{"id":61062,"date":"2021-02-01T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/?p=61062"},"modified":"2025-03-04T13:42:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T18:42:30","slug":"three-strategies-for-crisis-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/three-strategies-for-crisis-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Strategies for Crisis Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If 2020 taught us anything, it is that crisis IS the new normal.\u00a0This is an era of overlapping, nonstop, and ever-evolving crises, and there seems to be no end in sight. While police leaders are no strangers to crises and critical incidents, during 2020 and the early days of 2021, something has been different. The media saturates the airwaves with knee-jerk reporting, people choose infotainment over news, and much of society gravitates toward social media as the primary (though often incorrect) news source. Any negative event that happens in one place is a flashpoint that instantly affects the trust bank for an agency somewhere else. To make matters worse, efforts by police agencies to counter misinformation often fall on deaf ears or are drowned out by highly effective disinformation campaigns. In other scenarios, some police agencies choose not to engage at all, and their silence is deafening. In this new era of constant crisis, how can police leaders effectively build trust, manage ongoing and overlapping crises, and most importantly\u00a0<strong>lead<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<p>A common and somewhat frightening truth must be acknowledged: The speed of crisis coverage has changed. Incidents that used to take hours before they hit the nightly news or morning paper now take mere minutes to hit public information sources (and let\u2019s not forget the multiple live streams originating around and, at times, inside the yellow crime scene tape). The cadence of crisis has also changed. There is no longer the time for a questionable use-of-force situation, in-custody death, or officer-involved shooting to go through a thorough, independent investigation. Rather, these types of incidents can quickly escalate in the public eye before organizational leadership even has a chance to debrief and understand the context and facts of the situation. As a result of these changes, agencies are frequently facing a pace that leaves them behind in their efforts to contain and mitigate major crises.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that there are some strategies that can be helpful in adjusting to this new paradigm and approaches that may prove useful to police leaders as they lead their organizations through the next crises or critical incidents in their communities.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #0071ce;\">Strategy 1:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\"><strong>Ensure Effective Communication<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Police leaders understand there are generally three important stakeholder groups to keep well informed: internal staff, elected officials, and the community (the media could be considered a fourth or included as part of the community). Using the analogy of a stool, each of these groups represents a leg of the stool. Lose the trust or confidence of any one group, and the stool becomes a bit wobbly. Lose two or more and the stool can become dangerously unstable. A crucial aspect when successfully leading through crisis is an effective communication strategy. But what does this mean?<\/p>\n<p>As a challenge for chiefs of police and other organizational leaders, pull out a stopwatch during the next tabletop exercise and note how long it takes from the onset of a critical incident until someone speaks publicly for the organization. Does the public information officer (PIO) have authority to issue immediate holding statements on social media to inform the public and media of the departmental response to that crisis? Or does the PIO have to wait for bureaucratic layers of approval before issuing any message to the community? During a crisis, time becomes the most valuable commodity, and the one that erodes the fastest. Want to forgo social media messaging and get all the facts right for a press release or press conference instead? This will likely add up to a minimum of two to three hours before the public, media, and elected officials receive official information from a credible source\u2014organizational leaders. Meanwhile, the incident is being tweeted and live streamed by external sources who are also potentially commandeering the narrative and likely intentionally or unintentionally providing misinformation.<\/p>\n<p>Retired chief Sylvia Moir, who led the Tempe, Arizona, Police Department, was recently interviewed by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Reflecting on her career and the different agencies at which she has worked and led, Chief Moir summed up key differences between various police agencies:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong><em>How<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0we carry out the work.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we influence the internal culture.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we engage in procedural justice internally and externally.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we police.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we use tools and tactics.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we do policy.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we train.\u00a0<strong>How<\/strong>\u00a0we deploy. That\u2019s where you see the differences from agency to agency.\u00a0<\/em>[emphasis added]<sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>By and large, the law enforcement field has focused most of its communication efforts on the \u201cwho\u201d and \u201cwhat\u201d of policing. For good reasons, significant time is spent talking about hiring practices and telling stories of the incredible women and men of the agency (the \u201cwho\u201d). The profession also focuses heavily on arrests and cases in the community, wanted people, and public safety messages (the \u201cwhat\u201d). While these elements are important, to Chief Moir\u2019s point, it is the \u201chow\u201d of policing that is often forgotten in messages to key stakeholder groups. The differences in the \u201chow\u201d regularly influence public sentiment toward the police department that serves and protects its community. If the public understands how the police department operates, uses force, conducts investigations, and keeps itself accountable, there is less misunderstanding and more opportunities to build trust. Conversely, less understanding opens the door to wariness, skepticism, and a potentially divided community. Remember, the true message is not what is literally said, it\u2019s what people hear and feel about the situation and agency.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #0071ce;\">Strategy 2:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\"><strong>Foster an Adaptive Organization<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With the \u201cnew normal\u201d of constant crisis, it is incumbent on police organizations to be adaptive, embracing a \u201cgrowth\u201d versus \u201cfixed\u201d organizational mindset. Individuals who are growth minded tend to take on challenges, persevere in the face of failure, focus on the process (not the outcome), and accept criticism as a way to learn. On the contrary, those with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges, give up easily, avoid new experiences for fear of failure, and ignore unfavorable feedback.