The Need for Visionary Leadership in Today’s Law, Essay Example

Introduction

The visionary leadership philosophy is based on key leadership behavior. A visionary leader has the ability to establish an organization vision while succeeding at successful outcomes. Visionary leaders create the type of environment that equips the management and employees with the vision, purpose, tools, and stimulation to succeed. Visionary leaders have a set of characteristics that describe their visionary abilities such as insight, role modeling, empowerment, image building, and adapting. (Kilpatrick, 2011, pg. 1617). Insight would be the first characteristic of a visionary leader. The visionary leader that has insight of the needs and values of the manager teaching them how to develop positive outcomes. This insight would be invaluable for the executive visionary leader because they could adjust to policies and procedures that do not work. The law enforcement agencies have a long history of continuing to do things the same way for many years. The relationships they have built over the years begin to sway their decisions concerning the law enforcement needs. The department is always concerned about the budget however, the executive visionary leader would find other ways to fund the required weapons and an increase in law enforcement coverage.

A good visionary leader has the ability to help managers and employees how to communicate and visualize the vision. The visionary leader will use role modeling to emulate the vision they want to achieve. They set the example for the manager to follow while pursing the vision. Empowerment is how the visionary leader gives the manager or employee permission to succeed without restraints. The visionary leader presents the mission and vision to the managers giving them the responsibility to achieve expected outcomes.

The healthcare industry has made a paradigm shift towards visionary leadership methodologies because the changing technology. The healthcare executives utilized visionary leadership to enhance the solidarity and integration of clinical performance and quality patient care (Baptist Health South Expands Physician Enterprise Leadership (2014). The visionary executives at Baptist Health South found there is power in adapting the methodologies that help clarify and achieve the descried outcomes for the hospital.

Another characteristic of the visionary leader is imaging building, which is the practice of building positive images of self and those around him or her. The positive image projected by the visionary leader provides reinforcement to others that vision can be achieved. The visionary leader’s behavior can have a tremendous effect on the managers because a positive visionary leader can set the example. The visionary leader can empower an entire department or division with setting an example of being a positive leader while promoting continuous process improvement (CFE Media, 2012, pg.1). The visionary leader has the foresight to make necessary changes based on the current landscape or problems presented at that time. The continuous improvement is a part of the executive visionary leadership methodology. The law enforcement leadership follows traditional that requires building external and internal relationships to deliver the best police departments. However, the opposite happens because of the outdate models that require the executive leaders to only react to the issues during reelection time. The visionary leaders will not be concerned with staying in office serving only a small portion of the community but they will serve the best interest of the entire community. The visionary leader is not afraid to challenge the busy as usual way of running law enforcement. The administrative leaders, the police managers, the police supervisors, and all the staff will be challenge and empowered to make a difference beyond just clock in and out for a paycheck. The positive image methodology works well for the executive visionary leaders.

The visionary leader will adapt and change for what is best for the police department instead that issue will keep them in the public office. The executive visionary leader will utilize image building to show the public and voting constituents that the law enforcement departments are implementing safety measures. The continuous improvement is a tool the executive visionary leader to show progress and keep the public informed about law enforcement improvements. The more collaborative the executive visionary leader, the more the public has faith in the decisions made to protect the community.

The law enforcement executive today, are facing more pressure to control the new wave of criminals that have found new ways with technology to battle with law enforcement. In addition, the criminals today are armed with a massive amount of firepower and weapons that have not been available in the past. Police Executive Research Forum (2013), reviewed crime statistics from 56 law enforcement agencies. These agencies found the crime rates are increasing at epic proportions. They found that violent crimes were increasing such as homicides, aggravated assault, robberies, and violent crimes with firearms.  This is relevant to today’s law enforcement executive leadership because they are facing complex criminals while still utilizing outdated leadership models. The law enforcement leadership should adopt the visionary leadership methodologies because it allows the leadership to be adaptive instead of utilized the old model of reactive leadership. The most difficult challenge for the current law enforcement leadership is to change from years of traditional police models. The is a study to support the effectiveness of visionary leadership for organizations executives. In a study by Taylor (2012), it concluded from data received from 135 executive leaders that there is a direct correlation was found between visionary leadership success and the organizations success.

