Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less. ~ John Maxwell
Influence is not born out of a title, a position, financial well-being, or seniority. While those factors may force someone to listen and do as you say in a particular moment, without influence they will never go above, do anything extra, take a risk, or show true selflessness for those around them. Influence inspires others to work hard because it is the right thing to do, put “we” before “I,” and to think of themselves as being a part of something greater.
Being a great FTO is about building influence with trainees as fast as possible because the time with them is limited. In field training, influence will actually make the job of training new officers much easier. The more influence the FTO has, the more the trainee will accept their words of wisdom with less question.
There are 4 keys to building true influence with your trainees – contact, communication, connection, and commitment.
CONTACT: Contact is time and proximity, nothing more. While this may seem like the simplest of things you can offer, remember that it must be focused and consistent. Here are 4 opportunities to build contact into your everyday routine as a field trainer . . .
Reach out to the trainee before they arrive to train with you. Give them your phone number, what beat they will be working, expectations, etc.
Meet the trainee at your district early the first day they arrive for training. Show them around, explain how to sign out cars, etc.
Introduce them to the squad when they come in for their first briefing.
Utilize the time and proximity while driving around in the patrol car to talk and get to know your trainee. How are they coming to this profession, any prior, why law enforcement, etc.
COMMUNICATION: Two people can sit in a room for hours, but without communication during that time it means nothing. This is where building influence starts to require foresight, vision, and patience on your part. Communication by definition is a two-way street. It requires not only the ability to speak with meaning, but it is just as important to listen. Sometimes the most difficult part of communicating effectively is being quiet and listening to what the trainee is telling you through both their words and actions. Here are 4 opportunities to increase your level of communication with your trainees. . .
Consistently repeat, reword, and incorporate your training expectations. The more they hear the message, the more they will believe in it.
Be specific when praising your trainee for a job well done. Don’t just say, “great job” and walk away. Say something along the lines of, “The way you were handling that interview with our victim was awesome, you really showed some compassion and empathy. Thank you!” Not only have you praised them, but now they know exactly what you liked about what they did. Remember, what you reward will be repeated.
Before clearing from a call, make it a habit to have your trainee go up to the case officer on scene and ask if there is anything you can do for them to help. This quick moment of communication teaching the trainee some of the unwritten culture of the department.
Remember to take the time to debrief CFS with your trainee. Debrief with 3 simple questions will go a long way - What do you like about what you did on this call? What could you have done better on this call? What are you going to do differently the next time we are on a similar car?
CONNECTION: Consistent contact and effective communication lead to the development of a connection. Connection is a bond developed in which there is mutual respect, honesty, and confidence in one another. Both sides of a connection trust that the other person has their back, will hold them accountable, and wants what is best for them as a their trainer. Here are 4 opportunities to increase connection with your officers . . .
Meet with them regularly to discuss their progress..
Know your trainee's strengths and put them in positions to make the most of them. If they are weak in a particular area of policing (tactics, investigations, traffic, etc.), empower them to fail forward and keep getting better. If a call comes up that would give them some valuable experience in their area of training need, get them those calls for service and make the most of them.
Admit when you are wrong or could have done something better. We are bound to make mistakes. Treat mistakes, both yours and your officer’s, as learning opportunities so long as they are not injurious or a violation of rights.
After receiving feedback from your officers, show them that you have read them and are willing to improve in the areas they identified as your weaknesses. Inevitably, they are going to see things about you that you do not; recognize it and learn from it.
COMMITMENT: Commitment comes when the trainee show sthat they have bought into the field trainer's influence through their words, actions, attitude, and effort. Commitment is the trainer's confirmation that influence has been established and, if nurtured properly, will be self-sustaining. Here are 4 examples of commitment you might see from your trainee that reinforce your influence . . .
When discussing how to handle a call, they are exemplifying the same practices, values and beliefs in policing that you have been instilling in them through your contact and communication.
When your trainee is on a call with officers from another squad, they are confident enough in their knowledge, skills, and your support to step up and take the lead. They are wanting to prove what you have been teaching them.
You will see your trainee doing things because it is the right thing to do; not because it is the easiest.
Your trainee is willing to put in effort to their own training for getting better without requiring specific direction from the trainer.
The road to building influence is not an easy one and it cannot be circumvented; the same 4 steps will always apply – contact, communication, connection, and commitment. If you want your trainees to excel and reach their true potential as a law enforcement professional, then it is incumbent of you to build influence with them and deliver the right message. This will then build the right concepts of influence and training into the department's next generation of officers and future field trainers.
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