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, an organization can have a collective growth or fixed mindset. Fixed-minded organizations are entrenched in \u201cWe\u2019ve always done it this way\u201d or \u201cWe\u2019re not the problem;\u00a0they\u00a0are\u201d mindsets. Alternatively, growth-minded organizations tackle challenges head on and tend to have a collective \u201cWe\u2019ve got this\u201d or \u201cWhat if we did it this way?\u201d approach toward change.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa Agnes, an internationally regarded crisis management expert and IACP Police Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee member, helps organizations, including police agencies, become crisis ready. According to Agnes, the objective of crisis readiness is to provide today\u2019s professionals in both the private and public sectors with the mindset, skills, and capabilities to effectively respond to real-time challenges in a way that fosters increased trust in the organizational brand and its stakeholders. In the realm of policing, the brand is the service an agency provides, and the community trust in that service reflects the brand\u2019s reputation. Connecting with communities requires time and effort, yet the fruitful connections built over months and years can be destroyed in seconds by a single incident.<\/p>\n<p>With the many real-time hurdles that amplify the challenges of crises, this intentional approach toward organizational culture gives agencies the best chance at getting ahead, owning the narrative, and meeting stakeholders\u2019 needs and expectations. Police organizations would be wise to apply the same approach. However, the top-down rank structure common to police agencies may stifle key aspects of Agnes\u2019 advice\u2014creativity and an organizational culture that quickly adapts to ever-changing issues and crises. Still, creating an environment that encourages everyone in the chain of command to be creative, think outside the box, and challenge assumptions is healthy for any organization and profession.<\/p>\n<p>In an era of nonstop criticism and demand for reform, a growth-minded organization will not only survive, but thrive, due to its ongoing efforts to have dialogue and grow trust with its community and stakeholders. Trust is a commodity that must be consistently nourished over time. Proactive efforts to engage in two-way discussions, build relationships with community stakeholder groups, and frequently promote an organization\u2019s \u201cwins\u201d all go toward making deposits in the bank of community trust. This trust bank account balance will experience withdrawals over time when bad news surfaces at both local, national, or even global levels, but the overall objective is to maintain and build a healthy account that maintains a positive balance even after the occasional withdrawal. In other words, a healthy trust bank account balance offers breathing room\u2014and, thus, time and options\u2014when confronting and navigating crises.<\/p>\n<p>The Mountain View, California, Police Department has had a long history of progressively minded leaders who fostered and encouraged growth mindsets throughout the ranks. Located in one of the first counties in the United States to enter into a COVID-19 shelter-in-place lockdown, the department formed an Incident Management Team to monitor, plan, and respond to all aspects of an ever-changing lockdown crisis. The team followed an incident command system structure and had representation across the department. A few months later, when the spotlight was put on policing after the events in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and George Floyd\u2019s death, the same Incident Management Team quickly pivoted to proactively respond to local protests; strategize communication plans; and educate internal staff on current events, situational awareness of community dialogue, and other relevant areas of focus.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-61067\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1922-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>At the same time, the Mountain View Police Department introduced a voluntary department-wide Innovation Team, tasked with taking a holistic look at various approaches to maintain, earn, and foster trust and transparency within the community and among key stakeholders and employees. This team consisted of representatives from command staff, line supervisors, the police association, the records unit, and dispatch. No ideas were off the table, and the team used design thinking techniques and concepts learned by Captain Saul Jaeger, when he attended Stanford University\u2019s Graduate School of Business LEAD Program for Corporate Innovation.<sup>2<\/sup> Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases\u2014empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test\u00a0\u2014 it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. Many creative ideas were generated by the Innovation Team. As one example, officers on the team felt it was important for the organization to track and highlight the daily positive and negative community interactions with the department. Within a couple weeks of discussing the idea, the Mountain View Police Department computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system was adjusted to track and report such contacts with the community. The results were astounding. In the first two months, officers reported more than 150 interactions with the public that met the criteria for a CAD entry. These interactions, including many positive words of support and encouragement from the public, were reported back to command staff and highlighted in conspicuous areas for line-level personnel to read and reinforce the truth that the vast majority of residents appreciated, supported, and cared for the Mountain View Police Department staff.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #0071ce;\">Strategy 3:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\"><strong>Create a Safe Place to Thrive<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In her article \u201cHigh-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety\u201d for the\u00a0Harvard Business Review, Dr. Laura Delizonna, an expert in leadership effectiveness and high-performing teams, states,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The highest performing teams have one thing in common: psychological safety, the belief that you won\u2019t be punished when you make a mistake. Studies show that psychological safety allows for moderate risk-taking, speaking your mind, creativity, and sticking your neck out without fear of having it cut off.<\/em><sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Police leaders can evaluate their employees\u2019 sense of \u201cpsychological safety\u201d by considering the same factors Dr. Delizonna mentions. Do all of the line-level supervisors, middle managers, and command staff feel safe to have and express differing viewpoints when trying to arrive at a solution? Do they have the freedom to take responsible risks and fail without the fear of repercussions or punishment?