Leaders Swim to Shore

Daniel Robbins

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership, University of San Diego

LEPS 540: Organizational Leadership for Law Enforcement

Professor Duane Voss

January 21st, 2023

 Character must precede leadership because no one can pour from an empty cup. Even

with the right character traits, leadership is still extremely difficult. Leaders must consistently

implement the principles they have developed over their careers. The best leaders prioritize their

daily activities based on how it will develop them as leaders and unlock the potential of their

team. Even the most skilled and smartest people may not be the best leaders. Some of the most

skilled leaders fail because people don’t care how much you know until they know how much

you care. It is the deep and passionate engagement in your team’s work that demonstrates

leadership. This week I sat down with a leader, Chief of Corrections, Dan Freitas, who

exemplifies these leadership principles. Chief Freitas uses his leadership traits as guiding

principles for decision-making and a mechanism for clarity to turn followers into leaders.

Historically, the Corrections Bureau has been well managed. Previous administrators

were able to establish rules and procedures, allocate resources, take corrective action, and find

innovative solutions. Despite this, morale has always been low amongst staff in the jail. The low

morale speaks to an agency that was in dire need of leadership, not just management. In

“Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge,” the authors noted, “To manage means to

accomplish activities and master routines, whereas to lead means to influence others and create

visions for change.”i Chief Freitas came into the Corrections Bureau as a Lieutenant in 2017. His

leadership was an immediate infusion of energy into the Bureau. Chief Freitas has since

established a culture of trust amongst the Correctional Officers while also providing clarity that

has led to our Correctional Officers trusting the organization. Recently, he established a Jail

Improvement Committee focused on resolving issues affecting Correctional Officers, such as

hiring and retention, workload, technology, and culture. Each group was tasked with establishing
a mission, identifying a problem, finding solutions, and executing them. This workgroup

exemplifies how Chief Freitas focuses on his vision of leadership and empowers his team.

When asked what his first rule of leadership would be, Chief Freitas was quick to answer,

“Love your people.” He equated this with many different leadership traits but most closely

associated it with trust. When we completely trust someone, we believe that they prioritize our

interests equal to or above their own and will always act accordingly. That is what distinguishes

the best leaders, their followers believe that their leader prioritizes their success and the

organization’s success over their own personal success. As Chief Freitas explained, this does not

mean we, as leaders, need to bend to our people. Rather it means we should be focused on

coaching them with open and honest conversations. A man of analogies, Chief Freitas stated that

he wants his team to operate in a box. If their behavior floats slightly outside of the box, he will

help push them back in. However, the further they go outside the box, the more force that has to

be used to get them back in the box.

According to a 2018 Harvard Business Review Article, one of the key derailment

characteristics of bad managers is “moving away behaviors,” which create distance from others

through hyper-emotionality, diminished communication, and skepticism that erodes trust.”ii

Moving away behaviors speaks to leadership styles that are not engaged, also known as absent

leaders. Without leaders who are willing to hold their people accountable, develop, or empower

them, trust cannot be established. In fact, “a 2015 survey of 1,000 working adults showed that

eight of the top nine complaints about leaders concerned behaviors that were absent; employees

were most concerned about what their bosses didn’t do.”iii A team that trusts each other improves

communication, encourages participation, has shared goals, and assumes shared risks. This type

of trust allows the team to feel safe and function at a higher level. As noted by Stephen Covey,
“Without trust, we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It is trust

that transforms a group of people into a team.”iv

When asked what he viewed his number one role as a leader was, Chief Freitas explained

that it is to provide clarity to his people. Clarity is essential as it provides members at all levels

an understanding of the principles the agency values and where they are trying to head.

Providing clarity provides direction that energizes, orients, and engages a team. An employee

survey across 600 companies by Inc. Magazine “revealed that less than two employees can name

their organization’s top three priorities.”v Chief Freitas explained that an agency without a

mission is like treading water with no land in sight. However, if we have a mission, we can fully

commit to a direction and begin swimming, even without a shore in sight. The agency will know

where it is headed. Even when obstacles present themselves, the agency can swim over, under, or

around them but still be headed toward that goal (shore). Without the mission, you tread water,

get tired, and eventually sink (retire, leave, or stay and give up hope). Providing clarity to our

people tells them where we are going (intent), who we are (culture), and how we are getting

there (execution). Providing clarity serves as a roadmap to others who step into their successor’s

position in the future and provides continuity despite leadership changes.

Successful organizations are motivated by the cause, not the result. This motivation is

essential because continued success is hard. This motivation is the antidote to setbacks, ridicule,

and disadvantages, which are pervasive problems law enforcement face daily. Simply put, the

more trust and clarity we provide, the more positive change we can create. However, it does not

stop there. Leaders like Chief Freitas know that success is more than an idea, it is about

execution. We can execute these improvements with a strong foundation of trust and a vision.

That is how we get to the shore.

 References:

I
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: theory and practice. Eighth Edition. Los Angeles, SAGE
Publications.
ii
Gregory, S. (2018, April 3). The most common type of incompetent leader. Harvard Business
Review. Retrieved January 21, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2018/03/the-most-common-type-of-
incompetent-leader
iii
Solomon, L. (2020, September 3). The top complaints from employees about their leaders.
Harvard Business Review. Retrieved January 21, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2015/06/the-top-
complaints-from-employees-about-their-leaders
iv
Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character
ethic ([Rev. ed.].). Free Press
v
Coyle, Daniel. The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. Bantam Books,
2018.