SUPERVISOR AND MANAGER AS AN EFFECTIVE LEADER

Supervisor and Manager as an Effective Leader
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Abstract
Leadership is a core element in law enforcement and criminal justice especially since it entails making vital decisions concerning the wellbeing of not only its workforce but also that of the organization and the whole state. Leaders vary in their personalities, capabilities, efficacy, and performances but all produce results that either build or impact negatively involved stakeholders. Effective leadership, therefore, require supervisors to demonstrates various traits including accountability, responsibility, integrity, respect for others as well as have a definite vision for the unit. Successful headship also involves values such as service, knowing personal limitations and strengths as well as those of others, trust and fair allocation of resources and job delegation. Headship also involves different styles involving democratic, authoritarian, and free rein all of which perform differently based on varying scenarios. Leaders are also expected to make decisions concerning various issues and their efficacy produces admirable results. Lastly, it is the role of managers to ensure workers remain motivated for high performance.
Leadership is one of the most important factors in every society’s criminal justice and law enforcement. This element dictates and impacts the outcome of different situations or performances which can either be effective whereby it meets expected results or ineffective where outcomes contradict expectations.

Many great leaders have existed throughout history in which some enabled their countries to succeed whereas others, due to poor management, brought theirs to ruins. The prevailing of law and justice in the contemporary world, therefore, necessitates effective leadership which includes a combination of specific principles, traits, employee motivation and performance, and decision making.
Principles of Leadership
The development of an individual into an effective law enforcement chief is a process of continued learning, a career-long expedition involving learning from others as well as self-discovery. Leadership entails suppressing personal welfare to the greater good of others by mentoring, promoting, developing and serving others as well as meeting organizational goals including combating crime and public protection. Being a manager or a supervisor involves more than merely holding the title in which these individuals hold various responsibilities that need unrelenting attempts to proactively improve themselves as well as build, motivate, train, and inspire the subordinates. Law enforcement leadership involves various principles that govern managers in their governance within an organization which enables them to perform efficiently in meeting specific goals. Willis (2011) points out how leadership doctrines require constant reevaluation and improvement to meet the dynamic needs of the 21st century as they emerge.
Service is a leadership standard in which a superintendent demonstrates selflessness, self-giving, and service in efforts to improve and develop interests and abilities of others. As leaders, Willis (2011) suggest that effective leaders have a core objective which involves motivating the staff members into performing and executing their duties of combating crime and ensuring their public service display compassion and professionalism. Knowing one’s role as a leader as well as the roles and capabilities of others enable bosses to delegate responsibilities appropriately which increases productivity and efficiency within the organization. Schroeder and Lombado (2013) emphasize the importance of supervisors having a thorough knowledge of their jobs, be aware of their strengths and challenges as well as those of other employees. Moreover, this awareness allows supervisors establish ways to improve the weak areas of their teams while matching roles with the most suitable personnel.
Successful managers also ensure workers assigned particular duties to have a full understanding of the job by fairly delegating roles and regularly requesting for progress to ensure job proceeds as expected. Schroeder and Lombado (2013) note that enquiring progress can help prevent potentially costly errors that can easily be avoided if intervention occurs on time. Willis (2011) suggest trust as an important principle of leadership in which managers need to trust workers by delegating, following through, and setting rational and unambiguous performance expectations. And through, continuous mentorship and development, managers need to learn to trust subordinates and trust prompts personnel to work harder to meet their leaders’ expectations (Willis 2011). For example, keeping subordinates informed of the happenings within an organization demonstrates trust and captivates a sense of belonging among subordinates, hence, improving their productivity (Schroeder and Lombado 2013). Schroeder and Lombado (2013) also note the importance of leaders ensuring they promote the feeling of responsibility among subordinates so that they know it is their duty to successfully complete assigned tasks within expected timeline. This principle helps in building confidence among workers to undertake more tasks and trust they can successfully execute duties assigned to them as well as build trust with their leaders.
Leadership Styles
Leadership traits vary from one leader to the other one organization or country to the other. But irrespective of a different exhibition of this element, the style used to lead inevitably has a substantial impact on the whole unit including worker’s morale and eventually has the quality of services provided to the public. Although leadership styles are diverse, a majority of leaders identify with one of three most common universal styles including free rein, democratic, and authoritarian (Cox 2016).
Authoritarian Leaders
This type of leadership involves supervisors delegating roles poorly in which they hold full responsibility for all decision making including a minor decision that subordinates can make successfully (Schroeder and Lombado 2013). In contrast to the principle of leadership which requires managers to keep employees informed concerning matters in the organization, an authoritarian manager withholds information consequently leaving workers totally dependent on them. Cox (2016) points out these managers make all tactical decisions without consulting other personnel and support a castigatory environment. While this form of governance is suitable for instances where a staff member is resistant to duties or untrained (Schroeder and Lombado 2013), it affects other factors such as trust and confidence among workers. These leaders also believe withholding information from staff members retains their control over them which can affect the principle of teamwork where some employees lack adequate information to perform their roles effectively. In fact, Cox (2016) suggests that authoritarian style can lead to disagreements among workers and prevent the building team over time. It is, nonetheless, important noting that some instances allow for such method of governance including crisis or emergencies which necessitate autocracy and may prove more efficient in solving presented problems.
