By Safe Call Now® |
There is one common theme that is presented to me over and
over as I travel around the country for Safe Call Now®… “ I
can handle everything on the streets but my “Administration” is killing me…
literally.” If you’re an administrator
reading this, please take note, your own are reporting that you are taking
their lives. Did you know by the year
2020 one of the top workplace disabilities will be anxiety and
depression??? Where this is coming from,
the studies indicate is from you…
The
number one concern from the “boots” on the ground is that words do not match
actions which leads to a double standard.
This is an unhealthy balance in boundaries and ego states, I’ll go into
this later.
In an informal survey first responders reported to me that
the phrases they most commonly hear from administrators such as, “breadth and
depth, threshold, projections for the future, committed towards growth and
advancement, committed to ensuring, internal and external initiatives, as we
traverse into the future, and the administration engages in periodic discussion,
along with many others… This circular
talk demonstrates to them that the administrator can’t or won’t answer the
question or has no idea what they’re talking about.
For the “boots”, everything you said before
these terms is now hollow and the rest after these terms means nothing and they
stopped listening. I once knew a chief
that was let go over the term breadth and depth that was used over and
over. As William Shakespeare presents in
Macbeth… “A tale told by an idiot… full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”
So why does this happen?
Is it pride and ego, narcissism? I’m
not sure what it is but here’s what I present around the country that may lead
to this confusion or responses that concerns the “boots” on the ground. We all possess three ego states, the adult,
the teenager and the child. The ego
state that receives all of the training is the teenage ego state and it has to
because it is the only ego state that fights.
The one that needs to run into the burning building, the one that gets
into that life and death struggle for the gun.
It is also the ego state that is one better than others, has
inappropriate relationships, is self-serving and demonstrates many other
negative behaviors.
The administrator always wants the “boots” to respond with
the adult ego state in all situations yet they only receive training and
reinforce the teenage ego state.
Administrators are usually shocked when they are approached with what
they deem as an inappropriate response.
My response to them… “You trained
them, you want them to respond differently, train them differently.” Common sense 101. I always chuckle when I read in the paper or
see on the news that an administrator backs their personnel 100% in a civil
suit but pays out $400,000 to someone and admits no fault. Now you just confused the “boot”. You want them to stand for the truth, be ethical
in all matters but these actions contradict both truth and ethics and besides,
where do I sign up for the $400,000 if you’re right???
Administrators… tell your “boots” the truth, no circular
talk, answer their questions and may your words match your actions. There are great leaders out there and I get
the honor to meet them on my travels.
The common theme with their departments are they are the healthiest,
have the least amount of complaints and the public loves them. It tells me a lot. Take care and you all stay safe out there!!!
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