Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
DANGERS OF OVER-SUPERVISING New supervisors often make the mistake of micromanaging the officers in their command. BEING A GREAT OFFICER does not guarantee success as a ing what you have always done. Don't misunderstand my sergeant. We promote officers, give them very little training, meaning; you're still a cop, but you have to acknowledge and expect wonders. Officers go from asking questions one that officers do officer things and sergeants do sergeant day to being expected to answer them the next. things. You get paid to make sure others are doing their job I thought my own transition from officer to sergeant and that the objectives of the agency are being met. would be a cake walk. I could never have been more wrong. The next lesson is that delegation is a huge part of your When I was promoted back in 1996, I did everything I was new vocabulary and a primary tool. You'll still get your trained to do in the military. I met with the squad's former hands dirty and get to share in certain parts of the workload, sergeant and we discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly. but you have to back off. And this is harder than you think I went over the squad's personnel files to familiarize myself when you are a hands-on type of person. with their training, discipline, and awards. When I next met The last lesson is that you have to learn to let your officers with my new command, I gave them a written list of my ex- be officers. Yes, you are to help, mentor, and train them, but pectations and standards. Finally, I you also have to let them make their evaluated them for two weeks before I own mistakes or they will never learn YOU'RE STILL A COP, started making any changes. By then, anything. You need to let them work BUT YOU HAVE TO I was in full sergeant mode. I thought things out for themselves and ask for ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I was doing a great job until two weeks help when they need it. Teach them to OFFICERS DO OFFICER later when I was summoned to the formulate their questions in a way that THINGS AND SERGEANTS lets you know they are doing their job patrol captain's office for some not DO SERGEANT THINGS. so friendly advice on how to keep my and not looking to you to do it for them. stripes. A "Here is what I have, here is what I'd The captain told me to shut up on like to do about it; what do you think?" the radio and let my deputies ask their format works very well. own questions. He told me I was trying too hard and doing If you always hover over your officers and tell them how too much. He reminded me I was being paid to be a sergeant to handle their calls, you accomplish nothing but building and not a mother hen. Needless to say, I was speechless. As resentment toward you and guaranteeing that you will do I sat there getting verbally lambasted, I thought about the double your work. Over-supervising quashes initiative, crelast four weeks. By the end of our one-sided meeting, I really ates morale problems (no one likes to be micro-managed), couldn't say much because he was right; in my zeal to do a and creates respect issues. good job, I was stifling my squad. Eventually I found my groove and enjoyed my 10-year run Over-supervising is the most common mistake made by as sergeant before being promoted to lieutenant. In the lieunewly promoted supervisors. For most of us, this mistake tenant role, I make myself available as a mentor. When I work comes from being too conscientious, being too goal orient- with new sergeants, I share the same story in hopes that they ed, and having too much zeal for mission accomplishment. don't get called into the captain's office like I did. For the rest it's about control, limiting liability, and having a fear of failure. Whatever the reason, over-supervising al- Amaury Murgado is a special operations lieutenant with the ways ends up the same. Osceola County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office. He is a retired master In order to not over-supervise, one of the first lessons you sergeant from the Army Reserve, has over 27 years of law enhave to learn is that you are in a new role and that you're no forcement experience, and has been a lifelong student of marlonger working at the officer level. You don't get to keep do- tial arts.
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POLICE JANUARY 2015