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00=-090=-09-=-090-=-0=-09876543=-p0-p0po0pp-- \ Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services Supporting Leadership Development Built by policing for policing This guide is for human resource professionals and police leaders responsible for succession management, leadership development or mentoring and coaching programs in police services. It is also a helpful introduction and toolkit for experienced police members interested in coaching and mentoring others. The separately published Activities to Build Leadership Competencies provides suggestions for developmental activities to assist mentors and coaches. Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services is a supplement to Leadership Development in Police Services. The Police Sector Council was incorporated in 2004 to facilitate more integrated and innovative human resource planning and management. Its mandate is to understand and address the most critical issues facing all policing organizations, including the sustainability of policing services through improvements in productivity and performance. The Council brings together leaders from the senior ranks of governments, police agencies, employee associations, governing bodies and training institutions to find collaborative and creative solutions to these challenges. This guide and its accompanying documents and tools were developed as part of the Policing Competency Framework Project, an initiative led by the Police Sector Council. This work was supported by Human Resource Systems Group Ltd (HRSG), an international strategic human resources research and consulting firm and was guided by a dedicated Project Steering Committee. The initiative involved extensive input and consultation with representatives of police services from across Canada. This initiative was funded by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program This is a living document: Last update January 2011 © Police Sector Council Police Sector Council Page 2 of 65 Letter from the Steering Committee Dear Colleagues, Three sector-wide studies have been undertaken since 2001, all of which strongly recommended the adoption of “competency-based management” (CBM) by Canadian policing services. These findings led us, in 2008, to develop the practical tools police services need to improve and align their HR processes through a competency-based framework for planning and management. Research supports the importance of effective mentoring and coaching in leadership development. They have become strategic elements in leadership development programs because they significantly accelerate learning and contribute in many ways to organizational health. While there is no one best way to structure and set up a mentoring and coaching program, the guide provides best practice suggestions and outlines the key factors to consider in setting up a mentoring and coaching program in your police service. We especially want to acknowledge the support given to this project by the members of the Steering Committee and the police services across the country who contributed their experience and expertise to the development of this guide. We encourage all police leaders and HR professionals to take advantage of this collective effort and use this reference material in their organization. Deputy Chief Norm Lipinski Edmonton Police Service Assistant Commissioner Cal Corley Canadian Police College Co-chairs Steering Committee Policing Leadership Development Project Police Sector Council Police Sector Council Page 3 of 65 Acknowledgements: Steering Committee We thank the members of the Steering Committee for their support and guidance. NAME POSITION ORGANIZATION DEPUTY CHIEF NORM LIPINSKI (CO-CHAIR) Deputy Chief of Police Edmonton Police Service ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER CAL CORLEY (CO-CHAIR) Director General Canadian Police College AILEEN ASHMAN Director of HR Toronto Police Service ROSEMARIE AULD Manager, Human Resources Hamilton Police Service JEAN BISHOP Manager, Planning and Research Royal Newfoundland Constabulary TULLIO CAPUTO, PHD Associate Professor Carleton University INSP FRANK CIACCIA Deputy Director Justice Institute of British Columbia CHIEF WARD CLAPHAM Chief of Police South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service DR. CURTIS CLARKE Director General Alberta Solicitor General IVAN COURT Mayor City of St. John, NB ANITA DAGENAIS Senior Director, RCMP Policy Division Public Safety Canada DR. GARY ELLIS Professor, Justice & Public Safety Georgian College DENNIS FODOR Director, Human Resources Royal Canadian Mounted Police ANDRÉ FORTIER Codirecteur du baccalauréat en sécurité publique École Nationale de Police Québec ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER PETER GERMAN Assistant Commissioner, Lower Mainland District, British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police SHARRON GOULD Manager Human Resources Winnipeg Police Service INSP DAVE LEE Deputy Director OPP Academy INSP CATHY LIGHT Inspector Calgary Police Service STAN MACLELLAN Director of HR Durham Regional Police Service EDGAR MACLEOD Executive Director Atlantic Police Academy PAUL MCKENNA, PHD Assistant Professor Dalhousie University RUTH MONTGOMERY Editor Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police GARY MORIN Director Saskatchewan Police College SHELAGH MORRIS Director of Corporate Services Guelph Police Services ALOK MUKHERJEE Vice-President Canadian Association of Police Boards Police Sector Council Page 4 of 65 JANE NAYDIUK Program Manager Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Government of British Columbia LUC PELLERIN Directeur, Direction du soutien pédagogique et de la recherche École Nationale de Police Québec INSP TAM POZZOBON Inspector Chief Crowfoot Learning Centre TONY SIMIONI President Edmonton Police Association STAFF SUPERINTENDENT DARREN SMITH Human Resource Development Command Toronto Police Service SANDY SWEET President & CEO Canadian Police Knowledge Network SUPERINTENDENT JOHN TOD Director of OPP Provincial Police Academy Ontario Provincial Police PATRICIA TOLPPANEN Executive Director Alberta Association of Police Governance CHIEF MATT TORIGIAN Chief of Police Waterloo Regional Police Service SHARON TRENHOLM Instructor, Police Studies Memorial University of Newfoundland FRANK TROVATO, PHD Program Head University of Guelph-Humber CHIEF VERN WHITE Chief of Police Ottawa Police Service Police Sector Council Page 5 of 65 Acknowledgements: Contributors Individual subject matter experts and others from police services and organizations contributed to this guide. They participated in interviews and shared their resources, including the documentation related to leadership development. We sincerely thank you all. ABBOTSFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT REGINA POLICE SERVICE AMHERST POLICE DEPARTMENT ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE BARRIE POLICE SERVICE ROYAL NEWFOUNDLAND CONSTABULARY BELLEVILLE POLICE SERVICE SAANICH POLICE DEPARTMENT BRANDON POLICE SERVICE SASKATOON POLICE SERVICE BRANTFORD POLICE SERVICE SAULT STE. MARIE POLICE SERVICE BRIDGEWATER POLICE SERVICE SCHULICH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, YORK UNIVERSITY BROCKVILLE POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE LA SÉCURITÉ PUBLIQUE DE LA VILLE DE SAGUENAY CALGARY POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE LA SÉCURITÉ PUBLIQUE DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES CANADIAN POLICE COLLEGE SERVICE DE POLICE DE CHATEAUGUAY CAPE BRETON REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE POLICE DE LA VILLE DE BLAINVILLE CHARLOTTETOWN POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE POLICE DE LA VILLE DE GATINEAU DALMENY POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE POLICE DE LA VILLE DE MONTRÉAL DELTA POLICE DEPARTMENT SERVICE DE POLICE DE LA VILLE DE QUÉBEC DURHAM REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE POLICE DE LA VILLE DE TERREBONNE ÉCOLE NATIONALE DE POLICE DU QUÉBEC SERVICE DE POLICE DE L'AGGLOMÉRATION DE LONGUEUIL EDMONTON POLICE SERVICE SERVICE DE POLICE DE L'ASSOMPTION SAINT-SULPICE EDMUNDSTON POLICE FORCE SERVICE DE POLICE DE MIRABEL GUELPH POLICE SERVICES SERVICE DE POLICE DE SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU HALIFAX REGIONAL POLICE SOUTH COAST BRITISH COLUMBIA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY POLICE SERVICE HALTON REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE SERVICE HAMILTON POLICE SERVICE STRATFORD POLICE SERVICE KENTVILLE POLICE SERVICE SURETÉ DU QUÉBEC LETHBRIDGE REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE TABER POLICE FORCE LONDON POLICE SERVICE TIMMINS POLICE SERVICE MEDICINE HAT POLICE SERVICE TORONTO POLICE SERVICE MOOSE JAW POLICE SERVICE VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT OAK BAY POLICE DEPARTMENT WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE WEST VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT Police Sector Council Page 6 of 65 OTTAWA POLICE SERVICE WINDSOR POLICE SERVICE PERTH POLICE SERVICE WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICE PRINCE ALBERT POLICE SERVICE WOODSTOCK POLICE FORCE RÉGIE INTERMUNICIPALE DE POLICE DE ROUSSILLON YORK REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE Police Sector Council Page 7 of 65 Table of Contents LETTER FROM THE STEERING COMMITTEE ....................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: STEERING COMMITTEE ................................................................................................ 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: CONTRIBUTORS .......................................................................................................... 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 10 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................................. 12 BUSINESS CASE FOR MENTORING AND COACHING ......................................................................................... 15 THE COMPETENCY CONNECTION ................................................................................................................... 16 UNDERSTANDING MENTORING AND COACHING ............................................................................................... 18 Defining terms and roles ............................................................................................................................. 18 Criteria for successful mentoring and coaching .............................................................................................. 21 RECRUITING MENTORS AND COACHES........................................................................................................... 28 Recruiting mentors ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Recruiting coaches ...................................................................................................................................... 29 TRAINING AND ORIENTATION ......................................................................................................................... 31 SUSTAINING MOTIVATION AND COMMITMENT.................................................................................................. 33 MONITORING AND EVALUATING ..................................................................................................................... 34 Monitoring participant progress .................................................................................................................... 34 Post-program participant satisfaction ............................................................................................................ 34 Measuring program results .......................................................................................................................... 34 ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FOR MENTORING AND COACHING PROGRAMS ..................................................... 35 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 36 APPENDIX A: TYPES OF COACHING ............................................................................................................... 37 APPENDIX B: GUIDELINES FOR A FIRST MEETING ............................................................................................ 40 APPENDIX C: THE COACHING CONVERSATION ............................................................................................... 43 APPENDIX D: DEVELOPMENTAL LEARNING PLAN ........................................................................................... 45 APPENDIX E: REFLECTIVE PRACTICE PROBES ............................................................................................... 46 APPENDIX F: SAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR MENTORS............................................................................. 47 APPENDIX G: PROGRAM DESIGN CHECKLIST ................................................................................................. 49 APPENDIX H: SUGGESTED READING .............................................................................................................. 53 APPENDIX I: REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 54 APPENDIX J: POLICING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ....................................................................... 56 Police Sector Council Page 9 of 65 Executive Summary The Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services guide is specifically designed for human resources professionals and senior police managers who wish to enhance an existing program or set up a new program. It is also good reading for police service members who are interested in becoming mentors. This guide is a high-level overview of the factors involved in setting up a mentoring and coaching program in your police service. It provides an introduction to mentoring and coaching that includes terminology, concepts and processes. A mentoring and coaching program may be one component of an overall succession management or leadership development program or simply an element of your professional development program. Reflects best practice The guide highlights current thinking on the role of mentoring and coaching in leadership development. It also provides best practice in selecting and training or orienting mentors and coaches. Discusses the benefits of coaching and mentoring programs The guide outlines the benefits that a structured mentoring and coaching program brings to leadership development programs and policing organizations such as accelerated learning and long-term leadership effectiveness. Discusses the elements of a successful program The guide provides a high-level overview of the principles and practice of successful mentoring and coaching and how to create and manage an effective mentoring and coaching program. Describes the roles in mentoring and coaching The guide explains the differences between coaches and mentors, their roles and those of participants in the leadership program. Provides tools and templates The appendix includes checklists, worksheets and guidelines that deal with key mentoring and coaching processes and issues. It includes information about different types of coaching and provides guidance on handling first meetings between coaches and mentors and their clients. There are tips about coaching conversations and reflective practice probes. You will also find a template for a Developmental Learning Plan and a sample outline of a training program for mentors. Activities to Build Leadership Competencies provides suggestions for developmental activities and is an important companion document to this guide. Police Sector Council Page 10 of 65 Suggests further reading A selected bibliography of books and articles on coaching and mentoring is provided. Conclusion Mentoring and coaching are fundamental to successful leadership development. The guide provides best practice in mentoring and coaching programs, including recruiting and selecting mentors and coaches and training them, and how to evaluate the program. Tools to support the mentoring and coaching of future leaders are also provided. Police Sector Council Page 11 of 65 Background The Police Sector Council (PSC) is a national centre for HR information, tools and networks that supports a sector-wide approach to finding innovative, practical solutions to human resource planning and management challenges. Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services is part of a series of competency-based human resources guides generated as a result of several studies over the past decade. In 2001, the Police Sector Council engaged the policing sector in a study called Strategic Human Resources Analysis of Public Policing in Canada. Two additional studies were conducted: in 2005, Policing Environment and, in 2007, National Diagnostic on Human Resources in Policing to identify challenges and solutions for the policing sector. The 2007 study made three key recommendations: The police sector should adopt competency-based human resource management. Learning and assessment tools should be anchored to a shared Policing Competency Dictionary. Police services that have adopted a competency program should be encouraged to leverage their investment by expanding its application to all HR functions. Building on those recommendations, the Police Sector Council launched the Policing Competency Framework Project in 2008 to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the general policing requirements for all ranks. This analysis identified the most critical competencies for successful performance and formed the foundation for a set of rank-specific tools to support human resources management. The 2007 report also produced several recommendations with regard to leadership development and succession management in policing in Canada. Among the recommendations were to: Develop a Police Leadership Framework that defines the skills and competencies required at each level of leadership in policing Design a formal transparent approach to succession management across Canada Policing Leadership Development To address these recommendations, the PSC launched the Policing Leadership Development Project. The purpose of the project was to develop an integrated competency-based approach to leadership development in policing. In the course of developing the earlier Introduction to Competency-based Management in Police Services and for the preparation of this guide, job tasks were identified and analyzed for eight ranks from Constable to Chief. From this data, Rank Competency Profiles were created that itemize the eight or nine most critical competencies for a general policing role. Rank Competency Profiles are used in selection, promotion, learning and development and performance management processes. The focus then shifted to succession management (Succession Management in Police Services) and the development of police leaders (Leadership Development in Police Services). The latter provides a common language for leadership development through: Police Sector Council Page 12 of 65 A leadership model that includes the identification and description of 14 key leadership competencies across four levels of leadership in policing A leadership development process for “high-potential” individuals that includes, selection and assessment, a range of developmental activities, such as formal leadership training, educational programs, and developmental assignments supported by mentoring or coaching throughout the duration of the program. This guide, Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services, supplements the Leadership Development in Police Services with best practices for mentoring and coaching the pool of leadership candidates. Its goal is to maximize the benefits of the leadership program to leadership candidates and the organization. Police Sector Council Page 13 of 65 Policing now has rigorously developed and nationally validated competency-based HR materials, available FREE to Chiefs, HR managers, Training professionals, and other executives responsible for supporting local operations. The Policing HR support materials available from the Police Sector Council include: POLICING HR GUIDES AND TOOLS Policing CBM The Policing CBM Framework provides policing with a common language and understanding of Framework the work and underlying competency requirements associated with general policing duties for four ranks: Constable, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, and Inspector and the competencies required of the four senior ranks, Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Deputy Chief, and Chief of Police. The framework was developed by leveraging the best practices from police services across Canada, working with the policing community nationally and internationally to analyze and document job responsibilities. The Framework included the development of Rank Task Lists, Rank Competency Profiles, and Rank Job Descriptions. A Policing Leadership Model was added to the framework that identified 14 competencies required by four levels of leadership. It includes four Leadership Profiles. Policing CBM There are now seven Policing CBM Guides to support the implementation of competency-based Guides management in police services. All of them provide information, suggested reading, theory, practical tips, tools and templates, designed to supplement those currently in use by police organizations. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction to Competency-Based Management in Police Services Constable Selection: A Best Practice Approach and Research Update Succession Management in Police Services: Developing a Pool of Potential Successors for Critical Policing Roles Leadership Development in Police Services: Managing the Development of Essential Leadership Competencies Police Executive Selection: A Best Practice Approach for Police Boards and Commissions Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services: Supporting Leadership Development Police Leadership Education and Training: Aligning Programs and Courses with Leadership Competencies Policing CBM The Policing CBM Toolkit includes more than 40 tools and templates that can be customized Toolkit to suit the needs of individual police services. Among the many tools in the Toolkit are interview and reference check guides, and templates to support learning plans, performance management, leadership development, and succession management. Police Sector Council Page 14 of 65 Business Case for Mentoring and Coaching The criticality of leadership to policing and high retirement rates signify a pressing need to accelerate leadership development. Coaching and mentoring add to the effectiveness and efficiency of individual and leadership program success. Mentoring and coaching programs hold much promise for developing future leaders and strategically addressing succession management needs. They have become key elements of leadership development programs because they result in positive program outcomes and achievement of organizational objectives. Creates stronger leadership development programs Leadership development programs create effective leaders more quickly because mentoring and coaching provide structured support, informed assistance in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of program participants’ learning plans and a continuous learning partnership that supports personal responsibility for development. Mentoring and coaching enhances learning and knowledge transfer and organizational citizenship behaviour. Supports leaders and leadership program participants There is considerable agreement that individuals who participate in coaching find it useful. In a study of the effects of coaching on 100 executives, it was found that 86% of participants were very satisfied with the outcomes of coaching. 1 A study found that senior managers who received executive coaching in addition to multi-source feedback were more likely to set specific goals for improvement and also more likely to receive improved ratings from direct reports and supervisors a year later.2 Enhances leader productivity Mentoring and coaching improves leader productivity. A study found that when two months of coaching was added to leadership training, the training combined with coaching resulted in an 88% improvement in productivity while training alone increased productivity by only 22.4%.3 Other organizational benefits Mentoring and coaching result in improved job satisfaction, morale and retention. Conclusion Implementing effective mentoring and coaching practices in your organization is a sound investment. Effective coaching and mentoring programs have long been linked to significant returns on investment through development of high-potential leaders and organizational outcomes. 1 McGovern, Lindemann, Vergara, Murphy, Barker, & Warrenfeltz, 2001 2 Smither, London, Flautt, Vargas, & Kucine, 2003 3 Oliver, Bane, & Kopelman, 2001 Police Sector Council Page 15 of 65 The Competency Connection Competencies provide the foundation for leadership development. Their acquisition is the goal of coaches, mentors and those they guide. A detailed analysis of tasks specifically related to policing leadership identified the 14 leadership competencies illustrated in Figure 1. These naturally group into three leadership areas: performance, partnering and accountability. Figure 1: Leadership competencies PERFORMANCE PARTNERING ACCOUNTABILITY Decision making Community Relations and Media Management Ethical Accountability Financial Management Fostering Relationships Public Accountability Human Resource Management Interactive Communication Public Safety Information Technology Management Organizational Awareness Valuing Diversity Change Management Strategic Management These competencies apply to four leadership levels: Executive Management, Senior Management Mid-level Management and Front-line Management. The responsibilities at each level are summarized in Figure 2. Figure 2: Leadership levels Leadership Level Executive Management Leadership Responsibilities Executive leaders oversee all operational and administrative functions in a police service or a division of a police service. They set strategic direction, establish and maintain relationships with constituents, and represent the police service at various levels of government. Senior Management Senior leaders plan and direct operational and/or administrative functions of a division in a police service. They oversee the development and implementation of operational plans, manage allocation of financial and human resources, and coordinate work activities with other divisions in a police service. Mid-level Management Mid-level leaders manage programs and projects in a division or unit of a police service. They deploy staff and coordinate assignments and conduct internal investigations as required. Front-line Management Police Sector Council Front Line leaders supervise police operations at the unit level. They ensure the adherence of staff to policies and procedures. Page 16 of 65 Each management level has a Leadership Competency Profile that includes all 14 leadership competencies, but with different emphasis, scope and complexity. The difference between the four leadership profiles is the proficiency levels and behaviours expected. Leadership profiles are used as tools to develop police leaders. The guide, Leadership Development in Police Services, addresses the need to prepare police members with high leadership potential for leadership roles. Mentoring and coaching are instrumental to the effective development of leadership competencies because they apply seasoned experience, expert guidance and personalized support to leadership program participants. Police Sector Council Page 17 of 65 Understanding Mentoring and Coaching Coaching and mentoring are effective tools to accelerate any performance development initiative. Coaching is embraced by existing leaders and employees who wish to advance their careers. In this guide, however, the focus is squarely on developing participants in policing leadership development programs. The common goals of mentoring and coaching are to: Stimulate personal growth of participants Help participants acquire new skills and change their behaviours in a direction aligned with business results.4 Both mentoring and coaching are processes that focus on: The future The participant Change and action Solutions and learning Clarity of purpose Results Support and encouragement to challenge, stretch, and explore new perspectives without blame or judgment Mutual respect, trust and confidentiality Relationship building and partnership in learning and discovery Defining terms and roles The players in the process are mentors, coaches and leadership program participants. 5 There is considerable confusion around the definitions of mentoring and coaching in both academic literature and in the marketplace. The terms are often used interchangeably because the underlying process and skill base are similar. Both involve a series of one-on-one interactions with an individual for the purpose of equipping the individual with the “tools, knowledge, and opportunities they need to develop themselves and become more effective.”6 Both involve guided collaborative conversation aimed at raising self-awareness, setting goals and improving the performance of those being mentored or coached. In this section we define the terms and the roles to suit the policing environment and the policing leadership development program. What is coaching? The coaching relationship is one of partnership and collaboration based mutual respect and trust that raises leadership program participant self-awareness, facilitates self-learning and participant’s ownership of career and developmental goals, aspirations, decisions and plans. A coach is a facilitator with specific training and expertise in the coaching process. Coaches are typically recruited from outside the organization to train employees in specific skills. 4 Bono, Purvanova, Towler, & Peterson, 2009 In the guide, leadership program participants are also referred to simply as “participants.” 