… or, rather, not married and have no children. I have noticed that in my professional life, the two leaders from whom I’ve been most inspired by and who I believe are the most successful are married to their sense of duty. That makes me wonder, is there something to this coincidence? Is it impossible to be successful in both professional and personal realms?
Both leaders in question dedicate themselves to their work both in their personal and professional lives, going hard at work and volunteering their free time in similar services. Additionally, both seem to have the most balance of leadership skills by harnessing empathy with control, passion with knowledge and they genuinely aim to identify what unique skills the individuals in their team have to offer. Both of these leaders eventually became police chiefs. Is this a sign that maybe we can’t have it all?
I asked myself this question as we dove into the preliminary topics of leadership. I do believe that in the realm of Law Enforcement as it exists, you do have to be able to display certain personality traits in order to be successful. According to Northouse (2019), theorists now believe that trait-based leadership does not necessarily mean that a short list of existing personality traits applies to successful leadership in all situations. There are, however, certain professions where certain traits can hinder or aid in advancement to a leadership role. Law enforcement is absolutely one of those professions.
I applied this question primarily to the Five Factor Model of Personality to develop my theory. Three of the five could be to blame for hindering a personal relationship; conscientiousness, neuroticism and extraversion. Effective leaders may be prioritizing their call of duty to a fault, and take their commitment to public service seriously while failing to be attentive to a budding relationship. Leaders are more likely to take time outside of work for training and volunteer opportunities that aid in the advancement of their career. In the high-stress world of modern policing a heavy emphasis is placed on the necessity of stability. One must be able to act calmly under pressure, above all else. One who takes this requirement seriously may distance themselves from any personal risks or failures, anything that may have the potential to shake their emotional stability. Leaders in law enforcement must show that they are confident and decisive to earn followers. A high level of extraversion may create conflict in a relationship, where a partner’s input and decisions should be taken into account just as much as the leader’s.
It’s no secret that the concept of social identity is ripe in the law enforcement world. While modern policing continues to progress to meet the demands of society, there remains an interdepartmental expectation of ‘what makes a good officer’. While we know that anyone can dictate, an emerging leader fits with the identity of the group as a whole. (Northouse, 2019). A person who is determined to be a leader in this profession must subscribe to all of the aforementioned traits to have a decent shot at success. Many studies have been conducted on the matter of the work-family struggles of law enforcement. A study conducted by Viegas and Henriques (2020) found that police job stress is highly correlated with work-family conflict, and instances of ‘burnout’ is high. This finding paired with the demanding trait requirements that it takes to be a successful leader could very well mean that these Chiefs sacrificed their personal life for their work. It makes one wonder what, if anything, can be changed to help the law-enforcement profession establish a healthier work-family balance. If we can figure that out, there is a chance we may be able to fill the void of successful, effective and inspiring leaders in law enforcement.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice (Eighth Edition). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Viegas, V., & Henriques, J. (2020). Job stress and work-family conflict as correlates of job satisfaction among police officials. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1007/s11896-020-09388-w
While many of my favorite leaders are not necessarily single, I have noticed a trend in divorce, or multiple marriages, instead. The most recent divorce is that of Bill Gates, one of the most well known creators and richest men of our time. Many other leaders such as former president Donald Trump, futuristic pioneer Elon Musk, and even former president Reagan have all seen divorce papers. Might we be onto a pattern here? While it is impossible to be able to come up with a definite answer as to why there are so many single or divorced leaders, we can come up with assumptions and theories as to why this occurs so frequently based off trait approaches to leadership.
The Great Man Theory presented in the early 20th century gives us a multitude of traits seen in leaders. “Vigor and persistence in pursuit of goals” and “readiness to absorb interpersonal stress” stand out the most when discussing traits in regard to the potential reasoning behind the marital status of so many of our leaders (PSU WC, 2021, L. 2). Is it in fact the absorption of the workload and inner drive to accomplish our dreams that takes us away from our loved ones, and are we any less successful in our goals if we give part of ourelves to our families? Or is it that we are simply not meant to be a monotonous species and leadership has nothing to do with it?
This was a great topic to introduce and very thought provoking. I appreciate the uniqueness of the topic and am eager to learn more as to why this may occur.
Reference
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2021). PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2137573/modules