Democratic Leaders
This form of leadership esteems highly relationships and engages team members during the establishment and identification of important goals and decision making (Cox 2016). This method supports the principle of teamwork, trust, a fair delegation of duties, informing staff, effective decision making, and enables the manager to know other workers. This style also allows for subordinates to create processes and techniques to attain set objectives and goals and the manager offer feedback which importance for growth allows workers to know their strengths and areas that require improvement. Cox (2016) establishes that a democratic supervisor promotes responsibility and accountability and involves staff in the decision making of some situations. This inclusion in actively contributing to decision making cultivate an environment of trust and confidence and generates a feeling of worthiness among employees. This system, however, has some drawbacks such as it necessitates ample time when facilitating contribution and inclusion of members which makes it slower paced (Cox 2016). It may, hence, not be appropriate to use this style during emergency situations which necessitate some elements of autocracy. But otherwise, this method is rewarding for both subordinates and a leader especially where all parties contribute to decision making.
Free Rein
Unlike autocratic and democratic leadership method, free rein involves little supervision and, therefore, is suitable for highly motivated teams (Cox 2016). This style entails managers establishing goals and giving workers the freedom to use whatever methods they deem appropriate to execute their jobs. However, this method unlike democratic and autocratic is deemed ineffective especially since it lacks the motivation to employees and oversight to ensure processes transpire in a timely manner which may lead to costly risks. Additionally, free rein may not be helpful where untrained personnel is involved who may work better under democratic leadership.
Leadership Traits
One can view characteristics of leadership as a balance where integrity serves as the strong solid foundation with responsibility and respect balancing on either side. Integrity is an integral part of effective leadership without which it would be impossible to perform efficiently or attain established goals. Lester and Morton (2001) indicate that individuals with integrity tend to be genuine, are trustworthy and honest and also tend to respect others. These individuals also possess a strong sense of personal accountability where they uphold standards of ethical and moral behavior. Respect is also essential for successful leadership in which managers need to show respect for all irrespective of one’s rank in the agency (Lester and Morton 2001). Having respect involves acknowledging the value of others as people, the unrestricted high perception of others irrespective of their conduct. This respect also is not only restricted to favorable situations but also ones that include criticism and conflict, which makes it a trait that requires long-term development and refinement.
Roufa (2018) suggest vision to be an important quality of an efficient leader whereby the manager needs to have an intelligent vision for their department. In other words, the supervisor needs to understand the current position of the firm as well as where it is headed or future prospect for the unit. Having a positive vision provides the organization with the direction where the staff works towards the success of set vision. Roufa (2018) also points out that these supervisors understand both short-term and long-term challenges the organization encounter and, therefore, identify policing theories and allocate resources appropriately. Also, the managers share data and information in efforts to improve the abilities and efficacy of the unit and the entire organization.
Ideally, all styles of leadership including autocratic, democratic and free rein tend to have a specific vision for their units. Nonetheless, the methods used while achieving it determine workforce performance, reaction, and engagement and the ultimate outcome of the set objective. For example, performance in democratic governance is likely to yield better results for a long-term project compared to authoritarian which may prove more efficient for short-term goals. Therefore, attaining a company’s vision will require managers to have principles such as promoting teamwork, information sharing with subordinates, and fair delegation of duties among others. Roufa (2018) posit that attaining a vision requires strategic collaboration among workers and both internal and external stakeholders, training for all-level staff to maximize possibilities of success.
Humility is an important role of an efficient manager where the individual is not pompous or arrogant. Leaders with humility acknowledge others and understand their achievements are not their own and instead are a result of teamwork and collaboration with various stakeholders. Individuals with the trait of humility think more of others and listen actively to others and admit their weaknesses which earn them respect and trust from subordinates. As Schroeder and Lombado (2013) demonstrate, an efficient leader knows their abilities and is not afraid to reveal their weaknesses and do not flaunt their capabilities. Accountability is also an imperative quality of a successful superintendent whereby they are liable not only to their superiors but also those working under them (Roufa 2018). Accountable directors seek to understand personal capabilities and those of their colleagues such that they are able to allocate resources proficiently and meet set objectives and visions of the agency. And while autocratic and democratic superintendents demonstrate accountability by actively being involved in operations of the firm, free rein avoid liability by inactively leading team members but expecting results.
Effective Decision Making
Law enforcement superintendent makes critical operational decisions every day. Schroeder and Lombado (2013) indicate that a leader’s ability is manifested by their capacity to make decisions and making sound ones reveals the effectiveness of that leadership. Authoritarian and democratic directors make decisions regularly for continued operations of the firm which makes them liable for all outcomes both positive and negative. In contrast, the passive governance practiced by the free reign commanders makes them unaccountable and, therefore, are not trusted by others and are ineffective in their leadership. In particular, decision making is an integral part of leadership and since Free Rein bosses assign power to subordinates, they, therefore, avert responsibilities associated with decision making consequently affecting final results and making it difficult to reach the agency’s vision.