6 Peterson & Hicks, 1995, p. 41 5 Police Sector Council Page 18 of 65 In the past, coaching was used as a corrective measure for managers who had failed to achieve goals. Today, it is a popular method used to strengthen interpersonal and leadership skills in high-potential employees. Coaches are a relatively new phenomenon in both organizational and personal domains. They are: Typically recruited from outside the organization Recruited for their specific coaching specialities, previous training and experience In this guide a coach is a collaborative facilitator who assists leadership program participants to meet or exceed their own performance and developmental goals. They: Have specific training and expertise in the coaching process Have sound coaching skills that include the use of motivational strategies, constructive support, reflective practitice and accountability. They build relationships, listen actively, and question perceptively. Coach An external professional facilitator who assists leadership program participants to develop specific leadership competencies. Leadership development programs almost exclusively utilize executive and leadership coaches. Executive and leadership coaching In today’s marketplace, coaches have speciality areas: executive and leadership coaching, conflict coaching, career coaching and skill coaching. Leadership development programs are, for the most part, supported by coaches with considerable experience working with leaders. Executive and leadership coaching focuses on a broad range of executive, managerial and organizational concerns such as helping to set and achieve strategic organizational goals, effect change, and manage human resources issues. Their services usually include: Facilitating the exploration of new leadership practices, new behaviours, performance standards and evaluation methods. Assessments of participants’ personality, interests, and values. They also conduct individual assessments such as multiple-source feedback and interviews with key organizational stakeholders to provide leadership program participants with candid feedback on their relative effectiveness, strengths, and areas for development or improvement. Coaching is not characterized by advice giving, instruction or providing the answers. One notable exception is Skills Coaching, a heterogeneous category where coaches are experts in specific skill areas, such as public speaking, writing, or computer use. Their services are largely instructional and are narrowly focused on their skill area. Descriptions of various coaching resources are found in Appendix A. Police Sector Council Page 19 of 65 There is wide variability in the approach, experience and type and quality of training among coaches. The type of coach you recruit is a significant decision. What is mentoring? Mentoring is a formal process in which a more senior person takes an interest in the personal and professional development of a more junior colleague. Both are members of the same profession. A mentor can be a retired member of your own service or a current or retired member of another police service. Mentors are equipped with senior leadership experience, wisdom, credibility, and perhaps a special skill or knowledge that is relevant to the issues facing participants or the competencies they need. In essence, mentors are experienced police leaders who have received training on coaching skills so they can support leadership program participants. Historically mentors have always been part of organizational life, often being used in an ad hoc fashion and sometimes in a formal arrangement between individuals for the purposes of passing on specific knowledge and skill. Mentors tended to be senior members of a profession who shared their wisdom and expertise with more junior members, often using an instructional style. Over time, the “instructional style” has shifted to what is now recognized as a “coaching style” that focuses on the participant and their developmental needs and embodies relationship building, building support and motivation for change, active listening, questioning techniques, and goal setting. As a result, we can define mentors as trusted police leaders who act as coaches and have: A breadth of senior-level and leadership experience Wisdom, integrity and credibility Coaching skills training The ability and motivation to apply coaching skills In a mentoring relationship, the mentor provides wide-ranging advice to learners about workrelated and other problems, offers emotional support, helps them get more visibility and exposure in the organization, and explains how the organization works. Formal mentoring programs are assigned, maintained, and monitored by the police service. Role of the leadership program participant A “participant” in the leadership program is the person being mentored or coached. They and their developmental needs drive the developmental process. They take responsibility for setting and achieving their own goals. They also have a say in choosing mentors and coaches. Police Sector Council Page 20 of 65 Criteria for successful mentoring and coaching Mentoring and coaching are most effective in supporting leadership development when they incorporate the following characteristics: A safe environment Appropriate matching Effective relationship Driven by the participant Assurance of confidentiality Strong coaching skills Formal goal setting Practice and reflection Observation Tracking progress Creating a safe mentoring and coaching environment Police members remain in the same organization over many years. Personal relationships develop and are strengthened through shared work experiences. This has the potential to affect the ability of internal coaches and mentors to be fully objective about those they have coached or mentored. This is especially true for manager mentors for whom it can be very difficult to separate performance management issues from leadership development goals. Those in the leadership development program must feel free to ask “dumb” questions and make mistakes as they learn. Effective mentoring and coaching allows “room to grow” and takes place in a safe environment where participants can try out new styles and skills without judgement or fear of reprisal. Trust, objectivity and confidentiality are essential to mentoring and coaching programs, but they are difficult to maintain when a coach or mentor has influence over promotion and other performance decisions. As a result, it is best practice to seek external mentors and coaches who do not have any organizational influence on organizational dynamics or decisions related to participants’ careers. This removes any perception of bias in selection decisions. Mentors and coaches from other organizations have added value because they can contribute different perspectives. Police Sector Council Page 21 of 65 Appropriate matching The mentor or coach is matched to the specific developmental needs of the participant. For example, a candidate in a formal leadership development program who has developmental needs in a specific competency area should have a coach/mentor with experience and proficiency in these areas. Although the primary consideration in matching should always be the participant’s specific developmental challenge, the “fit” between mentor/coach and participant is also important. Fit refers to compatible personality and an approach to the mentoring/coaching process that is perceived by the participant to be appropriate. A good match solidly engages the participant to be more open, take more risks and follow recommendations. When matching is good, participants are more satisfied with the mentoring/coaching relationship. Personal Factors Participants’ individual characteristics influence choices of appropriate mentors and coaches and even determine how much benefit they may get from coaching. Personality differences make some participants more likely to change their behaviour as a result of coaching than others. Differences that make leaders good candidates for coaching include motivation to change, intelligence, conscientiousness, and openness to change. Davis & Barnett, 2010; Smither, London, & Reilley, 2005 Input from both sides ensures that coach/mentors and learners choose people with whom they are compatible. When participants provide more input into the selection process, they report better quality coaching and role modeling than those who provided less input into the process.7 Research shows that learners are more likely to model mentors closer to their level because they more strongly identify with them. Consequently, it is suggested that participants be paired with mentors at the next level to which they aspire. 8 Matching is best done by someone in the police service who has professional experience in mentoring and coaching and in professional development. They provide the participant with an opportunity to meet the potential mentor/coach and assess "fit." If the participant doesn’t feel the fit is right, another match is generated. Effective relationship Participants and their mentors or coaches need time and opportunity to develop a trusting and open relationship. Regular meetings will accelerate learning. Requiring that mentors and learners meet once a week or biweekly provides a structure that strengthens their relationship and accelerates learning. The onus is on both sides to develop and sustain an effective relationship. However, it is the mentor or coach who must establish credibility and trust with the participant and actively seek to 7 Allen, Eby, & Lentz, 2006 8 Ibid Police Sector Council Page 22 of 65 fully understand the types of issues, organizational dynamics and challenges the participant faces. Early in the process, usually at the initial meeting, the mentor or coach and the participant begin to examine their respective roles and mutual goals. The mentor or coach explains the process, explores and fine-tunes expectations, addresses confidentiality issues, and gains commitment to continue. Appendix B provides Guidelines for a First Meeting. Driven by the participant Mentoring and coaching is focused on the needs and aspirations of participants. Both parties understand that a change in participant needs may require a change of coach and the importance of a good fit between them. Changing a mentor/coach must be handled without judgment or negative impact for either of them. When designing your program, build a largerthan-necessary pool of mentors and coaches with a range of strengths and experiences, so that alternative and additional coaching resources are available. Primary mentors and coaches should encourage participants to use other mentors/coaches to assist them with specific developmental needs. Assurance of confidentiality Discussion and safeguards with respect to confidentiality are essential for a successful relationship and learning outcome. A coach should not be the participant’s supervisor or hold any organizational influence over career-related decisions for the participant. Strong coaching skills Mentoring and coaching are characterized by the application of sound coaching skills that include active listening, skilful questioning techniques, open discussion of lessons learned, constructive feedback, and reflection on successes and failures. They use a broad range of coaching strategies to create powerful and meaningful conversations focused on leadership development goals, aspirations, plans and change efforts. Coaching conversations are purposeful, collaborative, focused and action oriented. Executive coaches tend to have different backgrounds and use a variety of techniques. A coach should not be the participant’s supervisor or hold any organizational influence over career-related decisions for the participant. Individuals selected to be mentors need the technical knowledge, competencies, and personal values required to be successful mentors. Training mentors is critical to program success and should be directly tied to leadership program objectives and goals. Training ensures that key mentoring skills are learned, such as active listening, perceptive questioning techniques, feedback skills, and goal setting. During training, mentors have an opportunity to practice and receive feedback on their mentoring skills. They also learn about confidentiality and boundary issues. Overall, training ensures consistency and quality in program delivery while addressing specific needs of the person. A coaching conversation guide is in Appendix C. Police Sector Council Page 23 of 65 Formal goal setting Mentors and coaches support participants in their creation of learning plans. A Developmental Learning Plan provides a roadmap and timeline. It consists of learning goals for the leadership competencies, activities and assignments to reach those goals, and the expected outcomes of the developmental activities. The Activities to Build Leadership Competencies is a useful resource to identify appropriate activities. The plan focuses on the leadership competencies that require further development. These arise from formal assessments done during the leadership program selection process and through discussion. Coaches and mentors help participants to integrate assessment results and incorporate them into the learning plan. Coaches discuss the results of assessments with participants to help them draw appropriate conclusions from a set of results and understand what they need to do to improve. To be effective, goals outlined in the leadership developmental learning plan should be specific and moderately difficult. Easy goals are not motivating and vague goals are not effective in producing behaviour change because participants do not know what they need to achieve. To stay focused, it is recommended that participants take on no more than three learning goals at a time. They work collaboratively to customize a plan that addresses the participant’s specific needs. These action plans include: Clearly defined developmental goals Steps to achieve these goals Timelines Resources required to meet goals Barriers that might get in the way of progress Plans for overcoming these barriers Metrics for measuring improvement Identification of key stakeholders involved in the developmental follow-up process Participants are encouraged to share their developmental learning plans with key stakeholders, such as their managers, the Succession Committee and their human resources function. This increases buy-in to the mentoring/coaching process, helps to keep all parties motivated and interested in the participant’s developmental milestones and change efforts, and facilitates access to resources the participant might need. Goals should be revisited and adjusted to accommodate participants’ progress and emerging realities, challenges, goals, and aspirations. An example of a completed Developmental Learning Plan is presented in Figure 3 and a template is available in Appendix D. Police Sector Council Page 24 of 65 Figure 3: Developmental Learning Plan – Leadership Developmental Learning Plan – Leadership Name: John Doe Target Level: Executive Management Date: Nov. 1, 2011 Competency: Strategic Management Determines a vision and strategic objectives Identifies the short and long-term impact of current trends arising from environmental scan (e.g. demographic changes, government policies, etc) on the police service Formulates a clear and compelling vision for the police service Considers local, regional, provincial, federal and/or transnational policing issues in determining organizational priorities Advocates with key jurisdictional partners and authorities to support the achievement of organizational strategic objectives Learning Goal: Learn how to set a vision and strategic objectives for the police service Developmental Activity: Formal Coursework, personal reflection and working with a mentor/coach Description Expected outcomes Participate in and/or observe a visioning exercise Develop a personal vision of who I want to be as a leader and align this vision to the strategic objectives of my unit, my organization and/or the police sector in general Gain understanding of the general principles of strategic management Timeframe & Cost Jan. – May, 2012 Incorporate principles, techniques, and solutions from this course into my work in the area of strategic management $500 Take a university course on Strategic Management [insert name and provider ] Resources required: Access to senior management and/or committee and mentor/coach to integrate observations and allow knowledge transfer Commitment to using personal reflection time to devise personal vision A mentor or leadership coach relationship Enrolment in a strategic management course or program Potential obstacles: Tme management issues/work load Access to senior official Budget for course work Plans for support, feedback and tracking progress: Work with a mentor or leadership coach to overcome obstacles and meet learning objectives Enrol in and participate in a strategic management program/get approval for funding this program Reinforce learning by participating in a visioning exercise and reviewing learnings with a mentor or coach Review my personal vision as a leader with my mentor/coach and align to strategic focus of my unit/ organization/ police sector overall Review & follow-up plan: Meet regularly with mentor/coach to review progress Complete strategic management program Police Sector Council Page 25 of 65 Practice and reflection Good mentoring and coaching programs include experiential practice. Developing skills in any area takes time and a good deal of deliberate, targeted and repeated practice. Mentoring and coaching provide a venue for this practice which enhances an individual’s ability to learn from their experiences. Mentoring and coaching sessions frequently include role playing of desired behaviours and constructive feedback. Such rehearsals better equip participants to try new behaviours with their bosses, peers, direct reports or other organizational members. Research shows that when behavioural practice is viewed as an opportunity to experiment with new behaviours, participants are more likely to try them and to succeed. Candid feedback and reflection further enhances the experience.9 It is difficult for participants to grow without feedback and being able to see their progress. As participants work on their Learning Plan goals, they should receive immediate, specific and constructive feedback on how well they are doing. This feedback can be provided by participants’ supervisors, mentors, and coaches both formally and informally. Providing feedback to participants serves several purposes: Participants’ accountability for their learning is increased Participants know where they stand in relation to their goals Participants are motivated to continue working on their goals Effective mentors and coaches encourage learning from all experience, both positive and negative, in a deliberate and reflective manner. The term “reflective practice” encompasses the cycle of trying new behaviours (and new thoughts) and getting feedback. In this process, participants attempt to make sense of experiences, events and situations in the context of a model, such as the leader they aspire to be, a belief they hold about how work gets done in organizations, or a particular outcome they wish to achieve. Using reflective practice and targeted feedback with a mentor or coach during “stretch” job assignments accelerates insights and lessons learned. Without reflective practice such assignments too often result in random learning, low awareness of what is to be learned, and lack of clarity that learning has occurred.10 Reflection is encouraged during work assignments (“reflection in action”) and after the experience (“reflection on action”). Reflective practice can lead to an improved ability to think before acting and enhanced skill in changing course in the face of changing or unanticipated circumstances.11 Appendix E provides examples of reflective practice questions and probes. 9 DeRue & Ashford, 2010 10 Day, 2010 11 Ligon & Hunter, 2010; Silsbee, 2010; Smerek, 2010 Police Sector Council Page 26 of 65 Observation Although more time consuming for the mentor or coach, shadowing participants in everyday work activities is becoming a more common practice. Observation provides insight into their specific developmental needs, especially in the areas of communication, meeting interaction, and presentations. Tracking progress Mentors/coaches and participants discuss and agree on the methods that will be used to measure progress. They monitor participants’ progress and behaviour changes at agreed intervals and provide feedback that supports positive change. Regular measurement enhances mentoring and coaching effectiveness. Participants measure themselves using agreed metrics on a daily or weekly basis. They rate themselves on key actions related to their developmental learning plan, record the results, and review progress in the subsequent mentoring/coaching sessions. A coach might suggest appropriate metrics such as these:12 Developmental Need Metric Broaden personal network Number and quality of contacts made daily Improve delegation skills Number of items delegated daily Improve time-management skills Number of times he was late for meetings or missed important calls Mentors and coaches also encourage participants to seek regular input and feedback from key stakeholders. It is suggested that participants check their progress with supervisors, coaches, and mentors at appropriate times during each developmental activity. The more regularly participants follow-up with bosses, peers and other stakeholders, the more likely they are to be perceived in favourable terms and recognized for the milestones they achieve.13 Coaches often do brief surveys or interviews to collect information on progress toward target leadership competencies. Toward the end of the relationship, the mentor/coach and participant review progress on the stated goals and activities in the developmental learning plan and jointly set longer-term goals and action plans for continued growth. 12 13 Underhill, McAnally, & Koriath, 2007 Ibid Police Sector Council Page 27 of 65 Recruiting Mentors and Coaches Finding suitable mentors and coaches can be a daunting task early in program development, but it is critical. The success of your program rests on the mentors and coaches you recruit. All effective mentors and coaches share these personal qualities: Strong interpersonal and communication skills Positive temperament Insight and intelligence Positive track record Confidence and maturity Credibility Trustworthiness Objectivity Integrity Ability to receive and give honest constructive feedback Recruiting mentors In addition to the personal qualities noted earlier, effective mentors must have: Solid leadership experience An untarnished reputation Commitment to becoming a mentor Recruiting the best mentors Be strategic – seek out and recruit potential mentors who will help you achieve your program goals. Partner with another policing organization that has a mentoring program, reach out to the active and retired policing community, or tap into an established national or international policing mentorship network. Promote the program widely Use all possible sources to promote your program. For example, use: Web site Personal networks of your senior managers and executives Direct appeals to the recently retired and soon to be retired Senior management networks and forums Police sector conferences Police Sector Council Page 28 of 65 Highlight the benefits to mentors Along with the benefits to your service, communicate the considerable rewards mentors report of the experience, such as: Having an impact on the future of policing Sharing your wisdom, knowledge and expertise with promising younger leaders Being part of a network of seasoned senior police mentors Learning new and useful coaching and communication skills Being recognized Create selection criteria and a process Set up clear criteria for selection that include the personal qualities, leadership experience, reputation and commitment you need. Your process for mentor selection might include: Completing an application form Initial screening of résumés Track Record Interview Reference checking Communicate Describe the role mentors play and the activities involved in mentoring. Talk about the training they will receive. Communicate the selection criteria and process your mentor recruiting efforts. Recruiting coaches Executive and leadership coaches have a wealth of knowledge about executive and leadership functioning and well-honed coaching skills. A pool of expert coaches is an invaluable addition to your program. In addition to the personal qualities noted earlier, effective coaches need: Solid experience and a positive coaching track record A commitment to ongoing leadership development Well-honed coaching skills Willingness to participate in an orientation to your police service organization and leadership development program Specialized training and/or education. Typically executive and leadership coaches have advanced degrees in business and/or psychology or a related human behaviour field. Police Sector Council Page 29 of 65 Recruiting the best coaches The following are possible recruiting resources: Senior managers Consulting firms that offer executive or leadership coaching Coaching and leadership development networks The Internet Create selection criteria and a process Set up clear selection guidelines that take into consideration the personal qualities, skills and experience you need. Your selection process might include: Expressions of interest or RFPs Screening of CVs Interviews Reference checking Police Sector Council Page 30 of 65 Training and Orientation Training and orienting your mentors, coaches and leadership development program participants is critical to program success. When well trained and oriented, they are motivated and committed. Participants are also more likely to have successful mentoring and coaching relationships. Training and orienting all participants also ensures consistency and quality in program delivery. Leadership program participants Orientation sessions are organized by whoever is responsible for the administration of the leadership development program in your service. These sessions contribute to positive program outcomes because they: Clarify mentoring and coaching program goals, procedures and expectations. Clarify sensitive issues, such as confidentiality, boundary issues and the procedures for handling them. Address any outstanding issues, fears or concerns the participant may have about being involved in the program. Start building a relationship of trust between the participant and program personnel. Review the role mentors and coaches play in leadership development, what their own role is in their development, what to expect in mentoring/coaching sessions, and how to get the most out of the mentoring/coaching relationship. Mentor and coach orientation Orientation is designed for those unfamiliar with your police service. It focuses on the organization and the leadership development program. At the organization level it provides information about the strategic plan, issues facing the service and any other information that would assist mentors and coaches to support leadership program participants. At the program level, it ensures an understanding of and agreement on program goals and activities, policies and procedures, role responsibilities and expectations. Mentor training Mentors’ training can be done in-house, contracted out to professional coaches, or through arrangements with other police services that have such programs in place. Mentor training: Teaches key coaching skills, such as active listening, perceptive questioning techniques, feedback skills, goal setting, and a host of relationship building skills linked to learning. For example, the training would cover: Facilitating a learning relationship Goal setting and creating a developmental learning plan Creating and maintaining motivation for change Police Sector Council Page 31 of 65 Tracking progress and outcomes Provides opportunities to practice and receive feedback on coaching skills Clarifies what mentoring is and is not Provides opportunities to respond to specific learning needs of mentors Raises comfort levels of new mentors Clarifies sensitive issues, such as confidentiality, boundary issues and the procedures for handling them Training should be directly tied to the objectives of the leadership development program: to fully prepare a pool of talent for future leadership positions. Mentors are recruited for their breadth of leadership experience and knowledge of policing organizations. They require specialized training on mentoring and coaching skills and individualized support while learning these skills that respects their time and work schedules. The goal is that, by the end of their training, they are able to confidently apply the mentoring and coaching skills they have learned to any situation. Reaching this level of skill takes effort, commitment and more than a few days of training. The most productive approach to training is to stage it over a period of time. A staged approach to training must be flexible enough to accommodate the schedules of the new mentors. It also makes possible a variety of training delivery options such as: In-person training On-line training Multi-media training such as computer-based learning, videos, blogs, and webinars This is an example of what a staged training program might look like. A detailed description is included in Appendix F. STAGE METHOD 1 A two-day workshop on basic mentoring and coaching skills 2 Workshop to become familiar with the assessment tools used in the Leadership Development Program 3 A series of Coaching Skills Transfer Workshops to practice and receive feedback on a range of mentoring/coaching skill areas 4 Follow-up conversations to consolidate learning and insights 5 Opportunities for mentors and coaches to share their experiences with a mentoring community of practice Police Sector Council Page 32 of 65 Sustaining Motivation