The visionary leadership model will give the executive leadership some different tools to make the change based on the every changing world of technology. The technology advancement cannot be underestimated because the criminals have the police scanners, police radio frequencies, surveillance equipment, and weapons that have just as much firepower as the police. The news indicated the law enforcement executive leadership was considering other options such as stun guns and pellets to restrain criminals instead of using firepower. However, the visionary leadership would be able to ensure the police departments have enough weapons to endure or stop an onslaught of heavy artillery. In addition, the visionary leader would have the insight to separate the two issues concerning a less deadly way of apprehending criminals. The first situation is when a citizen is unarmed, which would make sense to utilize pellets or stun guns. The citizen poses very little threat without a weapon. However, any persons that armed themselves with a weapon will be apprehended using necessary force against force. The visionary leader is astute enough to make sure the polices and procedures address the real world of the police officers on the street.

The political well-informed and astute law enforcement leadership that has spent years protecting the citizens of the United States needs to change to the visionary leadership philosophies. The primary reason the law enforcement executive needs to make this change to the visionary leadership model is based on the technology criminals that erase their digital footprints after stealing massive amount of data. The law enforcement leadership needs to address the paradigm shift to more computer technology related crimes. The executive visionary leadership would adapt the technology criminals by using more updated technology such as moving away from the outdated magnetic discs. The police department that is still using magnetic tape can be compromised and the data can be deleted and lost remotely.

The law enforcement visionary leader would not hesitate to empower his technology team to switch to a solid states drive (SSDs) which store data on memory chips. The memory chip can protect data more effective in storing data and preventing hackers from taking all the police data. The old system using magnetic tapes are one the favorite types that criminals like to utilize because the information can be easily deleted. In the recent news, the Target stores that were attacked by hackers avoided sharing whether they were using magnetic tapes or new technology. The same information was left out when they hacker the FBI database which could have been using magnetic tapes. The primary point is the executive visionary leader will have the insight to understand that the computer industry is moving towards the SSD technology. This would be a big advantage for the law enforcement digital team to have this technology first. The SSD allow the law enforcement digital team to recover data erased by the criminal. In the past, the criminals would just delete or clear the data from the magnetic disc so forensic digital law enforcement teams could never recover the information. However, the SDD is a great tool for the police because they can retrieve data even after being deleted.

The current executive leadership in law enforcement has followed the traditional models for law enforcement even though criminal’s have move to complex technical crimes. The leadership is concentrating on votes, elections, and the city’s crime issues instead of noticing the paradigm shift in crimes. In law enforcement, it is time for the leadership to adopt the visionary leadership theories that will help in protecting the communities and its citizens. However, it is time for the law enforcement leadership to utilize the visionary leadership models to help with capturing, and prosecuting the leaders of criminal enterprises. The law enforcement techniques models and need to be revamped with new leadership that understand how to catch the all the criminals involved in complex crimes (Cao, Xu & Ye, 2013).

The law enforcement executive leadership transition to visionary leadership models will provide the executives to focus on critical issues while learning to proactive instead of reactive. The law enforcement visionary leader will be leader of the change. The will learn to have the insight to understand the needs of the community and the police officers to be successful. The best example is the current issue of criminals having more firepower than the law enforcement officer. The visionary leader will not wait until the criminal is on national TV gunning down police officers with superior weapons. Instead, the visionary leader will ensure the budget includes updating the officers with sufficient firepower to defend the community. The age of the Internet allows anyone to order assault weapons online including shotguns, 45 caliber, 60 caliber, sniper rifles, and even all police technology that is utilized today. The old model of leadership for law enforcement would respond after the public was attacked with assault weapons. Conversely, the executive leadership that adapts the visionary leadership model will address new laws such as the Patriot Act to equip law enforcement with enough power track extremely large weapon orders.

The most memorable example of the current law enforcement executive leadership was in Los Angeles when five bank robbers outgunned the Los Angeles police on national television. The law enforcement leaders responded with immediate updating of the law enforcement tactical response and requisitions for improved weapons. The visionary leader would have already completed studies to clearly indicated law enforcement needed more futuristic weapons along with a budget for more tactical training. The police officers are losing the battle with the same firepower because they need more tactical training when graduating from the police academy. The utilization of visionary leadership would have learn to be strategic thinkers that would make it mandatory for police rookies to endure extensive tactical training. In addition, to making it mandatory that every officer should be re-trained to handle the new threats in the field.

The executive visionary leader in law enforcement can utilize these methodologies to focus on the needs of the community, police officers, and law enforcement agencies. The visionary leader would communicate and collaborate with the community concerning their concerns. The police officers would be given additional training and firepower to defend against heavily armed criminals. In addition, the visionary leader would empower each agency to take action now instead of utilizing the traditional reactionary problem solving. The executive leaders are feeling the pressure of police officers being killed in the line of duty. The old law enforcement model would react by creating laws to prosecute those that kill police officers. However, the executive visionary leader would find the primary problem of the police department not having enough uniform officers to handle the growing number of criminals.

