Leadership is the ability to bring people together by motivating and inspiring them to work as a team to achieve a common goal. There have been several leadership influences in my life. Since I was very young, I watched my father lead his troops while serving as a senior member of the U.S. Army. I saw how on one hand he held them accountable for doing their work, but on the other he mentored them and gave them the direction they needed, sometimes almost like a father figure. Working for four different law enforcement agencies over the past twenty-seven years, I have dealt with several supervisors, some good and some not so good. Looking back, I think my leadership philosophy was influenced the most by bad supervisors: I saw supervisors who didn't hold anyone accountable for anything. I saw some who did not face any problems among their unit members and were commonly called “ostrich” because they kept their heads in the sand and pretended there were no problems. I saw firsthand how that type of leadership also damaged unit morale and cohesion. One interesting thing I've noticed over the years is that almost every true leader I've met in law enforcement was a military veteran as a result. My current supervisor is a former Marine and a good example of a true leader. He's one of the first I've had who consistently strives to do the right thing for the right reason and isn't quick to jump to conclusions when he hears something he needs to address. Will take the time to find out all the details before reacting and will use the good judgment and common sense of other supervisors before acting. Interestingly, he and I have had similar experiences with former military supervisors versus supervisors without military experience and he is quick to agree that there is some indefinite difference between a supervisor with a military background. My leadership philosophy is to lead by example, I believe as a leader, you are always being watched and what you do and how you do it matters. I let my employees know the first day they come into my unit, what to expect from me and what I expect from them. We have a long discussion about my management style and how along with freedom (conducting investigations as they see fit) comes responsibility (keeping me updated and understanding when they need to talk to me about an issue). I hold them accountable to carry out their duties in a professional and competent manner. I believe leaders should allow members of their organization to make decisions at the lowest level possible. As a leader, it stops being about you and becomes all about your people. I believe that while mission fulfillment is the number one priority, caring for your people comes second. I believe in putting my members first in everything from equipment and vehicles to recreation and I can tell they notice and appreciate things like that. I believe that by acting as a buffer between them and my boss I can mitigate things that get passed down that don't always make sense. Some former members have come to me and told me they had no idea how much I kept the bosses out of their investigations until they had a different supervisor who didn't care. It should be like this. A leader doesn't seek recognition from his members, he takes care of them behind the scenes,