and Commitment Both mentors and coaches need support to maintain their interest and dedication to the mentoring and coaching program. Supporting mentors and coaches Once you have recruited a community of mentors for your program, you need strategies to sustain their commitment. Here are some suggestions to accomplish this: Connections to the program Ongoing contact, support and encouragement from program staff Webinars to introduce new program initiatives Continuous learning A service that updates them on mentoring and coaching issues. For example, new articles and publications might be shared by e-mail, posted on an intranet site or included in a mentor newsletter. Participation in networking groups of leadership development professionals and executive and leadership coaching forums Opportunities to advance their skills, such as additional training and certification requests or though an advanced skills program you develop for seasoned mentors Feedback from participant surveys and participant satisfaction indices Mutual support Program advocacy Opportunities to support each other and share experiences, best practices and lessons learned Presentations by mentors at conferences, executive council meetings and other venues to promote the mentoring and coaching program Recognition An annual recognition and appreciation event . Police Sector Council Page 33 of 65 Monitoring and Evaluating The effectiveness of the mentoring and coaching program is monitored and evaluated in order to support participants and to improve, justify and market the program. The most common approaches used to measure and assess mentoring and coaching are: Participant progress at regular or designated intervals Post-program participant satisfaction surveys or interviews Measurement of program results Monitoring participant progress The mentoring and coaching program manager or administrator monitors progress at intervals during the mentoring/coaching process. This involves checking in with leadership program participants and their mentors and coaches on a regular basis. It is a good idea to get feedback from mentors/coaches and do a short interview or satisfaction survey with the participant about a month into the program to evaluate “fit” with the mentor/coach and the progress that has been made. Post-program participant satisfaction Post-program participant surveys or interviews assess satisfaction with the mentor/coach, confirm that key mentoring/coaching activities were carried out and that the participant felt supported through their development. Measuring program results Effectiveness evaluation not only generates ongoing program improvement, it also provides validation that participants and the police service are getting the expected program benefits. For a full discussion of program measurement and evaluation, see the guide Leadership Development in Police Services. Police Sector Council Page 34 of 65 Organizational Support for Mentoring and Coaching Programs Setting up a mentoring and coaching program takes time and thought. Maintaining it takes ongoing support and attention. Studies of best practices in mentoring and coaching programs consistently indicate that successful programs share the following characteristics: A clear mission and purpose aligned to the overall organizational vision and direction. For example, if a mentoring and coaching program is established within a specific police force to address succession management and leadership development issues, the focus remains on these goals in all aspects of the mentoring and coaching program, its design, implementation and its outcomes. Good leadership and dedicated staff. Program managers should be strong advocates for mentoring and coaching and committed to continuous learning and development. Program managers need qualified staff with strengths in human relations, organizational skills, and a sound understanding of leadership development. Ideally, program staff would be dedicated to the mentoring and coaching program and not stretched between other job functions and roles. Adequate resources for implementing and maintaining the program. Although programs vary, it is generally the case that two or three well trained and experienced staff can manage 30 to 50 mentoring and coaching matches. This ratio would be lower (same staff, fewer matches) for newer programs that may not yet be well structured and/or tested with time.14 Organizational support. Police services must support the program and must be seen to support it. To commit themselves fully to the process, participants need the reinforcement that comes from knowing they are involved in a valued program that has the solid support of the organization. Involve senior management in the design of the program and in ongoing advocacy. Senior management can support the program by: Dedicating resources Promoting the program throughout the organization and throughout the policing sector Implementing reward systems to encourage mentor/coach Making a connection between the program and the police service vision Being keen advocates of leadership development15 Appendix G provides a Program Design Checklist to ensure all factors are considered. 14 15 Sherk, 1999 Allen, Finkelstein & Poteet, 2009; Sherk, 1999 Police Sector Council Page 35 of 65 Conclusion Effective mentoring and coaching programs accelerate leadership development. Mentoring and coaching involve facilitated one-on-one conversation that raises self-awareness and improves participant performance. Trained coaches are brought in to coach employees in specific competencies. Mentors are senior police members equipped with senior leadership experience, wisdom, credibility, and often a special skill or knowledge relevant to the issues facing participants or the competencies they need. Best practice is to seek external mentors and coaches who do not have any organizational influence on organizational dynamics or decisions related to participants’ careers. The key elements of a successful mentoring and coaching program include: Appropriate matching Effective relationship Driven by the participant Assurance of confidentiality Formal goal setting Practice and reflection Observation Tracking progress Strong coaching skills Mentors and coaches are selected on the basis of their personal characteristics and professional track record. Training and orienting mentors, coaches and leadership development program participants is critical to program success. A process to evaluate the success of the program enables continuous improvement and provides the data needed to sustain organization support and to market the program. While there is no one best way to structure and set up a mentoring and coaching program, this guide outlines some of the key factors and issues to consider in setting up a program in your police service. Police Sector Council Page 36 of 65 Appendix A: Types of Coaching Coaches vary in their areas of focus and their coaching methods. The following coaching types are available to support leadership development programs: Executive and leadership coaching Conflict coaching Career coaching Skills coaching Other types of coaching Executive and leadership coaching Executive and leadership coaching focuses on a broad range of senior executive and managerial and organizational concerns. This is the most appropriate type of coaching for leadership development. They provide guidance to participants to enable them to: Set and achieve organizational goals Become more effective leaders Effect culture change Manage work/life balance issues Build teams Manage a broad range of issues including profitability, defining corporate legacy and succession management. Their services related to leadership development frequently include: Conducting needs analyses of an executive, a team of executives, or section of an organization Conducting and reporting via a range of assessments (personality, interests, values, multiple-source feedback and interviews with key organizational stakeholders) to provide the executive/leader with candid and honest feedback on their relative effectiveness, their strengths and needs areas for development or improvement. Acting as facilitators and guides in exploring new executive and leadership practices and behaviours, helping leadership program participants put in place new performance standards for themselves, and monitoring and tracking results. The coach may or may not be a graduate of an executive leadership coach training program but is likely to be well educated in business and/or hold degrees in organizational psychology. Executive and leadership coaches are well versed in leadership and management issues, systems thinking, human relations, psychology, team building, conflict resolution, and process reengineering. They talk and coach in a language that senior executives understand. Police Sector Council Page 37 of 65 Conflict coaching Conflict coaching is a process in which a coach and participant work together for the purpose of developing the participants’ understanding of conflict, interaction strategies, and interaction skills.16 The coaching may involve different kinds of conflict conversations, such as ways of making sense of conflict, making plans for actively managing the conflict, and exploring specific communication behaviours for the participant to practice and apply. Conflict coaching has grown out of two areas: executive coaching and conflict resolution. Coping with conflict is an integral part of executive and managerial roles. The ability to effectively work through conflict is a well recognized and documented leadership skill. Conflict coaching can be used to: Develop leadership competency in this area Support an individual who is confronting conflict Integrate new groups or individuals into an organizational setting or group Support an individual or team in interacting effectively with others. The coach’s role is predominately facilitative. Coaches share theory and research on conflict for the participant to consider. They use active listening, open-ended questions and other methods to support participants in developing their own ways to understand and address conflict. Most conflict coaches are also executive or leadership coaches and have specialized training and certification in conflict resolution and/or conflict coaching. Career coaching Career coaches help participants gain clarity about what they want from their next career move. They do not provide job search services, resume writing or offer career management advice. They do have coaching conversations with their participants to help them analyze and determine their next steps and explore career choices. They typically offer assistance to their participants in designing job search strategies, setting priorities and pursuing strategic action towards their career goals, learning networking and interviewing skills, preparing for promotion, managing job stress and removing barriers to career progress, negotiating and impression management skills. Career coaches use assessment tools to advance participant understanding and find a valid career fit. Their participants tend to be from three groups: those between jobs, those employed but seeking to advance to the next level, and those seeking a different career path altogether. Career coaches tend to have training and certification in coaching, career development, career planning or related fields of human behaviour and development and/or psychology. 16 Brinkert, 2006 Police Sector Council Page 38 of 65 Skills coaching Skills coaches are experts in a specific skill, such as communication, media relations, or writing. These experts are part teacher and part coach. Skills coaches have good communication and listening skills and are keen motivators focused on achieving results for their participants. The use of skills coaches in the police services organizations would be largely determined by the expertise they offer in addressing a specific developmental need. Other coaching types Types of coaching that are less useful for leadership development and career related functioning in the police service organizations include: life coaching, wellness coaching, creativity, relationship and spiritual coaching, as well as a host of other known coaching modalities. Police Sector Council Page 39 of 65 Appendix B: Guidelines for a first meeting This is a guide for a mentor/coach to use at the initial meeting with a leadership program participant. The discussion facilitates mutual understanding of what mentoring and coaching entails, what to expect in sessions, and the roles of the mentor/coach and leadership participant. It explores issues related to career goals and aspirations and leadership development. If participant assessments are available, beginning dialogues may occur to start the process of goal setting and learning plan development. The discussion is the first step in establishing a relationship. During the discussion the mentor/coach and leadership participant will come to understanding and agreement on: Goals for the relationship Barriers to achieving those goals Role of the mentor/coach Participant’s role and expectations Meeting logistics Duration of the relationship What could go wrong and how to handle that. Confidentiality At the conclusion of the session, the key discussion and decisions reached about these points are documented. The following steps are provided as a guideline for the initial meeting. Step 1: Goals for the relationship This is the first opportunity to start building a trusting and mutually beneficial relationship. Begin by asking: What do you need to make this a productive session? What are your feelings and expectations about mentoring/coaching? What outcome do you want from this first meeting? How would you want to be mentored/coached? RULE OF THUMB During this conversation, mentors/coaches should be listening 70-80% of the time What needs to happen to gain trust and establish a collaborative focus? What outcomes do you want from our relationship? What goals do you want for the relationship (Make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely) Get an overview of the participant’s life and work, aspirations, hopes and goals – and share your background – so that you begin to learn a bit about one another. Begin to identify areas the participant wants to work on. Police Sector Council Page 40 of 65 Step 2: Potential barriers to goal achievement Discuss potential obstacles to achieving the goal / what could get in the way? Develop contingency plans to overcome barriers. Step 3: Discuss your role as mentor/coach To engage in coaching conversations Develop the relationship Facilitate learning and results, and support and encourage the participant’s development Help participants take ownership of their own career and development To assist with, but not create, the Developmental Learning Plan To ask key questions to raise awareness, clarify and/or seek deeper understanding Communicate effectively To actively listen To provide a framework for reflective action To provide candid and honest feedback Provide psycho-social support To track and monitor