A Message from Retired Colonel Richard Fambro
THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNIZING YOUR TEAM
It has been said that what gets measured, gets done. Having a plan with metrics can take care of that piece, but it is also known that what gets recognized gets done. The champion must also be a cheerleader for the individuals who are doing the job and preventing the injuries and deaths.
When reporting results, there should also be metrics that point to who is providing the best effort, and those individuals should receive recognition. This can be both formal and informal but must be seen by the entire agency as something that is mission critical.
One of the most valuable pieces of advice one of my most trusted mentors, Lieutenant Colonel, Gilbert H. Jones (Ohio State Highway Patrol and Franklin County Ohio Sheriff’s Office), impressed upon me is the need to be authentic, available, caring, and willing to manage by walking around (MBWA).
As a law enforcement executive today, MBWA is one of the most effective tools at your disposal to cultivate relationships, understand the culture of your agency, address rumors head-on, and have meaningful dialogue with personnel to ensure they understand where the agency is going, but more importantly, how they fit into the construct of how to get to the destination.
Leaders must be intentional about leading from the front while being accepted and approachable enough to connect with every member and level of an agency. I firmly believe the adage is true, “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Editor’s note: reprinted from the MADD Impaired Driving Toolkit: A Law Enforcement Leaders’s Guide to Saving Lives. The toolkit can be found by Clicking Here, or at the QR Code.
One of the most valuable pieces of advice one of my most trusted mentors, Lieutenant Colonel, Gilbert H. Jones (Ohio State Highway Patrol and Franklin County Ohio Sheriff’s Office), impressed upon me is the need to be authentic, available, caring, and willing to manage by walking around (MBWA).
As a law enforcement executive today, MBWA is one of the most effective tools at your disposal to cultivate relationships, understand the culture of your agency, address rumors head-on, and have meaningful dialogue with personnel to ensure they understand where the agency is going, but more importantly, how they fit into the construct of how to get to the destination.
Leaders must be intentional about leading from the front while being accepted and approachable enough to connect with every member and level of an agency. I firmly believe the adage is true, “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Editor’s note: reprinted from the MADD Impaired Driving Toolkit: A Law Enforcement Leaders’s Guide to Saving Lives. The toolkit can be found by Clicking Here, or at the QR Code.
