This lesson is for experienced leaders looking to take their leadership development to the next level. It teaches students how to lead by examining the critical skills, knowledge, and traits necessary to succeed at all levels of leadership within law enforcement organizations.  It begins by reviewing much of their personal leadership experience they have gained since entering the policing profession.  From this point on, much of the material for this course is drawn from the book The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner. Each student will be provided a copy of the book for their continued professional development. This course studies the practices of exemplary leaders who consistently challenge the status quo, bring organizational visions to life, empower their people, lead by example, and recognize group and individual achievements.  Strong emphasis is given to personal ethics, values, and character and their impact on leadership credibility.  The importance of developing self-leadership in followers through mentoring and situational leadership is reviewed.  In the final part of this course, participants will draw from all their coursework and develop individual action plans for continuing their leadership development. This course takes place over three days, spread out over three weeks or three months, depending upon the organization's needs. These are the major topics to be discussed throughout this lesson:

*Discussing the three main ways people learn to lead.

*Identifying the four most important qualities of admired leaders.

*Implementing the five practices of exemplary leaders.

*Reviewing Case Studies of how these qualities and practices have been effectively used by successful law enforcement leaders.

*Developing a Personal Leadership Action Plan that will ensure that students use what they learn in class to become more credible leaders.

TARGET AUDIENCE:  This one-day class involves a lot of student interaction and is recommended for every member of a police department – civilian and sworn.  While this class can be done in one day, it is recommended to be presented over multiple days for a more effective impact on the students. Additionally, each student will receive a copy of the latest edition of The Leadership Challenge.