Law enforcement agencies, much like the international corporate world, recognize the need to implement succession planning, maybe now more than ever. In the corporate world, 67 percent of businesses reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring.¹ In addition to a succession plan, the organizational leader’s goal is to develop their personnel to their fullest potential. This includes capitalizing on individual and team strengths and improving any deficiencies or weaknesses. A true gauge of a leader’s effectiveness is their influence in developing their replacement. There are two key factors that affect one’s ability to lead: confidence and connections. Confidence is built through experience, training, and mentorship. Connections are also built through experience and mentorship, as well as exposure to networking opportunities, such as conferences or like-minded organizational membership opportunities.

Mentorship is key to both confidence and connections and can be a powerful tool for organizations. Mentorship provides someone with an open line of communication to learn and ask questions as well as create their own career projections. In addition, depending on the format of the mentoring, employees learn to develop others around them, increasing their pride and likelihood of retention within an agency.

Mentorship Types

There are many formats of mentorship available within the law enforcement community, including formal, informal, internal, and external programs; likewise, mentorship is available at various times in one’s career path. Many agencies have a type of mentorship program early in one’s career, but then further development is up to the individual to seek out. Depending on the agency, most programs are scalable to meet the needs of developing the future of the agency. Even smaller agencies can partner with nonprofit organizations to develop their candidates, especially if the agencies lack mentor diversity in race and gender. Organizations such as the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), and the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA) all provide mentorship resources to underrepresented law enforcement employee populations as well as various training seminars, conferences, and career pathing resources. Mentorship can also be valuable to those serving in or aspiring to leadership  and specialty units. Mentorship can ensure solid succession planning and build the future of an agency or specialty unit.

Law enforcement executives likely all remember being in positions where there was more to learn than there was time to learn it. Fortunately, whether professional or personal, mentors helped guide each of them to leadership positions. However, 79 percent of women report they lack the confidence to seek a mentor themselves.² To remedy this, the focus must shift from challenges to opportunities. Exposure to a value system, leadership skills, and positive role models, as early as childhood—or early in a career—can have a significant impact on a person’s perception of their own ability to lead.

Executives wanting to implement a mentorship program can begin by deciding their overall goals for their agency, its employees, and the key positions. Once the goals have been identified, the next step is to consider the types of programs available and the mentorship opportunities that have the greatest probability of success to meet the needs of the future of their agency.

The perfect pairing of mentor and mentee is vital to the success of the relationship. Having a dedicated, experienced, motivated mentor and a dedicated, motivated mentee is crucial. In addition, creating a relationship with both parties that is psychologically safe to participate in is a major component to success. A mentee must not fear that their interactions would be disclosed to their supervisors or peers or there will be retribution if they fall short of the presumed expectations. Likewise, a mentor must want to help the person achieve their goals and take pride in the mentee’s success as a direct reflection of their combined efforts. Mentors and mentees must maintain a high level of trust, be vulnerable and open, and have a reciprocal relationship. Like any organizational system, implementing and fostering a structure with accountability and achievement benchmarks (both extrinsic and intrinsic) for the mentee and the mentor will ensure the program stays on track.

Establishing a Successful Mentoring Program

Ideally, an organization that invests in its people will reap the benefits, as confident, successful people will significantly contribute to the organization. A cohesive strategy for success with organizational mentorship has several basic steps that a leader can implement from all levels of command:

1. 1. Actively engage with potential leaders.
      Being a leader in an organization is an honor and one that is often taken for granted. Engagement with potential leaders provides an opportunity to “know your people,” which can assist current leaders in cultivating the future of an organization or agency. Engagement also allows a leader to enhance their perspective and understand employees’ interpretation of procedures, equipment, and policies. This can be very beneficial when establishing policies and procedures and determining purchases for items such as technology and vehicles. The future leaders will take note, and it helps to break the barrier of the “us versus them” mentality.
   2. Treat leadership as a tangible skill.
      Leaders should invest in growing their own leadership abilities and training and instill a culture that appreciates the solid leadership the agency desires. Investing in leaders’ skill packages will enhance their ability to carry out tasks more effectively, making the agency better as a whole. Impart a philosophy that everyone must continue to learn and better themselves.
   3. Identify and clarify the most desired attributes to becoming a leader.
      Without objectives, a goal cannot be attained. Making clear the type of leader an agency desires will produce more leaders. Encouraging the actions and decisions that reflect what the community and agency’s desires are will pay dividends in emboldening future talent to rise to the challenge of joining the leadership team.
   4. Provide training opportunities and confidence-building scenarios.
      Law enforcement leaders are excellent at identifying what went wrong. If a supervisor is permitted to run a scene and identify all the elements that went as planned, they will naturally identify the areas of improvement. Law enforcement culture strives for perfection, but sometimes building the confidence of a leader or future leader is more important than identifying what was less than perfect. Always look for ways to build the confidence of the team.
   5. Establish relationships and networks for employees.
      Most developing leaders are not in tune with professional organizations. There is an assumption that these organizations are only for police executives. On the contrary, organizations like the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), provide a vast number of resources that all levels of law enforcement stand to benefit from. Encouraging your employees in leadership to join local, state, national, international law enforcement organizations can be very beneficial to their networking and ability to access information to assist on agency projects. Networking also provides contacts that could be beneficial as an employee moves through the ranks or from unit to unit.
   6. Enhance the visibility of role models.
      “If they can see it, they can achieve it,” In one study, 88 percent of women surveyed said they are encouraged by seeing other women in leadership roles and, therefore, believe they can achieve such a position.³ Agency representation in all units and at all levels should comprise qualified individuals that reflect the desired future of the agency. The nexus to leadership is obvious, but even in training units, field training officer (FTO) programs and other opportunities that showcase employee potential should be capitalized on. As an executive, if the agency is not as diverse as desired, seeking out programs designed to recruit people with specific skills, who speak specific languages, or come from specific backgrounds can be beneficial. Many times, these programs are tied to funding opportunities, as many agencies are suffering from the same recruitment pitfalls.
   7. Chart the path to leadership.
      Employees should know what is expected at each level and what is needed for those wanting to enter a specialty or leadership role. Career pathing and creating a roadmap of the type of employee that would make the best fit are imperative. If the career pathing is followed, the employee being selected for a specialty unit or leadership role would reach their new role with a solid foundation of training, knowledge, and experience to build from, benefiting the agency as a whole. Each element of an agency’s promotional process should coincide with the type of leader they desire in the rank or position. Assessments should be built on the philosophy and culture the agency is trying to achieve. An example would be, if mental health is a tenet of the future agency culture, require promotional candidates to read a book on emotional survival concepts or resiliency and test them on it. Of, if an agency wants their leaders to follow concepts of modern-day policing, require candidates to pass a test on the pillars highlighted in the Final Report of the President’s Taskforce on 21st Century Policing.⁴
   8. Combine reward systems.
      Formal and informal recognition, as well as informal perks, can encourage an employee to seek their potential. In addition, agencies whose employees believe their work is valued are more likely to retain their employees.

For a law enforcement agency to have solid continuity of operations, the future of the agency needs to be cultivated. The leadership needs to recognize what is still working and what is not and make quick adjustments. Ultimately, all improvements and adaptations of a police agency serve one purpose for the ultimate stakeholder—the community. By evaluating the future of an agency, succession plans can be implemented, and most downfalls can be predicted and prevented. Encouraging a culture of learning, development, and knowledge sharing is key to creating leaders and ensuring the an agency will be successful for years to come. 🛡

Notes:

¹National Mentoring Day, “Mentoring – Some Serious Facts.”

²KPMG Women’s Leadership Study: Moving Women Forward into Leadership Roles (KMPG International).

³KPMG Women’s Leadership Study: Moving Women Forward into Leadership Roles.

⁴Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015).

Please cite as

Lynette Falzone, “The Power of Mentorship,” Police Chief Online, December 20, 2023.