MY LEADERSHIP FAILURE AS A COMMAND OFFICER
IT IS GOOD TO LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES, BUT IT IS EVEN BETTER TO LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS. I HOPE THAT TODAY’S LEADERS CAN BENEFIT FROM MINE.
Keith D. Bushey
Throughout my five decades in law enforcement, which involved executive level command positions in three of the six agencies where I served, I think overall, I did a reasonably decent job. While I am certain that I made many mistakes along the way and can only say that I tried hard to learn from many painful lessons and to help others learn from my mistakes as well. It can be said with some degree of truth that I likely made every mistake that could be made and ultimately stumbled across the right approaches through the process of elimination!
This article is based on my failings in a single command, but in all fairness to myself I would also like to reflect and share some long-term self-analysis as well; like old wine, I think I got better with age (experience). Three traits that have served me well were to be fully committed to learn from my mistakes, to always “lean forward” with my best efforts and to approach whatever job that I was assigned — especially an assignment that I was unhappy to have been given — as if there was no other place that I would rather be. Notwithstanding an occasional blip in my trajectory, I believe that my overall leadership performance and effectiveness improved with each new rank and each new position
I take no pleasure in describing my failings and in my booklets and other writings have chosen to place candor in front of personal humiliation, and to use my workplace pain and suffering to help others in the development of their leadership skills. It is in that vein and for that reason that I have chosen to describe my leadership failings in one of my many leadership positions, as the commanding officer of the Hollywood Patrol Division of the Los Angeles Police Department in the early 1980s. Although it was many years ago, the lessons learned are just as applicable today as they were during that time, and for any person at any rank who has the honor of leading others.
As I “fall on my sword” and describe my failures, it is significant that I was generally seen in a positive light by my chain of command. I was specifically selected for what was widely viewed as a very challenging assignment and given relatively high marks throughout my tenure. Although I left under difficult circumstances, my final bureau performance evaluation report from Hollywood describes me as one of the finest command officers on the department, and the then-chief of police (Daryl Gates) later apologized for any negative perception associated with my transfer from Hollywood. In hindsight and after years of reflection, I believe that I was rated and seen in a more positive light than I deserved at that time.
Description of the Command
The Los Angeles Police Department, then and now, utilizes the “Area Command” model. There is a Captain III who is the overall Commanding Officer of the station. Beneath him were the commanding officers of the Patrol Division (me) and the commanding officer of the Detective Division; both held the rank and paygrade of Captain I. There were approximately 300 persons in multiple sworn and civilian ranks and positions within the overall personnel structure of Hollywood Area. Within the Patrol Division, there were three lieutenants, roughly thirty sergeants, approximately 230 police officers, approximately thirty civilian parking & traffic control officers, and about a dozen administrative and clerical employees.
The External & Internal Environment
Hollywood in that era was truly a unique place. Ninety-five percent of the residents, merchants and visitors were decent and law-abiding; unfortunately, the other five percent not so much. Prostitution was rampant and conspicuous, street sale of narcotics was just another commercial industry, street peddlers and hustlers could be found on many corners and in many alleys, many bookstores offered more sexual and bondage services than books, weekend cruising virtually paralyzed Hollywood Boulevard, and visitors from everywhere flocked to Hollywood for all of the above or just to observe the novelty of it. Other than that, Hollywood was just your average quiet small town.
The internal environment had roughly the same percentages as the external environment, where ninety-five percent of the employees were hard-working men and women, and superb law enforcement professionals; unfortunately, the other five percent not so much. Just as an outhouse becomes less objectionable as one becomes accustomed to the odor, some of the immature and problematically prone officers became too accustomed to the daily street scene. Consequences included loss of professional perspectives, prostitution and the sale of drugs just becoming part of the landscape, informants often getting free passes for their criminal behavior in exchange for information that never seemed to go anywhere, and gratuities often being seen as legitimate entitlements. The above troublesome characterization is absolutely not applicable to the overwhelming majority of the men and women who were assigned to Hollywood Area.
While not intended and certainly not stated, the department’s defacto view of Hollywood at the time was to just pretty much control the chaos and to do as much as possible to prevent crime and minimize the adverse impact on decent businesses and citizens. Because of inadequate personnel resources, those assigned could do little more than pick the low-hanging troublesome fruit in the areas of crime, traffic and vice activities. Picture a massive tumor where only the visible wounds were being dealt with; that was Hollywood Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Fast Forward to the Sad Ending of my Tenure
For the sake of more readily understanding the overall situation and my actions, I will fast forward to the circumstances that had unfolded towards the end of my tenure as the patrol commanding officer.
