Leadership Styles Enhancing Disaster Preparedness Operations

Sheriff Kem Kimbrough, J.D.Clayton County (GA) Sheriff’s Office

Professor Bill Lowe, Ph.D.Jacksonville State (AL) University

“How important is it that today’s emergency management leaders

actually lead?”

Emergency Managers

– What is YOUR Profession?

What motivation do you

need to get started on YOUR leadership development?

Mentoring Phases

PreparingExplore personal motivationReadiness and willingness to commit Clarity of expectations and roles

NegotiatingEstablish agreements of mentoring goalsDefine contact and process of relationshipAddress confidentiality and boundary limits

Mentoring Phases

EnablingLongest phaseNurturing, learning, and development occursTrust reinforced, positive climate with constructive feedback

ClosureProvides evaluation, acknowledgment, and celebration of

mentoring objectives established in the negotiating phase.Evaluate personal learning outcomesEstablish post-mentoring contact and communication

possibilities

Effective Leadership Traits

Ability to motivate and influence positive outcomes

Strong organizational ability

Strong interpersonal competencies

Willingness to commit time

Successful Subordinate Motivations

Able to accept and address constructive feedback

Strong communicator

Willingness to commit time to the relationship

Legitimate Power

Legitimate power is the authority a supervisor has by virtue of his or her position in an organization’s hierarchy. There are many elements whereby everyone in the agency knows by recognition who they are subordinate to, equal to, or superior to in the agency hierarchy.

Reward Power

Reward power represents the authority and ability of supervisors to grant or withhold rewards.

Some of the rewards are tangible such as pay increases, performance bonuses, preferred job assignments, or desirable training opportunities.

Additionally, intangible rewards are also available and represent items such as verbal praise, a pat on back, or demonstrating respect.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke

Coercive Power

Coercive power represents the explicit authority that supervisors have to discipline or punish others.

Punishment can range from verbal reprimands, suspensions, reassignments to less desirable shifts or units, demotions, taking away privileges, or even termination.

Expert Power

Expert power represents the knowledge, skills, and abilities a supervisor possesses.

There is often tremendous good will and trust when a leader has “walked the talk” or “been here, done that, got the t-shirt” especially in emergency management.

Referent Power

Referent power is perhaps the highest compliment subordinates and coworkers can show for supervisors they respect and admire. It should be no surprise that supervisors who are likable and admired by their subordinates will possess referent power.

Being likeable and admired does not mean that a leader is weak and soft. On the contrary, leaders can increase their referent power by being concerned about their subordinates and showing a genuine interest in their welfare.

Search out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.

Experiment, take risks, and learn from the accompanying mistakes.

Challenging the Process

Envision an uplifting future.

Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests,

hopes, and dreams.

Inspiring a Shared Vision

Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.

Strengthen people by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks, and offering visible support.

Enabling Others to Act

Set the example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values.

Achieve small wins that promote consistent

progress and build commitment.

Modeling the Way

Recognize individual contributions to the success of every project.

Celebrate team accomplishments

regularly.

Encouraging the Heart

It is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way.

Aristotle

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THANKS and

ENJOY the Conference!

Kem & Bill