Three Ways Three Leaders are Rebuilding Morale

A leader in mistake prevention mode is also in growth prevention mode.

What happens after the previous regime leaves an organization in the ditch? A lot of new leaders face big odds when it comes to rebuilding morale. It doesn’t happen overnight. No matter how positive and uplifting a new leader is, there will always be scars left behind by the former leadership.

In our last blog, Three Teams, Three Leaders, and Three Ways They Killed Morale, we examined one law enforcement and two fire services agencies facing a similar morale crisis. The previous leaders had made difficult times for first responders worse. They all left behind agencies that were rebuilding and working to overcome the mistakes that created resentment and distrust, which the new leaders are now facing.

While I was working with these three agencies based in two different large metropolitan areas, I got to speak extensively with the chiefs, the command staffs, and the frontline leaders. As we discussed the issues of the past, we were focused on rebuilding the morale moving forward. Three similar themes emerged.

Three Ways to Rebuild Morale

Perhaps the most interesting thing I witnessed was when I asked if the frontlines wanted the new leaders to trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt. The resounding answer was “Yes”. But then I turned it around on them. “Don’t you think this new regime deserves the same from you?”