Shortly after my assignment to Hollywood, I became the sole Hollywood Area participant in a highly confidential internal investigation stemming from an FBI informant’s report that two named uniformed Hollywood police officers had long been involved in conducting on-duty burglaries. Several months later the on-going surveillance sting hit pay dirt; the two officers were caught in the act of burglarizing a video electronics store while on duty and in uniform. The ensuing massive investigation ultimately resulted in the termination of not only the two officer-burglars but also a dozen additional officers and two supervisors, primarily because they either knew or should have realized that the items they had received from the two officer-burglars were stolen. The situation was a major black eye for the Los Angeles Police Department.
The massive investigation also brought to light some troublesome and disgusting information involving several police officers and supervisors who had been involved in on-duty sexual fraternization with unique Hollywood street people (individuals who were occasional prostitutes, and always hustling in one way or another). This was yet another black eye for the LAPD and became further aggravated when the knowledge of an after-shift party (“choir practice”) involving several police officers and coeds from a nearby university made the front page of the local newspaper.
Although my oversight role in the long-term sub-rosa investigation caused me to be perceived by most as part of the solution, this was not an enjoyable time to be the commanding officer of the division where all the dramatic trauma had occurred! The area commanding officer was being pushed into retirement and I mistakenly perceived that I might be promoted to fill the vacancy; I was mistaken, badly mistaken!
The Key Players
The Area Commanding Officer. A Captain III (senior level) and my immediate boss who was a good and decent man, but often absent due to pressing family responsibilities. His actions were not unlike the actions of many of the area commanding officers of that era, where they did a good job of managing the status quo but were often ill-qualified to deal with major internal issues. Had the growing Hollywood kettle not boiled over during his tenure, he would have gone into retirement unnoticed.
The selection and retention of area commanding officers in that era was based primarily on seniority, with performance as a secondary consideration and with very little data upon which to gauge performance. Although command officers were certainly concerned about crime and traffic issues, there were few measurements of effectiveness. The bigger issues at that time included response times to priority calls (“stopping the clock”), management of vacation and accrued overtime time to keep officers below a certain level (deferred time off had hit levels that were crippling the deployment), and the reduction of outside-initiated personnel complaints in a credible manner. It should be noted that there is very little relationship between the command climate in the early 1980s and today’s levels of command responsibilities and expectations.
Watch commander #1. A hard-working and talented man who was extremely loyal to me and to the department, and who possessed a well-deserved reputation for administrative excellence. He later promoted to captain and did a superb job in difficult assignments.
Watch commander #2. A fairly new lieutenant who had room for much additional growth. He was hard-working and well-intentioned but came from a strong staff background and lacked significant field experience. Because of subtle but obvious ridicule by some of the more outspoken senior officers, he avoided going into the field as it was a humiliating experience for him.
Watch commander #3. A hard-working and talented man who was loyal to the organization, but more so to the rank and file. He was a wonderful man and someone whom I would have loved to have as a neighbor or relative, but I did not feel I could trust to always do the right thing. I believed that his first reaction to a problem was likely determining how best to shield problematic officers from scrutiny. I have often said that the only type of popularity that is appropriate is that which is a derivative of respect; this wonderful person was well thought of for the wrong reasons. His personnel recognized this tendency and as a result did not always perform as appropriately as they should have.
Administrative Staff. As the commanding officer, I inherited the administrative staff that was already in place, which consisted of civilian clerical and sworn administrative personnel. They were all hard-working and loyal employees. Among my mistakes was giving too much weight to their assessments as to the skill levels and performance of other personnel in the division. Without suggesting intentional bias, I should have recognized that unintentional bias was virtually guaranteed.
My Self-Analysis at the Time
My assignment to Hollywood came out of the blue and was a surprise to me. I had just begun to settle down as the commanding officer of the North Hollywood Patrol Division when the bureau commanding officer called and told me that I had been selected for the significant task of commanding the patrol force in Hollywood. He went on to explain that I was replacing another captain that had not been up to the task, and also that I was also expected to keep the area commanding officer on track and out of trouble! The bureau commander further explained that my military background (at the time I was a tenured captain in the USMCR) was a factor in my selection, that my new boss had room to grow, and that it was perceived that my candid personality would provide much needed reinforcement to the bureau’s efforts to strengthen his performance. At the time I was flattered and mistakenly believed that I did in fact possess the perceived skills and wisdom that apparently influenced my selection. The problematic behaviors of my new boss were evident almost immediately upon my arrival in Hollywood; a fine man but absent far too much of the time.