Decision making is a process involving various steps essential for creating a sound one that meets presented needs as well as produces expected results. Schroeder and Lombado (2013) highlight the significance of collecting sufficient data and facts concerning identified circumstances to make sound decisions. This step also involves determining the authenticity of the sources from which facts and information are gathered as well as make sound judgment using available data. Having adequate details concerning particular situations equip supervisors enough to make successful verdicts. Identifying the problem or opportunity should be the first step in decision making procedure and also identifying possible impacts suggested decision will have on involved stakeholders.
It is also important for managers to discover different alternatives at their disposal before settling for a specific conclusion and afterward inform all parties required to execute various parts to reach particular objectives. Schroeder and Lombado (2013) point out the need for managers to weigh several alternatives before taking the final course of action. These alternatives are different measures a leader can utilize towards attaining set objectives and, therefore, evaluating one that offers the best chance of solving presented issue or achieving a goal is essential for effective leadership. Taking action includes determining resources required to implement the decision including identifying equipment, team, and stakeholders to execute the plan and attain established end. Taking responsibility for particular actions is also paramount in the decision-making process in which supervisors ought to take liability for their actions; an element practiced mostly the democratic and autocratic leaders.
Decision making procedure provides a platform for managers to exercise various leadership principles including proper delegation of work, efficient use of equipment and staff, and informing team members of significant details vital for proper execution of set plans. This process also requires effective teamwork, understanding individual strengths and weaknesses for efficient delegation of responsibility, decision making, and accountability by maintaining final authority over the project. Decision making is largely employed under democratic management unlike autocratic whereby the leader makes decisions independently, do not cultivate teamwork or keep subordinates informed. Similarly to an autocratic system, Free rein system has poor decision-making strategy since the manager is disconnected from the functions undertaken by their workers and the commander is rarely responsible.
Motivation/ Employee Performance
Workforce motivation is vital for every agency since it directly impacts their performance as well as their overall productivity. Allen and Sawhney (2014) posit that increasingly motivated staff tends to perform better in their roles compared to their less motivated counterparts. It is, therefore, essential for the superintendent to identify and maintain ways that motivate team members for improved output and increased the likelihood to attain established aspirations. Allen and Sawhney (2014) allege a worker can either be intrinsically or extrinsically motivated in which the former is where the employee feels satisfied by simply attaining a certain task. In this case, Allen and Sawhney (2014) recommend it best for the manager to more challenging projects and necessary resources so they reach their full potential. Moreover, it is vital offering these staff members numerous chances to make a considerable contribution to their units as well as the overall agency. Extrinsic motivation leans towards materialistic rewards or aversion from penalties Allen and Sawhney (2014). The rewards can be in monetary forms or favors or grants or opportunities among other and are an essential part of the community because they act as means to multiple ends.
Schroeder and Lombado (2013) point out the essence of understanding the difference between manipulation and motivating in which the former seeks to benefit the company only whereas the later benefits both parties. It is also imperative for commanders to employ leadership principles such as knowing their employees to effectively determine the type of incentive they require improving their work. For instance, a worker may need the intrinsic type of incentive and in this case, they would only need more work and successful completion of the task provides gratification and morale to do more. In contrast, an individual in need of monetary support to handle family issues may find financial reward as more appealing and, therefore, would work harder to meet expectations and receive the incentive. It is, therefore, indispensable for commanders to have sufficient information regarding their workers to determine what form of motivation best suits them. Additionally, the manager needs to understand and realize ways to maintain a highly motivated team for increased performance and overall output for continued growth among individual employees as well as that of the organization.
Employee performance tends also to be affected by facets such as working environment, training, skills, abilities, availability of resources, and personality among others. Allen and Sawhney (2014), hence, point out that high performance does not a direct consequence of increased motivation and low output is not necessarily as a result of low motivation. It is, therefore, crucial for managers to verify the cause of poor performance among their team members and take rational and calculated steps to solve the issue. Improved performance increases motivation and ultimately increases job satisfaction and happiness among workers (Allen and Sawhney 2014). Happy and satisfied workers are highly productive compared to their unhappy and dissatisfied counterparts. More importantly, Allen and Sawhney (2014) indicate that high stress and lack of motivation have a direct influence on the service delivery in the criminal justice field. In conclusion, leaders understanding all aspect of their work, their employees, identifying efficient ways of operations and decision making impacts the overall success of the organization and attainment of set vision and goals.
References
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http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/horton.pdfRaufa T. (2018). Leadership Traits for the Law Enforcement Commander. The Balance.
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Willis D. (2011). Perspective: Principles of Effective Law Enforcement Leadership. FBI Law
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