The Plant City Police Department (PCPD) would like to congratulate Captain Robert McLellan for earning the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA) Trilogy Award in October.
The mission of the association is to advance the science and art of law enforcement leadership and promote the exchange of information to improve law enforcement management practices through training, education and networking among police professionals across the United States and beyond.
To earn the award, Captain McLellan successfully completed three challenging 40-hour work week sessions (120 hours in total) of training, which included three courses: Supervisor Leadership Institute, Command Leadership Institute and Executive Leadership Institute.
Command Leadership Institute was created to engage students in topics such as credibility,
command disciple and liability, dealing with problem employees and leading change within an organization. Supervisor Leadership Institute engage in personality diagnostics, leadership case studies, mentoring, developing people, performance management, risk management and credibility. Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) which covers topics such as trends in law enforcement, implications of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, public trust and legitimacy, bias and diversity, employee wellness and power, transformational leadership, social and emotional intelligence.
McClellan is the first PCPD officer to earn the award.
A veteran, McLellan, who joined the Navy at 18, said the lessons learned during the courses differed from his early experiences with leaders. “In the military, I got yelled at, told what to do and was disciplined when I wasn’t doing things right,” he said.
When he left the military for a career in law enforcement more than 20 years ago, he said the police department still had some paramilitary aspects to it but that has changed over his career.
“I could see the next generation coming up and telling them what to do without giving them the ‘why’, they wanted to know why we were doing things instead of just telling them to do it,” he said. “When people see the purpose of why we do things they then put forth the effort to try to do things right.”
A part of transformational leadership, the style focuses on supporting individual growth of subordinates, inspiring others, fostering necessary change, investing in the development of future leaders and building vision and purpose in subordinates.
“He’s equipping his subordinates to be leaders by giving them the thought process behind it,” said Chief James Bradford. “A manager gives his subordinates direction and tells them what to do, a leader equips them to do it themselves.”
Using a sports metaphor, Bradford described his department. “Sometimes we’re a basketball team and operate interdependent on each other, sometimes we’re a golf team, operating as an individual and working independently and coming back together at the end of a shift,” he said. “If we as leaders teach our people the reason why behind the decisions we make ,they make decisions independently that tend to have better outcomes.”
McLellan said mentorship was also a key component of leadership. “Being able to communicate effectively, talking with people instead of at them is important,” he said. “We talk through a problem to come up with the best solutions to help not only the department but the community.”
Bradford recognizes the value of the training and hopes McLellan won’t be the last officer to earn the award.
“Completion of the FBI LEEDA trilogy training is an outstanding achievement that showcases Captain McLellan’s commitment to professional development,” he said. “By successfully completing this program, he has obtained valuable skills, knowledge and insights that will undoubtedly enhance his ability to lead within the police department and serve the community.”