The executive visionary leadership in law enforcement would utilizing new training models at the Law Enforcement Leadership Centers nationwide. The training would educate managers, supervisors, and leadership in the best practices to combat the new millennium criminals. The leaders will learn to be proactive, not reactive, adaptive, collaborative, and global thinkers. This approach ensures new law enforcement officers learn from day one the visionary leadership expectations. In addition, all existing law enforcement officers will undergo additional training to help them perform at their best. The best way to bring about change to existing training is provide an overall training curriculum that will be based on the current and future challenges. The executive visionary leadership thinks about not just the impact today but also the impact to the law enforcement agencies in the future.

In simple terms the executive visionary leaders are thinking six or 10 years ahead to ensure the processes have longevity while addresses any new threats. The best example is the ability for anyone to purchase assault weapons on the Internet. If these trends continue in the next 10 years, the public will be more dangerous with powerful weapons. The executive visionary leadership is going to address the new policies that will be able to track those purchases with mandatory background checks before the weapons are released. In addition, the proactive executive visionary leadership would promote the implementation to the new Police Internet department that would address all enormous orders.

The bottom line the executive visionary leader can make a difference in deliver innovative and effective changes to all the law enforcement agencies. The best example of the executive visionary leader making a difference is the Columbine shooting at the high school. The current law enforcement leadership had the opportunity to make a difference prior to the shooting at Columbine. The news reported that a full 8 months prior to the shootings the leadership for the school and local law enforcement implemented a plan that included any student that made violent threats to students. In this case, the school and parents utilized the law enforcement leaders help with the new policy but was not involved in making sure it. As a result, the law enforcement leaders failed to be proactive on existing problems with violence with students. The school and the Columbine executive leaders could have benefited from adapting to the visionary leadership methodologies while preventing many deaths in the process. This is an example of how the visionary leadership model can help any school, administration, company and law enforcement is making positive changes.

The leadership team is one the hardest groups to change after years of law enforcement doing things the same way. The visionary leader has to be astute on winning over the police department, the public, and the naysayers. That is why these characteristics work for visionary leaders such as insight, role modeling, empowerment, and image building. The visionary leadership is a type of leadership model that can be used in the military, government, education, and the law enforcement industry. The visionary leadership model provides any organization with a way to achieve company goals while ensuring that the entire population grows in the process.

Conclusion

The executive law enforcement leadership today is need of adapting to the visionary leadership models because of the changing landscape of criminals in our society. The criminals are more perceptive with technology and they understand how the police department functions. The criminal today has access to the Internet where they can order any type police scanner, guns, knives, armor-piercing bullets to fight the police. The executive leadership would have these new skills set such as empowerment, insight, role modeling adaptation and positive images. The executive armed with these visionary leadership tools would be able to make changes in the new millennium, which brings more intelligent, technology savvy and unpredictable criminals. It is very clear that the current executive law enforcement leaders need to change to a more effective visionary leader model nationwide. The executive visionary leaders that master these methodologies will be able to focus on the needs of the community and the law enforcement agencies. The visionary leader would communicate and collaborate with the community concerning their concerns while presenting a positive image as an example. The positive image of law enforcement is one the most important tools because to make critical changes from the old traditional way of leadership an executive visionary leader is mandatory.

Bibliography

Baptist Health South Florida Expands Physician Enterprise Leadership. (2014, April 5). Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 182. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA363486590&v=2.1&u=20398_pclc&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=e8011f5733e3f4939edc3e880b8a75ed

Cao, Yang, Xiaotian Xu, and Zhijing Ye. “Crime busting model based on dynamic ranking algorithms.” Abstract and Applied Analysis (2013). Academic OneFile. Web. 28 Feb. 2015.

CFE Media.(2012,Aug).Interview: Taylor: Empower your staff with information goals. Controlling Engineering.59.8, PI,A5 from Academic Onefile

Kilpatrick,S.A.(2011,Feb).Visionary leadership theory: Encyclopedia of Leadership. Sage Publications,1615-1619

Moses,Asher(2011).High-tech criminals outsmarting the law. Retrieved February 28, 2015 from http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hightech-criminals-outsmarting-the-law-20110308-1bltt.html

Taylor, C. (2012, Oct).Visionary leadership and its relationship to organizational effectiveness: Abstract. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 35(6), 566-583. Retrieved on February 28, 2015 from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/264448116_Visionary_leadership_and_its_relationship_to_organizational_effectiveness

Police Executive Research Forum (2013). Compstat: Its orgins, evolution, and future in law enforcement agencies. Retrieved February 27, 2015 from www.policeforum.org