progress Give one-on-one attention to the participant and stay focused on the participant’s agenda and goals Additional roles can be to serve as a role model, to elevate participant’s organizational visibility, and to prepare him or her for specific responsibilities and assignments that will advance development. Step 4: Discuss the LDP participant’s role/expectations Open a discussion about expectations, communication styles, commitment and openness to learning. Step 5: Clarify confidentiality issues Discuss confidentiality issues and agree on how to handle sensitive issues. Coaching discussions and assessments are, for the most part, confidential. Results of assessments that occur during the mentoring/coaching relationship are the personal property of those being coached. However, in a leadership development program, there is usually a requirement that the developmental learning plan be shared with either the participant’s manager or a succession management or leadership development committee. It is the participant who releases the learning plan, not the mentor or coach. This applies also to progress reports; they may be worked on jointly but released only by the participant. Police Sector Council Page 41 of 65 Do everything you can to communicate your commitment to keeping mentoring/coaching details confidential. Only the participant has the right to share this information. There may be times when sharing developmental information with team members or superiors is warranted. For example, after multiple-source feedback, sharing the results may be an opportunity for teambuilding. Step 6: Logistics around meetings Discuss and agree on the frequency, length and location of mentoring/coaching meetings. It is recommended that meetings occur at least monthly for one to two hours, but may be more often depending upon the wishes, developmental needs, and challenges the participant is facing. Weekly or bi-weekly sessions with a mentor/coach are not uncommon. Discuss the preferred method of meeting: always face-to-face or with some sessions by telephone. Determine whether the participant answers his or her own telephone and e-mail. If an assistant intercepts these, discuss the preferred method for communicating. Step 7: Duration of mentoring/coaching Typical mentoring/coaching relationships can vary from a few meetings to the full duration of the leadership development program. It depends on the needs of the individual, but there should be an agreed end date. Step 8: Explore what might go wrong and what to do about it Agree ahead of time to openly discuss any issue that might jeopardize the relationship or any potential factors that might bring the mentor/coach and the participant into conflict. Agree on what to do when things appear to go wrong. Be prepared for “breakdowns” in the mentoring/coaching relationship and welcome them as opportunities for new learning. A successful mentoring/coaching relationship always uncovers barriers at the next milestone in development or performance. The more experience one has with mentoring and coaching, the higher the tolerance for breakdowns. These breakdowns become the “raw material” for learning and development and anticipated at each level of progress and growth. Welcome these. Police Sector Council Page 42 of 65 Appendix C: The Coaching Conversation17 These five stages provide a framework for discussions between participants and mentor/coaches. 1. Clarify the purpose of the conversation A coaching conversation is purposeful and typically is aimed at: 2. 4. Exploring new opportunities or possibilities Creating motivation and commitment Creating a strategic plan Reaching goals Solve problems Resolve or improve something Gather divergent views and perspectives 3. Accomplishing something View divergent prospectives as a source of strength Provide recognition of a shared pool of information Create a space for “chaotic communication” Give up the need to be in agreement (time spent in confusion is often the fastest route to clarity) Build shared understanding of differences Be prepared to be honest and open Questioning with curiosity Be prepared to “look in the mirror” Open minded and open hearted listening (adopt a stance to listen to what the other has to say right now with the intent to deeply understand versus one of judging and evaluating) Listening to what they say (listen for what they mean and how they think) Make discussing the un-discussable possible Create “new” options by connecting different views 17 Explore the “white space” - what’s missing versus what already exists Invent new options by expanding your view to include others Hargrove (1995,1998) Police Sector Council Page 43 of 65 5. Generate a conversation for action A shared commitment to a collaborative objective Create networks of commitments, communication and support Move possibility into reality by taking experimental action, making promises and requests Give the power to say “no”, and the power to say “yes” Police Sector Council Page 44 of 65 Appendix D: Developmental Learning Plan Instructions: Add a new section of the form for each additional learning goal. It is recommended that there be no more than three concurrent developmental activities. Name: Target Level: Date: Competency: Learning Goal: Developmental Activity: Description Expected outcomes Timeframe & Cost $ Resources required: Potential obstacles: Plans for support, feedback and tracking progress Review & follow-up plan: Police Sector Council Page 45 of 65 Appendix E: Reflective Practice Probes18 These example probes or questions on experiences stimulate deeper learning and contribute to greater performance improvement. Mentors and coaches use these probes to help participants to reflect on their successes and failures and to draw lessons from their experiences. Problematic or negative experience Assuming responsibility for a failing team likely has some negative consequences. Can you describe these? What positive implications can you see this event having on your leadership style for the future? What did you learn about yourself during this experience? How has this experience shaped the strategies you will use when tracking tough people issues in the future? Problem identification Reflect on the most challenging problem you experienced while on this assignment. In retrospect, what information would have helped you to understand the nature of the problem more clearly? How could you have obtained this information? What information did you find most helpful in understanding the nature of the initial problem? What will you do differently in the future? Idea evaluation What elements of your plan were well received by stakeholders in the organization? What pushback did you hear about your idea? What could you have done more of, less of, or differently to anticipate these reactions? Implementation appraisal 18 What resources were most helpful in getting your plan accepted in the organization? What steps did you take to find “champions” for your idea? Which resources did not work out; that is, who was least helpful in obtaining support for your plan? What will you do more of, less of, or differently in the future? Ligon & Hunter, 2010 Police Sector Council Page 46 of 65 Appendix F: Sample Training Program for Mentors Stage 1: “Mentoring and Coaching Skills: A Workshop for Senior Leaders” A two-day workshop on basic mentoring and coaching skills for mentors that: Increases self-knowledge Engages the participant leader as a Mentor/Coach Provides a starter kit for developing essential coaching and mentoring skills The program includes assessments and debriefs on thinking, behavioural and leadership styles as well as skills training and applied practice on: Essential mentoring and coaching skills: Relationship building Giving and receiving feedback Active listening skills Creating a learning mentoring/coaching culture The art of questioning Action planning The role of self-awareness issues in mentoring and coaching Benefits and barriers to good mentoring and coaching Handling sensitive and difficult mentoring/coaching Reflective practice Designing an individual action plan for mentor development Stage 2: “Using Assessments in Mentoring and Coaching” This training offers opportunities for mentors and coaches to become familiar with the assessment tools used in the Leadership Development Program. The training includes: Familiarization with the assessment tools to be used in the mentoring and coaching program Instruction on how to use assessment results for developmental planning Discussions on how to use assessment results to assist leadership program participants identify their own developmental goals and how to link results to participants’ realities, experiences, and program goals This program should be delivered by someone trained in assessment methodology. Theory on assessment can be provided individually, to a group or as a webinar. One-on-one scheduling accommodates the busy schedules of senior staff. Stage 3: A series of Coaching Skills Transfer Workshops Opportunities to anchor and fine tune mentoring and coaching skills can be offered through smaller sub-group meetings where participants working in triads could practice and receive feedback on a range of mentoring/coaching skill areas such as: Police Sector Council Page 47 of 65 Goal setting Developmental Learning Plan Coaching conversations Creating motivation for change Handling difficult situations Dealing with resistance “Fit” and boundary issues Codes of conduct Stage 4: Post-training Follow-up Conversations In-person or telephone follow-up conversations with the program manager or coach help consolidate mentors’ learning and insights. This not only communicates support for mentor development but also models the coaching process overall. Stage 5: Building a Community of Mentors and Coaches Creating opportunities for mentors and coaches to share their experiences is a valuable development practice that sustains program interest, motivation and commitment. It also helps to build a mentoring and coaching community where mentors and coaches can share experiences and build important supportive relationships. Some suggested venues for mentors and coaches to communicate and share information include: Interactive webinars Meetings Social gatherings Telephone conferences Opportunities to work together on initiatives such as writing articles, speaking at conferences, and peer coaching on mentoring and coaching skills. Police Sector Council Page 48 of 65 Appendix G: Program Design Checklist In developing your mentoring and coaching program, use this checklist to ensure you have considered all factors. 19 Alignment of Mentoring and Coaching, leadership development and succession management How is mentoring and coaching linked to the Leadership Development Program, and succession management? How much of leadership development is done through mentoring/coaching? How much mentoring/coaching is to be provided to the different levels of leadership in the police service organizations? What is the main purpose of mentoring/coaching (e.g. develop “high potential” leaders, retain leaders, accelerate transitions)? Will the Leadership Development Program identify which leaders or emerging leaders are eligible for mentoring and/or coaching? Who is responsible for tracking mentoring and coaching activities and outcomes? Is mentoring and coaching to be used for performance management problems? If not, how will performance management problems be re-routed? Culture and Leadership Support What is the cultural attitude towards development through mentoring and coaching? What is the history of mentoring and coaching in your police service? How is mentoring and/or coaching viewed (positively/negatively)? Do senior leaders here work with mentors or coaches? Do senior leaders publicly endorse mentoring and coaching? If coaching and mentoring has not begun yet, which leaders should be first considered? Is there a plan to collect testimonials from leaders who have been mentored or coached to share with other prospective mentoring and coaching participants? 19 Underhill, McAnally, & Koriath, 2007 Police Sector Council Page 49 of 65 Marketing / Communications How will the mentoring and coaching program be marketed? Will there be a communications plan strategy for communicating mentoring and coaching in this organization? Will all stakeholders involved in mentoring and coaching have clarity on their roles and expectations in the mentoring/coaching process (mentors, coaches, participants, participants’ managers, HR, other key stakeholders)? Matching How will matching be made? Are participants given two to three options for selecting a mentor/coach? Is matching strategy linked directly to the goals and intent of the program? Is matching based on specific developmental need areas? Does matching consider physical or geographic proximity? (Closer proximity increases the chances of more frequent interaction which, in turn, is linked to program satisfaction and closer mentoring/coaching relationships.) Are mentors external to your organization so they do not have influence on career decisions of participants? Is matching based on multiple factors (goals, need, interests, skills, abilities, personality, experience, perceived fit)? Do participants have a say in “fit”? If so, how? Will there be a process to verify that the match was a good one, for example a program check-in with the participant and mentor/coach, or short satisfaction survey? Assessment How will leadership competency assessments and feedback be conducted (track record reviews, competency-based interviews, assessment centre, multiple-source feedback)? Will coaches be able to use different assessment tools for specific participant needs? Or are only certain tools approved for use in this organization? If so, which ones? If additional assessment tools are allowed, how will they be paid for? Is there a budget for them? Assignment Activities What are the mentoring and coaching assignment lengths? Are they flexible based on forecasted need or a set period of time? How often are mentoring/coaching sessions expected to occur? (Or is this up to the leader and mentor/coach to agree upon?) Police Sector Council Page 50 of 65 Are there required activities in the mentoring/ coaching program (For example, creating a Developmental Learning Plan, sharing the plan and, if so, with whom, assessment tools to be used, follow-up activities, surveys? Will there be an official method for filing Developmental Learning Plans? Who sees them? Is there a template? How is the mentoring and coaching paid for? What happens when mentoring and coaching assignments are completed? Outcomes Which outcome metrics will be used for mentoring and coaching, and how will data be collected (leader self-assessment, boss assessment, repeat multiple-source feedback based on competency areas targeted in mentoring/coaching)? Will data on participant satisfaction with the mentor/coach be collected? How and when? Is there an effort to measure ROI (return on investment)? If so, how? Mentors From what level of leadership will mentors be sought? What are the criteria to become a mentor? How are mentors trained? What are the confidentiality boundaries for mentors? External Coaches How many external coaches are required? Where? How many? What kinds of external coaches are required (executive coaches, leadership coaches, conflict coaches)? Where? How many? How will coaches be recruited (current vendors, referral networks, professional associations, Internet, coaches who apply, etc.)