The painful theme of this article (my leadership failures) did not reflect my self-perception at that time, and in fact it took a couple of decades for me to fully accept and realize my failures. I thought that I was doing a decent job and pretty much felt that some of the challenges that I was facing were due to circumstances beyond my control. In terms of crime and traffic statistics not much changed during my tenure as the majority of the personnel just kept doing their job. For me, going to and from Hollywood Station every day was like jumping onto and off of a high-speed merry-go-round that had no speed control! I think the department hierarchy basically saw me as a rodeo rider who managed to stay on the bucking bronco at bit longer than most.
The one thing that everybody agreed upon is that I worked my heart out and put in very long hours. So long and hard in fact that I ended up being hospitalized with mononucleosis. As I look back on that era, I now see an analogy to the mouse on a wheel in a cage; as I went faster and faster, I really wasn’t making much progress. What I needed to do was work smarter rather of harder; unfortunately, that was not the case.
Mistake #1 – Accepting the Assessment of Others
During the period of adapting to my new assignment, I made the serious mistake of pretty much accepting as gospel that which I was told by others in whom I had confidence. Accepting the perceived characterizations of others, without the process of some reasonable time and reflection to make my own independent assessments resulted in some initial impressions — positive and negative — that to some extent became self-fulfilling prophesies. The information that I was given was universally well-intended and from people that I justifiably held in high esteem, but I had not yet internalized the reality that everyone has opinions of everyone else, and often for different reasons based on different circumstances and from different perspectives. This very serious failure was a factor in the lack of confidence that I had in two of my three lieutenants, and also a reflection of the exaggerated confidence that I had in selected members of the administrative staff.
Mistake #2 – Failing to Develop & Mentor my Staff
I badly failed to practice what I preached! I had a pretty decent resume when I took over Hollywood Patrol, including a graduate degree in leadership. I was an adjunct professor at a nearby college, had scored very well on a recent leadership promotional examination, and had all of the experiences that police captains and military officers typically possessed. In hindsight, what I needed was solid mentoring by a senior command officer who possessed a solid track record for dealing with complex leadership issues. Realistic command development was pretty lean in 1980. Unlike structured weeks long classes for new sergeants and lieutenants, there was no structured instruction for new command officers. In hindsight and based on today’s practices, I wish that I had sought mentoring by one of the department’s many superb leaders of that era.
I remain absolutely ashamed in my failure to coach and mentor the two lieutenants who had room to grow. They were good and decent men who I believe would have responded well and appreciatively to coaching and mentoring. In hindsight, I must sadly concede that among their serious handicaps was their weak commanding officer – me. While I was severely overwhelmed by the magnitude of the division’s operational and administrative workload, nothing should have been more important than my failed responsibility to develop my subordinate managers. I failed both of them, as well as others who would likely have benefitted from their coaching and mentoring as well. Looking back, I can see where I was too deep in the proverbial forest to see the trees.
Mistake #3 – Failing to Delegate
The failure to delegate, at all levels, is among the most common and troublesome failing for those in positions of leadership and certainly among my most devastating mistakes. In an environment where the number of critical tasks was staggering, I found myself – in some instances – bypassing two of my three lieutenants and essentially doing things myself or assigning them to the single lieutenant in whom I had greater confidence. Among the consequences were other critical leadership responsibilities that were not being adequately addressed, one lieutenant who was badly overworked, two lieutenants who were not being developed, and a command that deserved better leadership than was being provided.
The Command House Cleaning – Me Included
The magic phone call about upgrades and reassignments finally came, but it was not what I was expecting. The bureau commanding officer called with bad news and worse news. First, instead of being upgraded to Captain lll and kept at Hollywood, I was going to remain at my current level and be reassigned to another patrol division; a big and humiliating slap in the face and a horrible new commute. Worse, my reassignment and the retirement of my boss would be on the front page of the next day’s Los Angeles Times! Not a pleasant call. A house cleaning was needed but I did not realize that I was going to be part of it!
My reassignment and the forced retirement of my boss were completely related to the personnel scandals, with the “Choir Practice” being the final straw in my case. Crime and traffic statistical measures were not considerations.
Despite the pain of my transfer and sadness at the various difficulties involved, I was fortunate to have the support of the bureau commander and deputy chief. I will always be grateful. The commander made the orchestration of my positive attributes a strong personal priority and played a pivotal role in my subsequent reputational resurrection. His loyalty and actions were among the lessons that I learned and actions that I have also replicated over the years.
My boss and myself were replaced with two tenured captains who were fine people and fine leaders. They brought in all new lieutenants and a number of additional sergeants, with approximately fifty additional officers being added to the table of organization. The new team did a great job, especially in significantly reducing the incidence of street crime and conspicuous prostitution.
