The DPD Way
Leadership Development Guidebook
Dedication, Duty, and Honor
As leaders within the Decatur Police Department, your dedication to duty and commitment to honor make you the key to building trust across our community. By guiding others through both calm and challenging times, you foster a sense of safety and mutual respect. Your leadership helps resolve conflicts and de-escalate tense situations while inspiring positive change and collaboration within our community. In your role as a police officer for our city, you embody not just the role of a guardian of the law but also a leader in every area of our community and within your department.
The Decatur Police Department’s The DPD Way Leadership Development Program is designed to strengthen your skills and guide you on an investigation into effective leadership strategies.
This program will provide you with opportunities to enhance your leadership abilities, aligning with the core values of the Decatur Police Department, which are to:
Have a servant’s heart.
Be responsive.
Be proactive.
Be a problem solver.
Be resourceful.
Be compassionate.
The DPD Way Leadership Development Program focuses on the core competencies of Teamwork, Wisdom, Accountability, Fairness, and Courage. Each competency is supported by specific leadership characteristics that, when put into practice, contribute to making you an effective police officer and leader. These key characteristics include: Communication, Coachability, Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Resolution, Trust, Growth Mindset, Respect, Diversity, Taking Risks, and Resilience.
Throughout The DPD Way Leadership Program, you'll have the opportunity to explore these competencies and values at your own pace, gaining practical insights and tools to apply in your daily work. Our aim is to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to navigate the challenges of leadership and drive positive change within your community.
PLEASE NOTE: Along with your leadership content, each session will include Self-Assessment Questions for you to reflect on as you review your current leadership practices. At the end of each module, you will be provided with additional reflection questions. Feel free to bring any insights, ideas, challenges, or opportunities for discussion to your coaching sessions or peer group meetings.
Before you depart on your leadership investigation, remember the FIVE P’s for Proficiency:
1. Priority
At the beginning of each session, you will be asked to complete the Skills Self-Assessment found in Roll Call. This assessment allows you to evaluate and quantify your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you to prioritize where to start your journey. Each skill is of equal importance and sessions can be completed in any order.
2. Pace
The DPD Way Leadership Program is self-paced. It is essential that you have the independence to work at your own speed. Being rushed or feeling pressured to complete a certain number of lessons within a time frame takes away your freedom to focus on the areas you are interested in developing. Using your Skills Self-Assessment, select your starting session and begin your journey of leadership growth.
3. Personal Coaching & Peer Groups
Remember, you are not alone in this journey. Our Eagle Center for Leadership Coaches and your Peer Groups will support and guide you on this path of personal and professional growth. They will respect both your priorities and the pace at which you choose to work.
4. Practice
Make time for practice. After determining what priorities you want to focus on, establish a learning pace that works for you. Once this has been set, you can practice the leadership skills, actions, and behaviors you want to incorporate into your daily routines.
5. Progress
Self-reflection is a vital part of this program. We encourage you to actively track and reflect on your progress after completing each module.
Proficiency
When you become proficient in your leadership, you demonstrate effective communication, decision-making skills, and apply ethical leadership practices in both training scenarios and real-world situations. By integrating the leadership qualities into your daily actions, you will build the confidence, trust, and respect needed to lead effectively within your department and community.
Your feedback matters. Whether you have suggestions, questions, or ideas to share, we want to hear from you. Your input helps us improve this course and enhance the leadership content we provide to the Decatur Police Department. All responses are confidential and will only be reviewed by the Eagle Center for Leadership. You can return here anytime during the course to share your thoughts. Thank you for helping us grow!
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