? What criteria will be used to select coaches (coaching experience, leadership, experience, match to organizational culture, coaching ability, rapport-building skills, advanced degree, location, certifications)? How will coaches be screened (competing an application, interviews, track record interviews, references, assessment process, arrangement with a preferred vendor)? Police Sector Council Page 51 of 65 Building a Mentoring and Coaching Community and Culture How will external coaches be oriented to the police service? What ongoing communications will be used to promote a community of mentors and coaches (senior management endorsements, press releases, conference presentations, postings or articles in newsletters, police services professional magazines, organizational announcements, success stories published, mentoring and coaching awards, etc.)? What ongoing efforts will be used to build a community of mentors and coaches (partnering with other police services, regular gatherings of mentors and coaches to share best practices, representation at senior management functions, quarterly conference calls, mentoring and coaching network, presence on Intranet and Internet sites, awards and recognition events, publication of success stories, lessons learned)? Will there be regular gatherings of mentors and coaches? How often? Who pays for this? Logistics How are coaches contracted? How do mentors and coaches invoice for services? How often? Is there a travel policy for coaches? Do coaches gain access to police services, Intranet or receive entry badges to facilities? Is there an internal resource to manage all mentoring and coaching activities? If so, who? If not, is there an external vendor to do it? How will mentoring and coaching activities be tracked, how will data be stored, and who will have access to it? Police Sector Council Page 52 of 65 Appendix H: Suggested Reading Allen, T. D., Finklelstein, L. M., & Poteet, M. L. (2009). Designing workplace mentoring programs: An evidence-based approach. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons. Ernst, C., & Chrobot-Mason, D. (2011). Boundary spanning leadership: Six practices for solving problems, driving innovation, and transforming organizations. Toronto, ON: McGraw Hill: ISNB: 978-0-07-163887-6 Hargrove, R. (1995). Masterful coaching: Extraordinary results by impacting people and the way they think and work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Hargrove, R. (1998). Mastering the art of creative collaboration. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Hernez-Broome, G., & Boyce, L. (2010). Advancing Executive Coaching: Setting the Course for Successful Leadership Coaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Ludeman, K., & Erlandson, E. (2004, May). Coaching the alpha male. Harvard Business Review, 58-67. Underhill, B., McAnally, K., & Koriath, J. (2007). Executive coaching for results: The definitive guide to developing organizational leaders. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. Wilson, C. (2007). Best practices in performance coaching: A handbook for leaders, coaches, HR professionals and organizations. London, UK: Kogan Page. Police Sector Council Page 53 of 65 Appendix I: References Allen, T. D., Eby, L. T., & Lentz, E. (2006). Mentorship behaviors and mentorship quality associated with formal mentoring programs: Closing the gap between research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 567-578. Allen, T. D., Finklelstein, L. M., & Poteet, M. L. (2009). Designing workplace mentoring programs: An evidence-based approach. West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. Bono, J. B., Purvanova, R. K., Towler, A. J., & Peterson, D. B. (2009). A survey of executive coaching practices. Personnel Psychology, 62, 361-404. Brinkert, R. (2006). Conflict coaching: Advancing the conflict resolution field by developing an individual disputant process. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 23, 517-528. Day, D. V. (2010). The difficulties of learning from experience and the need for deliberate practice. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 4144. DeRue, D. S., & Ashford, S. J. (2010). Power to the people: Where has personal agency gone in leadership development? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 24-28. Dominick, P., Squires, P., & Cervone, D. (2010). Back to persons: On social-cognitive processes and products of leadership development experiences. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 33-37. Fitz-Enz, J. (2009). The ROI of Human Capital: Measuring the economic value of employee performance. New York, NY: AMACON. Golemen, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2004). Primal leadership: learning to lead with emotional intelligence. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press. Grodzki, L., & Allen, W. (2005). The business and practice of coaching, New York, NY: Norton and Co. Hargrove, R. (1995). Masterful coaching: Extraordinary results by impacting people and the way they think and work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Hargrove, R. (1998). Mastering the art of creative collaboration. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Jackson, J., & Lindsay, D. R. (2010). Lessons for experience: Why wait? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3 , 48-51. Jones, T. S., & Brinkert, R. (2008). Conflict coaching: Conflict management strategies and skills for the individual. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Kilburg, R. R. (2000). Executive coaching: Developing managerial wisdom in a world of chaos. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Ligon, G., & Hunter, S. T. (2010). Putting the development into experiential development. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 28-32. Police Sector Council Page 54 of 65 McCall. M. (2010). Recasting leadership development. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 3-19. McCauley, C. D., Moxley, R. S., & Van Velsor, E. (1999). The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people for change, New York, NY: Guilford Press. National Diagnostic on HR in Policing (2007). Police Sector Council. Retrieved on October 6, 2010 from http://www.policecouncil.ca/reports/PSCHRDiagnostic.pdf Olivero, G., Bane, V., & Kopelman, R. E. (1997). Executive coaching as a transfer of training tool: Effects on productivity in a public agency. Public Personnel Management, 26, 461-469. Peterson, D. B., & Hicks, M. B. (1995). The leader as coach: Strategies for coaching and developing others. Minneapolis, MN: Personnel Decisions. Policing Environment (2005). Police Sector Council. Retrieved October 6, 2010 from http://www.policecouncil.ca/reports/PSCScan2005.pdf Silsbee, D. (2010). The mindful coach: Seven roles for facilitating leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Sherk, J. (1999). Best practices in mentoring programs. San Francisco, CA: EMT Group. Smerek, R. E. (2010). The nature of knowledge, reflective practitioners, and the value of experience. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 38-40. Smither, J. W., London, M., Flautt, R., Vargas, Y., & Kucine, I. (2003). Can working with an executive coach improve multisource feedback ratings over time? A quasi-experimental field study. Personnel Psychology, 56, 23-44. Stober, D., & Grant, A. M. (2006). Evidence based coaching handbook: Putting best practices to work for your participants. New York, NY: Wiley. Underhill, B., McAnally, K., & Koriath, J. (2007). Executive coaching for results: The definitive guide to developing organizational leaders. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. Wilson, C. (2007). Best practices in performance coaching: A handbook for leaders, coaches, HR professionals and organizations. London, UK: Kogan Page. Wilson, M. S., & Yip, J. (2010). Grounding leadership development. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 2-55. Yost, P., & Plunkett, M. (2010). Ten catalysts to spark on-the-job development in your organization. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 20-23. Police Sector Council Page 55 of 65 Appendix J: Policing Leadership Development Project Introduction This is a description of the work completed for the Police Sector Council’s Policing Leadership Development Project launched in 2010. Effective leadership is critical to the successful management of police organizations. Police leaders face a host of unique challenges in managing their organizations. In addition to managing public safety, they are transitioning their organizations to a business management model and facing unprecedented attrition in leadership ranks. It was recognized that a national perspective is required to enable police services to improve their leadership development processes. In early 2000, the Police Sector Council conducted several studies to determine strategic human resource priorities for police services in Canada. The National Diagnostic on Human Resources in Policing study (2007) identified challenges of the policing sector and made the following recommendations. Develop a Police Leadership Framework that defines the skills and competencies required at each level of leadership in policing. Design a formal transparent approach to succession planning across Canada. To address these recommendations, the Police Sector Council launched the Policing Leadership Development Project. Project Objectives The Police Leadership Development Project had the following objectives: To complete the police competency infrastructure by developing national occupational standards for four senior ranks, including Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Deputy Chief, and Chief of Police. To develop a Police Leadership Framework for all ranks in policing. To prepare competency-based guides and support tools to support leadership development and succession planning in police services. Project Methodology The project involved a literature review on best practices in policing leadership development and succession management, analysis of written materials provided by police services, in-person and phone interviews, focus groups with former and current police leaders, surveys of subject matter experts, and validation meetings with the Steering Committee members. In the course of this project, the research group used materials provided by national, provincial, municipal, and international police services and organizations. Police Sector Council Page 56 of 65 Project Outcomes The Policing Leadership Development Project built on the previous Policing Competency Framework Project which provided the foundation for competency-based human resource management in policing. In the course of the initial project, the national occupational standards for the four ranks in policing - Constable, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, and Inspector – were developed. Two competency-based guides, Introduction to Competency-Based Management in Police Services and Constable Selection, and associated tools were also created to support policing recruitment, selection and promotion, performance management, learning and development and succession management. The Policing Leadership Development Project completed the police competency infrastructure by developing national occupational standards for the four senior ranks, including Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Deputy Chief, and Chief of Police. It looked at best practices in Canada and abroad and analyzed the tasks and responsibilities of senior police leaders in order to develop an appropriate model and process to prepare high-potential police members for leadership roles. The project also proposed a competency-based leadership model for all levels of police leadership. The model identifies 14 leadership competencies that cover three key areas for policing: performance, partnering and accountability. All of the competencies apply – with differing proficiency levels – to four policing leadership levels. A Leadership Competency Profile was developed for each of these leadership levels. Finally, the Policing Leadership Development Project provided a series of guides and other tools to enhance leadership development, succession management, and executive selection. Project Phases and Activities Phase A: Project Initiation (September 2009- December 2009) The Council reviewed existing research and conducted some of its own on the use of competency-based management in Canadian police services. This confirmed the need to develop a competency-based Policing Leadership Model for the sector. A detailed work plan was then prepared to identify the steps to be taken, the required resources, and the nature and level of stakeholder involvement. A steering committee made up of 29 representatives from Canadian police services and affiliated organizations was assembled to oversee the project (see Table 1). They reviewed and approved the project’s Terms of Reference, objectives and methodology, advised and approved, participated in bi-monthly status meetings, and assisted with project work. Police Sector Council Page 57 of 65 Table 1: Steering Committee Members DEPUTY CHIEF NORM LIPINSKI (CO-CHAIR) Deputy Chief of Police Edmonton Police Service ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER CAL CORLEY (CO-CHAIR) Director General Canadian Police College AILEEN ASHMAN Director of HR Toronto Police Service ROSEMARIE AULD Manager, Human Resources Hamilton Police Service JEAN BISHOP Manager, Planning and Research Royal Newfoundland Constabulary TULLIO CAPUTO, PHD Associate Professor Carleton University INSP FRANK CIACCIA Deputy Director Justice Institute of British Columbia CHIEF WARD CLAPHAM Chief of Police South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service DR. CURTIS CLARKE Director General Alberta Solicitor General IVAN COURT Mayor City of St. John, NB ANITA DAGENAIS Senior Director, RCMP Policy Division Public Safety Canada DR. GARY ELLIS Professor, Justice & Public Safety Georgian College DENNIS FODOR Director, Human Resources Royal Canadian Mounted Police ANDRÉ FORTIER Codirecteur du baccalauréat en sécurité publique École Nationale de Police Québec ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER PETER GERMAN Assistant Commissioner, Lower Mainland District, British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police SHARRON GOULD Manager Human Resources Winnipeg Police Service INSP DAVE LEE Deputy Director OPP Academy INSP CATHY LIGHT Inspector Calgary Police Service STAN MACLELLAN Director of HR Durham Regional Police Service EDGAR MACLEOD Executive Director Atlantic Police Academy PAUL MCKENNA, PHD Assistant