The Twelve Leadership Principles: A Summary

THE TWELVE PRINCIPLES

OF QUALITY LEADERSHIP

SYSTEMS

1. Improve SYSTEMS and examine processes before blaming people
2. Have a CUSTOMER orientation and focus toward employees and citizens.
3. Believe that the best way to improve the quality of work or service is to ASK and LISTEN to employees who are doing the work.
4. Be committed to the PROBLEM-SOLVING process; use it and let DATA, not emotions, drive decisions.

LEADERSHIP

1. Be a FACILITATOR and COACH. Develop an OPEN atmosphere that encourages providing and accepting FEEDBACK
2. Encourage CREATIVITY through RISK-TAKING and be tolerant of honest MISTAKES.
3. Avoid top-down, POWER-ORIENTED decision-making whenever possible.
4. Manage on the BEHAVIOR of 95% of employees and not on the 5% who cause problems. Deal with the 5% PROMPTLY and FAIRLY.

TEAMS

1. Believe in, foster and support TEAMWORK
2. With teamwork, develop with employees agreed-upon GOALS and a PLAN to achieve them.
3. Seek employees INPUT before you make key decisions.
4. Strive to develop mutual RESPECT and TRUST among employees; DRIVE OUT FEAR.

[These principles were developed in the 1980s when I was chief of police in Madison, Wisc. Through the years they have continued to be on the forefront of leadership training and development. In my new book, Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation’s Police , I describe the steps that were taken to transform of a police department and what it will take to improve all our nation’s police. And guess what? I all begins with a leader. ]