The Biggest Lesson of All
My bureau chief was apologetic about my transfer and said that he felt that I was being treated unfairly, but his boss (an assistant chief) did not care for me and could not be persuaded otherwise. He felt particularly bad about the commute and told me that my hours had considerable flexibility. When I mentioned that it would be hard to face my fellow command officers at a meeting the following morning, he told me to not worry about the meeting and that I need not attend. I was devastated.
About ten minutes later I had what I believe was one of the most significant defining professional moments in my life. A very powerful inner voice made clear that I had done my best, that life isn’t always fair, that I should find my satisfaction internally, and to always take on any assignment as if there was no place else that I would rather work. My consternation turned to calmness. I immediately called the bureau commanding officer and told him that with respect to the following days meeting that I would be the first to arrive and the last to leave, that no person or situation could break my spirit, and that I would always do the very best in every task and assignment as long as I wore the badge of a Los Angeles police officer.
And that is exactly what I did for my next fifteen years on the Los Angeles Police Department.
Key Lessons Learned
Be Realistic About Your Weaknesses as Well as your Strengths. In addition to introspection, have an open mind and solicit the candid perception of others in whom you have confidence. Don’t necessarily accept those perspectives as gospel because not everyone sees things in the same light, but gratefully accept input and let it be part of that introspection. Avoid blaming others when things don’t go well, learn from your mistakes and share the lessons with others.
Do Not Accept as Accurate the Perspective of Others. This is especially true when going into a new assignment or department. There are typically well-intentioned individuals who will offer their opinion about the strength and weaknesses of others; do not permit these assessments to become self-fulfilling prophesies. While availing yourself of multiple opinions and perspectives, be primarily influenced by your personal observations and experiences over a reasonable period of time. Recognize that things are almost never as they initially appear. Be especially careful not to be unduly influenced by the various employees and staffs that were in place at the time you arrived; while likely fine people, the potential for unintentional inherent bias should be recognized and considered.
Always Seek to Develop and Coach Others, Especially Key Individuals. Recognize that staff development is a key leadership responsibility, and never give up on the development of other people. Avoid being the type of leader who seeks to bring outside personnel into the workplace when there are inside personnel who will likely rise to the same skill level with coaching and mentoring.
Don’t Fall into the Trap of Failing to Delegate. Be clear and realistic about which tasks are your responsibility and which tasks should be performed by others, and by whom. If you have reservations about the skill level of a person who should be performing a particular task, assign it to that person anyway, then monitor and mentor and devote whatever time is necessary to ensure the person gets it right. I realize that this is often much easier said than done, but it is something you must do to either get the job done or legitimately develop a case for personnel replacement.
Don’t be Obsessed with the Opinion of Others. We must always be sensitive and responsive to our chains of command, but also recognize that the perfect boss and the perfect chain of command do not exist. Listen, learn and be responsive, but don’t go into a tailspin when potential criticism comes your way. Recognize that life isn’t always fair and develop the attitude that your greatest satisfaction is likely to come internally by knowing that you have done the best job that you can; over time this attitude will likely serve you well.
Don’t Ask or Expect a Subordinate to Improve the Performance of a Superior. While not always acknowledged, the reality is most everyone in the workplace at all levels plays a role in the success, failure and effectiveness of others. This reality often includes a subordinate’s recognition that the boss has room to grow, and hopefully involves reasonable efforts to contribute to that growth. Helping your boss to succeed it a good thing (especially when you are the boss!). However, it is neither appropriate or realistic to ask or expect a person to keep his or her boss on track and out of trouble.
Use a Process to Manage Your Time and Prioritize Tasks. Whether done on a computer, iPhone or calendar book, adopt and religiously use a schedule and prioritization process. It is very easy to fall into the trap of spending too much time on minor and personal tasks to the detriment of more important tasks and responsibilities; adherence to a formal process is invaluable and essential.
In Conclusion
Those individuals who have an open mind and truly learn from their mistakes, and who are genuinely committed to continued professional development will absolutely continue to grow in terms of leadership effectiveness. As previous stated and worthy of restating, “It is good to learn from your mistakes, but it is even better if you can learn from the mistakes of others”. To that end, I hope that today’s leaders can benefit from my mistakes, and that the humiliation of my candor will not have been in vain!
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Keith Bushey retired from the Los Angeles Police Department as a commander, from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy chief, and from the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel. Other law enforcement experience includes having served as a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, a State of California deputy game warden, and as the Marshal of San Bernardino County. He is an instructor emeritus for the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and has lectured and written extensively in the areas of leadership, management and ethics. His entire eight booklet Leadership Series is in the public domain and may be downloaded without cost from KeithBushey.com.
November 2020
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