Police Burnout

Many of the stresses that can contribute to police burnout occur all at once. They don't wait until the officer is ready for them.

I use this policing example to illustrate the need for senior leadership in any profession that deals with people, to pay particular attention to this specialized area of leadership development.

Avoiding burnout needs to be on your curriculum prior to deployment and an ongoing topic of learning and discussion throughout a policing professional's career.

While I may provide leadership and executive coaching for you as senior leadership, you need to adopt that same coach approach for the leaders and staff on your team.

What contributes to police burnout? A conversation with two seasoned officers who were in their 40's gave some insight. We don't pretend this is in any way exhaustive, purely anecdotal.

Like anyone else who has to work with people, law enforcement officers carry a huge burden of stress, maybe more than many other professions. The big difference is that officers often get the stressors all at once.

While much more could be said about law enforcement burnout, here's the initial view from two officers in response to the question, “What do you feel is the leading cause of  burnout amongst police officers that you are aware of?” The fact that they had immediate answers indicates high awareness of the problem. They didn't have to spend time thinking long and hard about it. It shows the reality of the specter of burnout was top of mind.

For those of you leading other organizations, ask yourself what your key people would say if asked the same question.

Long Shifts Twelve hour shifts often mean 14 hours with commute time. Sometimes things like the volume of paperwork and sitting can be tedious. Other times it is active and requiring the highest levels of alertness. But for the whole 12 hours you're 'on'. That means that adrenaline levels remain up all the time and spike during tense situations.

Decreased Respect for Authority Over time, there has been a steady erosion of respect for police officers. It is not uncommon to see young people give cops the finger and display other acts of disrespect.

Attitudes of Other Officers Younger cops coming on the force will often complain about jobs that are assigned to them. “Why do I have to do that again?” The spread of griping seems to have increased over time. “We shouldn't have to feel like baby sitters with these kids. They're cops. Do your job.”

Blurring of Your Own Identity It's often a challenge separating what you do from who you are and who you were before you became a cop. You see your job as your identity. Lines are blurred and inability to always succeed when the public is in need carry over into your view of yourself. It just means you put a lot of stress on yourself and sometimes even hold yourself accountable for things that are outside of your control.

Whether or not you agree or disagree with this anecdotal account isn't the point. The point is that when asked about police burnout, officers can immediately point to what they perceive are contributing causes. It points to the need of an ongoing environment of conversation and support where the effect of these things would be lessened.

That's where the 'coach approach' comes in, making and taking the time for individual discussion with each officer in a climate of non-judgment and with a view to personal and professional growth.

First, it would be valuable to experience coaching for yourself. In addition to your own professional development, you could use this time to develop a strategic approach to coaching the people on your team.

Spending time one-to-one with your team members is not about fixing the weak. It is about fostering and boosting existing strengths and being proactive at avoiding burnout with each and every individual.

What Do You Mean, Leadership Development?

Before engaging a coach for 'leadership development', you had better get a grip on what exactly leadership development is in the context of how you want to use it.

To book yourself or sponsor staff for leadership development coaching doesn't mean much by itself. What is it you wish to accomplish?

• Adjust a career limiting behavior


• Improve communication skills


• Learn how to develop and articulate vision


• Create connections both inside and outside the organization


• Handle conflict better

... and any number of other things that would impact the daily life of a leader.

I think Steve Roesler gives some very cogent advice in his recent post, Leadership: Coaching Clarity Needed,

When it comes to coaching--or any kind of consulting activity--90% of the success or failure lies in the contracting phase. So:

a. Get clear about who initiated the coaching request. If it was a boss, make sure to understand what that person is looking for and why. Which means asking, "Who really set this process in motion?"

b. What are the specific results desired from the coaching engagement? While Leadership is a sexy catch-all phrase, maybe the real issues are managing team performance, running better meetings, or initiating conversations with colleagues in other corporate locations. (All three of those have emerged after probing underneath the Leadership umbrella during contracting).

c. Is coaching the best way to get at the desired growth? The fact of the matter is that some things are skills that can be learned in other ways. And if you ask yourself how you best learned Leadership, the thoughtful answer will probably be "from leading." Be prepared to suggest expanded responsibility. People grow by being lifted up and then stepping up.

Clarity rules! If you can name it, you can do something about it. If you wish to establish new skills, change a particular attitude or adjust the way you go about whatever ... write it down clearly and then make focused effort to work on it.

If you want to achieve specific goals with coaching, fuzzy ideas and articulation about leadership development may not get you there. Zero in.

Here are sample statements from executives we have coached. Each of them started out as 'leadership development' type requests. But they had something more specific in mind. Notice how their statements are becoming more refined.

• "Develop some benchmarks for the company and understand how to use them best"


• "To get away from the edge of burnout"


• "I need assistance in relating to the board."


• "I need help in making a smooth transition of leadership."


• "Become someone who deals better with staff performance problems"

This means that the coaching can be more targeted. We can more quickly zero in and get to work on those things that matter.

And even for your own personal and professional development work ... be crisp and clear and you will better be able to develop your own personal development plan. You will have specific topics to work on. You will be able to set realistic targets because you will know what you are talking about.

Clarity rules!

Supplement Your SOP Learning

So you have been thrust into new responsibilities ... a new position, new people to work with and new projects or programs to carry through to completion. This is definitely a growing experience ... growing by the seat of your pants (SOP).

Seat of the pants growing is characterized by situations being in your face and you having to respond even though you don't have any particular specialized training in how to handle them. It's the trial and error method. You learn it as you need it.

There is nothing wrong with SOP. All of us use it. Over time we have matured (hopefully) and become experts in particular areas.

We had better be agile enough to handle whatever comes up. You might even say it is a necessity. But the cycle to mastery could have been vastly shortened.

The randomness of SOP learning and leadership isn't enough for someone who is a business, corporate, government or nonprofit leader. It isn't enough if you have suddenly been thrust into leadership of a small business or community organization. You can't afford to be behind the curve. You have to strive to be ahead of the curve. Otherwise incompetencies surface and become visible to all.

Growing as a leader requires additional attention. It requires intentionality. It requires asking yourself what knowledge needs to be learned, what skills need to be developed and what attitudes need to be adjusted to help you do a better job of directing and working with people to reach the objectives of the organization.

Will you:

• Work with a personal effectiveness Coach


• Read a book on dealing with conflict


• Do an online course


• Attend regular webinars


• Become a better speaker


• Finish a degree


• Improve your skills for conducting meetings


• Learn better delegating skills


• Learn how to get your office and to-do list organized


• Listen to one business or self-growth book on tape each month


• or a hundred and one other possibilities to grow

Whatever it is, and it might not be complicated, be intentional about pursuing it. Don't leave your future as a leader to the 'seat of your pants' method of leadership development.

Start by creating a draft of your own PDP, your Personal Development Plan. Look out over the next few years and ask what you need to add for your personal and professional growth to best prepare you for the responsibilities that are and may possibly be yours.

Don't leave personal and professional growth to chance. Be intentional.