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-61071\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/JLIP1974-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>In essence, are police organizations and the profession creating spaces that allow officers to evolve in healthy, meaningful ways, thus ensuring they are the best possible public servants for communities? The profession has faced an uphill battle addressing mental and physical well-being for officers. As the profession progresses, there is an increased acknowledgment and acceptance of the fact that police officers face repeated on-the-job trauma throughout their careers. Until recently it has been rare to have dialogue about how trauma might impact careers, families, and communities. Wellness programs are too infrequently implemented into the current structure of policing to allow officers to holistically thrive. However, implementing such a program can and should be done. Leaders must collectively step forward to begin implementing best practices to safeguard the future and ensure the flourishment of the profession.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing the significance of employee mental health and wellness, Grand Junction, Colorado, Police Chief Doug Shoemaker implemented and enhanced a series of programs within his agency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must do better when it comes to employee wellness in law enforcement,\u201d says Chief Shoemaker. At the Grand Junction Police Department, the peer support program has been expanded to include mental health checkups for all employees, and over $40,000 in funds were secured to completely revitalize the gym within the agency, which is accessible to both sworn and non-sworn personnel.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>An officer who is healthy, both physically and mentally, is going to be happier and perform better in his or her duties. It\u2019s not only a win for the officer, but it is a win for the public.<\/em><sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #0071ce;\">Next Steps:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\"><strong>Driving Adaptive Organizations<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"pullout alignleft\"><\/p>\n<p><strong><big>IACP Resources<\/big><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-04\/10%20Leadership%20Strategies%20for%20Navigating%20COVID-19_0.pdf\">10 Leadership Strategies for Navigating COVID-19<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/\">theIACP.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/the-importance-of-health-and-wellness-during-a-crisis\/\">The Importance of Health and Wellness during a Crisis<\/a>\u201d (article)<\/li>\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/ten-lessons-on-leadership\/\">Ten Lessons on Leadership<\/a>\u201d (article)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/aside>\n<p>Leading in the new normal of co-occurring crises requires adaptive leaders driving adaptive organizations. In the current \u201ccancel culture\u201d where any idea or action can be instantly criticized or judged problematic, being a leader is incredibly difficult and, at times, downright terrifying. Yet, leaders must continue to proactively message the core values of the policing profession to both internal and external stakeholders. The policing field must seize opportunities to continuously adapt to inevitable change and the crises to come, be they pandemics, critical incidents, protests, natural disasters, or something entirely new.<\/p>\n<p>What lies ahead for the remainder of 2021 is unknown, but one thing is certain. Crises will continue and quickly evolve with substantial force and limited warning. Prepare to adapt. Remain cognizant of ways to best handle challenges that arise. Acknowledge that leaders cannot effectively operate based on actions and effects of past actions. Instead, leaders must leverage the present resources and talents available\u2014particularly the people in their organizations\u2014to move the needle forward for all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup>Sylvia Moir (retired police chief and past president of Police Executive Research Forum), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policeforum.org\/criticalissuesoct12\">interview<\/a>, <em>Daily Critical Issues Reports<\/em>, October 12, 2020.<\/p>\n<p><sup>2<\/sup>Stanford University, Graduate School of Business, \u201cLEAD.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><sup>3<\/sup>Laura Delizonna, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/08\/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it\">High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety: Here\u2019s How to Create It<\/a>,\u201d <em>Harvard Business Review<\/em>, August 24, 2017.<\/p>\n<p><sup>4<\/sup>Doug Shoemaker (chief, Grand Junction Police Department, CO), email, telephone conversation, November 30, 2020.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"pullout pullout--wide alignleft\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-61074\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hsiung-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><big><strong>Chris Hsiung<\/strong> is the police chief of the Mountain View, California, Police Department and a member of IACP\u2019s Police Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee. He can be reached via Twitter @Chief_Hsiung.<\/big><\/p>\n<p><\/aside>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Please cite as<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Chris Hsiung, \u201cThree Strategies for Crisis Leadership,\u201d <em>Police Chief<\/em> 88, no. 2 (February 2021): 30\u201334.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If 2020 taught us anything, it is that crisis IS the new normal. This is an era of overlapping, nonstop, and ever-evolving crises, and there seems to be no end in sight. While police leaders are no strangers to crises and critical incidents, during 2020 and the early days of 2021, something has been different. The media saturates the airwaves with knee-jerk reporting, people choose infotainment over news, and much of society gravitates toward social media as the primary (though often incorrect) news source.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4042,"featured_media":61066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[309,1753,190],"class_list":["post-61062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","tag-crisis","tag-critical-thinking","tag-leadership"],"acf":{"subtitle":"","post_author":"Chris Hsiung, Chief, Mountain View Police Department, California","main_category":"Leadership","legacy_article_id":"","legacy_issue_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Three Strategies for Crisis Leadership - Police Chief Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/three-strategies-for-crisis-leadership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three Strategies for Crisis Leadership\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If 2020 taught us anything, it is that crisis IS the new normal. 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