Leadership Is Not About Rank

Michael Brovelli, Law Enforcement, Marin County Sheriff's Office

Michael Brovelli, Law Enforcement, Marin County Sheriff's Office

I was 28 years old when I started my law enforcement career. Even though I had a little bit more life experience compared to the rookies we are hiring now at age 22, I had a great deal to learn about life, about being a police officer and about leadership.

Upon being hired, I thought leadership was about rank and your position in the organization. I thought that the leaders of the organization were the Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Undersheriff and Sheriff.

I’ve learned many valuable lessons about leadership. I’ve learned that leadership is not about rank. Leadership is about action and building relationships. Leadership is about doing what’s right. The most important lesson I’ve learned over my 22 years is that everyone in an organization can be a leader.

No matter what field you work in or what occupation you have chosen to do, what I would ask is to encourage you to take the first step toward being a leader.

Throughout your career, you can only focus on what you can control. Focus on what you can do to make a difference. Accept the fact that regardless of your position in your organization, you can lead and make a difference.

Many of the major changes in organizations started at the grass roots level. These significant changes are bottom-up driven, not top-down driven. If you are a supervisor, encourage younger officers or employees to speak up when they see something that is wrong or something that can be improved.

“Throughout your career, you can only focus on what you can control. Focus on what you can do to make a difference.”

If you see something that could be improved in your agency, talk to your supervisor, put together a plan and have solutions and provide it to them and hope they are willing to take it to higher levels for review and possibly approval.

I have spent a lot of time with great leaders.  What I have learned is leaders take what they learn and share it with co-workers. They all display the servant leadership model. A servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, helps individuals develop and optimize performance, is willing to learn from others, and forsakes personal advancement and rewards. Servant leaders concentrate on performance planning, day-to-day coaching, and helping people achieve. Anyone in the organization can be leader not because of your title, but because of actions and making a positive impact on the culture of the organization.

Regardless of rank, I continuously tell rookies and veterans they can be leader in the organization, they can train others, they can be a role model and they can make a difference in people’s lives while improving the organization.

The choice is yours. Choose to be a leader. 

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