I had trouble figuring out where to begin this year’s renewed version of the Police Leadership Program. The challenge was too many options. The leadership issues in policing today range all the way, for example, from community mental health to organizational budgeting to technical skill development.

As policing leaders, there are key elements to consider when it comes to developing outstanding organizations. Opening conference keynote presenter Tanya McCready of the Winterdance Dogsled Tour and author of Journey of 1000 Miles opened the conference with a timely message: time, dedication, trust, and practice are key elements to leadership, as well as ensuring that leaders know their team and where they thrive best.

Leaders often assume that they - themselves - should have all the answers, simply because they’re in a “leadership role” and all eyes are on them. Not being the expert can be unsettling. However, leaders need to acknowledge that it is gravely difficult (or perhaps an impossibility) to “know EVERYTHING”.