit was held in January in Columbia, SC, where representatives of more than 20 states, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, plus Canada and the United Kingdom gathered to exchange ideas and create an ongoing organization "to promote leadership development in public safety." Many of those attending are members of the World Future Society and its associate group, Police Futurists International, including PFI President Dr. Joe Shafer and Research Director Dr. Bernard "Bud" Levin.
There was general agreement among the leadership educators and trainers (many current and former public safety leaders themselves) attending the Summit that future leaders in the field can make us safer, but only if the methods of identifying, developing, and supporting them are improved and professionalized. Some worried that the aversion to change that has permeated the field in the past could stymie the rapid pace needed to deal with the current dilemma. Others, however, felt the new generation of leaders will welcome change and the situations evolving will demand change: "Traditional aversion to change will be crushed and left in the dust as change and flexibility become fundamental to progress and success," said Pat Bradley, Executive Director of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions and President of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). "How else will police respond to the mandates of preventing and responding to terrorism, community collaboration and problem solving, calls for accountability, diversity, rapidly evolving technology, and a new generation of knowledge workers?" wondered Broken Arrow, OK, Police Chief Todd Wuestewald. "Those who will not or cannot change with the times will be left behind."
Another major change is growing acceptance of the concept: Every Officer Is a Leader. It is the title of a major text in the field (Anderson et al., Trafford Publishing) and is leading to monumental revisions in the philosophy and curriculum of leadership development. "Leadership is a behavior, not a position"—the motto of the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice—describes the new thinking. Thus even entry level officers need leadership as a component of basic training, because, "Officers are leaders from the day they put on the uniform; they don’t have any choice about that" (Doug Graves, Idaho Peace Officers Standards and Training).
New technology and focus on community as the basic building block of public safety make the line officer the direct link with the citizenry served. "These folks have to be willing to step up and take charge, solve problems, be proactive, devise creative solutions; that calls for leadership," said Wuestewald, an internationally recognized expert on the team leadership model practiced in his police agency.
"The best opportunity to identify and develop leaders is to ‘let them lead’," Wuestewald declared. "Using leadership teams with appropriate delegation of authority much earlier in their careers develops leadership skills…much faster and earlier than would otherwise be the case."
Summit speakers agreed there are many values/skills important to leadership in the public safety field, with honest/integrity being at the top of the list. "Good leadership starts with building good character," Graves said: "We need to teach young men and young women that principle-centered living is what it’s all about." "A leader is a person who does the right thing for the right reasons at the right time, even when no one is looking," said RCMP Sgt. Lynn Hall of the Pacific Region Training Centre, Vancouver.
Fellow Canadian Ruth Montgomery added a need for "political acumen" and "strategic perspective" with ability to execute decisions. Steve Burge, Leadership Academy for Policing at Bramshill, UK, said "emotional intelligence" and "transformational leadership style" are also important. "Speaking, listening, researching, critical thinking, teamwork, appreciation for diversity, holistic thinking, shared mental models…" added FBI Academy Leadership Development Director Larry "Nick" Nicholson. Dr. Dorothy McCoy, of the SCCJA, said being "creative and courageous" plus "assertive rather than aggressive," are increasingly necessary traits.
Many of the programs represented focus on the future in their leadership development endeavors; some even teach futures research methods and visioning. The California Command College requires each student to produce a professional journal article on an issue that will face public safety officials. The South Carolina Executive Leadership program is totally futures oriented, seeking to foster proactive approaches by anticipating and preparing for future possibilities. The Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas Module 2 focuses on the future environment in which public safety will take place and the need for leaders to be "trustees of the public they serve," according to Dr. Jim Alexander, director of the module.
There was agreement that leaders have to be more technology savvy, more amenable to change, and ready to research options and make decisions at a much faster pace than in the 20th Century. Transnational crime and increasing diversity within communities will also create change. Leadership will be demanded at all levels of organizations and beyond—"decentralized and even outsourced"—and recruits will need to be better educated coming on the job and then face lifelong learning to keep up with the demands.
"Leaders will have to be more communicative with other agencies…and modify themselves to accommodate new ideas from a new generation," said Spears Westbrook of SCCJA, selected as Chairperson of the Summit Leadership Consortium organized by Summit attendees. "Standards to lead will open [public service] up to world-wide recruitment," added UK’s Burge.
"Crime suppression will be subordinate to national security," said Maryland’s Bradley. Twenty-first Century public safety leaders "will be more collaborative and less authoritarian…more efficient and service-delivery oriented…." said Oklahoma’s Wuestewald, adding technology is driving leaders toward decisions based on intelligence, crime analysis, and crime forecasting, and "this is in stark contrast to policing of the past, where technology consisted of a super-charged Plymouth Grand Fury, a .357 magnum, and an old hickory stick."
"There will be higher demand for services, more accountability to the citizens we serve, and a changing and more diverse workforce," added Mike Crews, Director of Professional Programs at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLEL). Charleston (SC) Sheriff Al Cannon concluded: "There are greater public expectations. The U.S. public accepted that law enforcement did not have the wherewithal to prevent the 9-ll terrorist attacks. They won’t be as accepting after the next attack." Another major challenge will be to change the focus of leaders from being "first responders" to being "first protectors" (Ken Morris, Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training.
In recognition of these needs, the Summit Consortium Advisory Board adopted a first-year plan that includes to:
(1) identify, evaluate, and catalogue existing leadership programs; (2) showcase leadership development programs that were represented at the first Summit; and (3) explore and develop new leadership paradigms."
Chairperson Westbrook said the organization also will seek to develop a worldwide directory of leadership development programs and contacts as well as provide communications networks, including a website and members’ listserv to facilitate sharing information and research findings. The second Leadership Summit will be held within 12 to 18 months, with a goal of expanding membership to include other education/training programs from around the world and refining leadership training methodology. To establish the research component, a project involving leadership program representatives from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, the UK, and possibly others, was set to begin by late 2007.
Overall, most see the new generation of officers as a positive sign for the future. "They may be out for self, but they’re better able and ready to adapt to change. We need to empower new blood and give them an opportunity and responsibility," Crews said, adding: "Don’t worry about retention. If we get three years of good service—great! The new generation’s values are not a fad. Their values are the future." Wuestewald held "Gen X and Y employees are sharp, self-directed, professional, educated and IT savvy, motivated, committed, versatile, proactive crime fighters, community leaders and ‘looking to connect with community, with organization and with coworkers’."
Thus it seems our future safety is in good hands as long as "we stay committed to our vocation" (Bradley).
About the Author: Dr. Gene Stephens, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, is currently the Lead Instructor in the Executive Leadership Course at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. He continues to teach in other futures-oriented leadership development programs as well. He is criminal justice editor of The Futurist, a charter member of Police Futurists International, and a columnist for the PFI newsletter.