Professor Dalhousie University RUTH MONTGOMERY Editor Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police GARY MORIN Director Saskatchewan Police College SHELAGH MORRIS Director of Corporate Services Guelph Police Services ALOK MUKHERJEE Vice-President Canadian Association of Police Boards JANE NAYDIUK Program Manager Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Government of British Columbia LUC PELLERIN Directeur, Direction du soutien pédagogique et de la École Nationale de Police Québec Police Sector Council Page 58 of 65 recherche INSP TAM POZZOBON Inspector Chief Crowfoot Learning Centre TONY SIMIONI President Edmonton Police Association STAFF SUPERINTENDENT DARREN SMITH Human Resource Development Command Toronto Police Service SANDY SWEET President & CEO Canadian Police Knowledge Network SUPERINTENDENT JOHN TOD Director of OPP Provincial Police Academy Ontario Provincial Police PATRICIA TOLPPANEN Executive Director Alberta Association of Police Governance CHIEF MATT TORIGIAN Chief of Police Waterloo Regional Police Service SHARON TRENHOLM Instructor, Police Studies Memorial University of Newfoundland FRANK TROVATO, PHD Program Head University of Guelph-Humber CHIEF VERN WHITE Chief of Police Ottawa Police Service A summary of project activities and accomplishments by phase is provided below. Phase 1: Analysis (January 2010- April 2010) Phase 1 consisted of background research on leadership development, succession management, and executive selection and collection of information from police services in Canada to inform the development of rank task lists and competencies. Thirty police services provided their materials, such as job descriptions, training materials, performance evaluation forms, and competency profiles. The research team consulted academic articles, conference presentations, briefs and white papers prepared by consulting organizations, and documents available on the websites of police services to identify commonly used methods of leadership development. Research looked at common leadership development practices in policing and other industries. Best practices of both domestic and international policing organizations were leveraged to develop a Police Leadership Framework. Among large Canadian police organizations which provided material for this research are Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, Edmonton Police Service, Winnipeg Police Service, Toronto Police Service and others. The research team used materials of international police organizations, including National Policing Improvement Agency (UK), Scottish Police College (UK), Federal Bureau of Investigation (USA), and Interpol (international). Additionally, information on formal leadership education was collected from the providers of police leadership training. Phase 2: Development (May 2010- July 2010) Phase 2 consisted of interviewing subject matter experts and developing rank task lists, leadership competencies for the Policing Competency Dictionary, rank and leadership competency profiles. The development activities are described under separate headings below. Police Sector Council Page 59 of 65 Development of Rank Task Lists The development of Rank Task Lists began with review of police service documents and consultation with subject matter experts. The close involvement of subject matter experts ensured the Rank Task Lists, were relevant to senior police ranks. The following activities took place in the development of the Rank Lists: Review of existing job descriptions and other relevant resources from 30 police services across Canada Drafting four Rank Task Lists based on the documentation collected during Phase 1 Fifteen interviews with subject matter experts from volunteer police organizations to determine relevance of tasks to senior police officers Translation of rank task lists into French Development of Leadership Competencies The leadership competencies were developed based on the documents collected from police services and consultation with subject matter experts. The following activities took place: Review of existing competency profiles and other relevant resources from 30 police services across Canada Drafting leadership competencies based on the documentation collected during Phase 1 Ten interviews with subject matter experts from volunteer police organizations to clarify the content of competencies and establish their relevance to senior police ranks Development of Rank Competency Profiles Rank Competency Profiles were created based on the interviews with subject matter experts and further refined through discussions in focus groups. The following activities took place in the development of rank competency profiles: Ten interviews with subject matter experts from volunteer police organizations to determine 8 critical competencies for police leaders in each of the four ranks Two focus groups with 14 former and current police leaders to review leadership competencies and identify the ones most critical for future police leaders Drafting Rank Competency Profiles. Translation of Rank Competency Profiles into French Development of Leadership Competency Profiles Leadership competency profiles for four levels of leadership were developed from the Rank Task Lists. The following activities took place in the development of the rank profiles: Creating Leadership Competency Profiles by combining rank competencies for adjacent ranks. Adjacent ranks had sufficiently similar rank competencies to warrant their aggregation. Police Sector Council Page 60 of 65 Development of the Policing Leadership Model Four leadership levels, Front-line Management, Mid-level Management, Senior Management, and Executive Management, were identified. Fourteen leadership competencies developed using input from interviews and focus groups were mapped to four leadership levels. Leadership levels were differentiated by increasingly responsible and complex proficiency levels required in the competencies. Development of Guides, Concept Papers and Support Tools The Policing Leadership Development Project developed a series of guides, concept papers, and support tools. The following activities took place in the development of these materials: Research on leadership development, succession management, executive selection, and education. Consultation with a number of subject matter experts, including police board members and HR directors in police services Drafting guides, concept papers, and support tools Review by the Steering Committee members Revisions based on feedback provided by Steering Committee members Phase 3: Validation (August 2010- October 2010) Phase 3 consisted of a number of validation activities that involved input from 292 subject matter experts. The following validation activities were part of the project: Validation of Rank Task Lists: 165 subject matter experts o Validation through paper-based survey: 56 subject matter experts Drafted a validation survey to determine relevance of task statements to each of the four ranks and identify their importance for successful performance in the rank. The survey was composed of four parts, each representing a task list for a particular rank. Each part was completed by job incumbents in the appropriate rank. The participants came from all provinces and regions in Canada, except Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut. The participants represented police services of different sizes. HRSG edited Rank Task Lists based on survey results. o Validation by Steering Committee: 32 subject matter experts. Validation of Rank Competency Profiles and Leadership Competency Profiles: 56 subject matter experts Police Sector Council Page 61 of 65 Drafted a paper-based survey with 14 leadership competencies. A separate version with appropriate proficiency levels was created for each of the four leadership levels. The survey was completed by job incumbents in the appropriate rank. The members of the Canadian Association of Police Boards also completed the survey for Chief and Deputy Chief. Participants were asked to indicate whether each of the 14 leadership competencies applied to the rank. They were also asked to select top 8 competencies critical for successful performance in the rank. All competencies were rated as applicable to each of the four ranks by a large majority of respondents. All 14 competencies were used to create Leadership Competency Profiles. The Rank Competency Profiles were created using the nine or ten competencies, selected as most important for the rank by more than 50% of participants. o Validation by Steering Committee: 32 subject matter experts Validation of the Policing Leadership Model, leadership competencies, guides, concept papers, and support tools o Validation by the Steering Committee: 32 subject matter experts o In-depth review by the Steering Committee members Phase 4: Communication (January 2010-January 2011) Ongoing communication activities were undertaken throughout the project, including scheduled monthly teleconferences with the Steering Committee and regular meetings with the PSC project manager. A number of activities were also conducted to inform all stakeholders of the initiative undertaken by the Police Sector Council. These activities included conference addresses, publications, and emails to a broad audience of stakeholders nationally and internationally. Two workshops were delivered March 2010 and February 2011) to introduce the concepts of CBM in leadership development and familiarize stakeholders with the many products resulting from the project. Finally, a brochure, website dissemination point and communications were prepared to support the launching of the final products resulting from this initiative. Phase 5: Evaluation (March 2010 and February 2011) The evaluation of the project involves a pilot study to support implementation of competencybased leadership development and succession management in several police services and an indepth assessment of the usability of the materials. Police Sector Council Page 62 of 65 All requests for access to materials are tracked with the intention of follow-up assessments to determine how the materials are being used. Final assessments of the workshops were conducted to determine the success of the session and the extent to which participants intend to use the materials. An evaluation report of the project will be created to document project management success in terms of objectives being met on time, on budget, on plan and with a listing of additional items produced that added value to the sector within the parameters of the project. Lessons learned will be included. The project outcomes: CBM Leadership Framework Leadership Competencies define the behaviours required to perform effectively in leadership roles in a police organization. Policing Leadership Model that specifies 14 leadership competencies across four levels of leadership: Executive Management, Senior Management, Mid-level Management and Front-line Management. The model includes Leadership Profiles indicating the proficiency levels required as leadership levels increase in responsibility and complexity. Rank Task Lists itemize major tasks and sub-tasks for leadership ranks. Rank Job Descriptions summarize major tasks and critical competencies for leadership ranks. Rank Competency Profiles document critical competencies for leadership ranks. Leadership Competency Profiles document critical competencies for each level of leadership in a police organization. CBM Guides Guides that support leadership development and succession management processes in police services. Separate guides were also developed for police boards to support selection for police executive positions and for training providers to support the development of police leadership curriculum. Succession Management in Police Services: Developing a Pool of Potential Successors for Critical Policing Roles that offers practical guidance, tools and templates to support succession management in an organization. Leadership Development in Police Services: Managing the Development of Essential Leadership Competencies provides a competency framework for leadership development in policing as well as a set of recommendations on how to design and implement leadership development programs in police organizations. Developmental activities outlined in the Leadership Development guide are further described in supporting guides, including: Activities to Build Leadership Competencies: Supplement to the Leadership Development in Police Services suggests specific developmental activities for each level of the 14 police leadership competencies. Police Sector Council Page 63 of 65 Mentoring and Coaching in Police Services: Supporting Leadership Development provides best practices in mentoring and coaching for police services. Police Leadership Education and Training: Aligning Programs and Courses with Leadership Competencies presents a competency-based framework for developing curricula to support the development of police leaders. It provides information and tools to evaluate existing courses and programs to discover whether they align with policing leadership competencies. Police Executive Selection: A Best Practice Approach for Police Boards and Commissions provides a best practice selection model for police executive positions. Competency-Based Management (CBM) Toolkit Assessment tools and templates built around the competencies: Succession Management: o Getting Started with Workforce Planning o Succession Worksheets o Succession Program Evaluation o Candidate Progress Report o Change Management and Communications Leadership Development o Track Record Review o Developmental Learning Plan Executive Selection o Interview Guides and Questions for Chief and Deputy Chief ranks o Reference Check Guides and Questions for Chief and Deputy Chief ranks Recommended reading in all areas covered by the guides A spreadsheet with basic information on police leadership training providers in Canada and abroad. This document provides a list of selected police leadership training programs and courses organized by a training provider. A spreadsheet with the information on the number of uniform members in various ranks by police service in Canada. Concept papers Concept papers explore the Policing Learning and Qualifications Framework and a nationally coordinated police leadership program. The concept papers developed as part of this project include the following: Building a National Leadership Program for Policing: A Collaborative Initiative to Strengthen Police Leadership that proposes a nationally coordinated police leadership program. Police Sector Council Page 64 of 65 Police Professionalization: Building a Policing Learning and Qualifications Framework that proposes a Policing Learning and Qualifications Framework to provide a national system to coordinate and compare formal qualifications or recognized programs of learning in Canada and internationally. Communication and Implementation Plan Addresses how the tools and a full competency-based management plan can be implemented in policing. Police Sector Council Page 65 of 65
