The Seven Habits of Highly Effective SROs SROs

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective SROs… SROs Adapted from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People By Steven Covey

School Resource Officer n n Semi Retired Officer Kiddy Kop • The most misunderstood assignment in law enforcement • One of the most rewarding

Three Types of SRO’s Adventurers Vacationers Prisoners

Who is the SRO ? The SRO is the one assigned to a school, not for his or her abilities with a service weapon, but for the ability to compassionately interact with adults and kids as a teacher, counselor and police officer.

Scho o l Adm Polic inist rato rs e Sup ervis or The SRO is the one who answers to the needs of his or her police supervisor and the school principal, even when they may be at odds with each other.

The SRO is the only “traffic cop” that knows buses, teachers, parents, and students get priority above all others when entering the school parking lot. The SRO is sometimes a “police taxi” that provides a ride to the student who will be late again, if not for his shuttle service.

The SRO is the one who seeks out those kids in school, who are the most picked on and overlooked, so he can be the first to greet them, talk to them, and become their friend. In some cases, the SRO may even be the only adult who is a positive influence in their life.

The SRO is the daily presence of a uniform, badge, and gun, who will confront and deter any who dare interrupt the safety and security of the school and makes community oriented policing a way of life every day.

The SRO is quick to back up patrol at an accident, or other incident especially when he fears one of his students may be involved.

The SRO is a buffer and mediator to the assistant principal who has tried everything to console that irate parent

The SRO is also the ever-present narcotics detective, abuse counselor, and criminal enforcer.

The SRO is the one who is rarely in his office to answer phone calls because he or she is in the school doing all those things that are not necessarily in his job description but make him more effective in his role

The SRO is tough enough to shout the words a kid needs to hear when they are slipping away into drugs or gangs,

…and soft enough to shed a tear when the same kid walks across the stage at graduation.

The SRO is the one who is often looked at as not being a “real cop” by his fellow officers…

…and not a “real instructor” by some teachers, but knows he must try to be both.

The SRO is the one who takes the call from the single parent who has tried desperately to get her son up for school, he assures her he will be there to remind him why, and then takes him to school.

The SRO is the one in the station explaining the process to parents when their child has been arrested; because he or she is their child’s SRO and they trust him.

So…who is an SRO, the SRO is the “Blue Knight” standing for the rights of students, teachers and staff. The SRO is the one who would give his life to protect the safety of those in the “castle” and does all this because of his commitment to his community and his love of kids.

SRO Program Challenges • Frustration due to lack of communication • Unintended outcomes due to unclear expectations • Design of the SRO program vs personal agendas • Greater demands and expectations • The officers selected and accountability issues • Ethical issues and unwanted response • Forming effective relationships

Developing a Common Vision Keeping Kids Safe

How Do We Develop A Common Vision ?

n n n n Aesop’s Fable The Goose That Laid The Poor farmer Golden Egg The farmer’s goose The first golden egg A golden egg every morning Growing wealth & growing impatience The farmer kills the goose to get all the gold The farmer finds nothing and has lost his source of wealth

Moral of the story n n Like the foolish farmer we often settle for the short term solution or the quick fix instead of the long term successes. Often more concerned about doing things right (efficient), than doing the right thing (effective). n The farmer became grossly ineffective and destroyed his chances of future successes. n Knowledge, attitude and skill were not synchronized

The importance of relationships as an SRO n n Relationships with people should be effective not efficient. (who do we have relationships with? ) Relationships become like an Emotional Bank Account ™ where we make deposits and withdrawals n Emotional Bank Accounts require constant deposits to maintain a balance n When withdrawals exceed deposits we become overdrawn

How to make deposits n n n Courtesy Respect Kindness Patience Service Honesty

How to make withdrawals n Overreactions n Ego-trips n n An absence of apologies for mistakes Disregard or neglect of interpersonal relationships

Winners vs. Losers n n n Winners have a habit of doing the things losers don’t like to do. They don’t necessarily like to do them either, but… Their desire to be effective is more important than their like or dislike for a particular task

Components that effect behavior Habits Skill These are all learned behaviors, habits then become second nature

How effective we are as SROs depends on our habits n n Habits that are EFFECTIVE can be learned Habits that are NOT EFFECTIVE CAN be UN-learned

The first three habits… n n n Are habits of personal character Help you achieve personal victories Help you move from being dependant to being independent Personal

The next three habits… n n Are outward expressions of character Lead to inter-dependence Mutual benefit Public success Inter personal

The final habit… • Renews “the goose” • Resurrects “the goose” • Sustains the process for growth

Habit 1: Be Proactive n n n Habit of having a personal vision as an SRO Taking responsibility 1 for our attitudes and actions Personal Responding with ability The ability to choose our responses to daily situations Be more a product of your values and decisions than your moods and conditions

The challenge is to become a light Not a Judge To be a model Not a critic A programmer Not the program

Proactive SROs… n n n Choose to feed opportunities Starve problems Keep promises Don’t make excuses Focus on what we can do Ignore what we can’t do

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind • Start each day knowing where you’re going and what you’re going to do • Management is more concerned with efficiency • Leadership is more concerned about being effective 2 Personal

Effective SROs… Realize things are created mentally before created physically They write a mission statement or purpose statement for making decisions They clarify values and set priorities BEFORE going to work

Ineffective SROs… Allow old habits, other people and environmental conditions dictate decide what they do Conform to values and goals from their surroundings and climb the ladder of success only to find it leaning against the wrong wall

Habit 3: Put First Things First • Organizing and managing time • Prioritizing those items that are important but not urgent Personal • Be proactive not reactive 3

Habit 3: Put First Things First Not Important Urgent Not Urgent • Immediately productive activities • Crises • Deadlines • Important meetings • Interruptions, some phone calls • Mail, some reports • Non-productive meetings • Many popular activities • Trivia, busy work • Time wasters • Some mail, phone calls • Many pleasant activities

Habit 4: Think Win - Win • Developing relationships of mutual benefit • Having an abundance mentality • Clarifies desired results, guidelines, accountability, and consequences 4 Inter personal

Habit 4: Think Win - Win The habit of interpersonal leadership It begins with an Abundance Mentality Begins by looking at ALL the options until you reach consensus or no deal at all

Habit 5: Seek First To Understand Before You’re Understood • Open and honest communication • the essence of professionalism • developing a diagnosis before giving a prescription Inter personal 5

Habit 5: Seek First To Understand Before You’re Understood • We see life not as it is but as we are… • Our perceptions come from our experiences both good and bad

Habit 5: Seek First To Understand Before You’re Understood Empathic listening is deeply therapeutic because it gives people “psychological air. ” Once people are understood, they lower their defenses.

Habit 6: Synergize • Creative cooperation • Teamwork • Valuing differences • Mutual respect • Consensus building Inter personal • Ability to explore the best possible alternative • Human resource approach 6

Habit 6: Synergize Good idea 1+1=3 Collaborative problem solving

The final habit…Habit 7 Sharpen the saw • Self-renewal under girds basis for all successful people • Success has two sides • Production Capability • Production of desired results

The final habit…Habit 7 Sharpen the saw • Important to keep balance • The harder I work the behinder I get • When we get so busy producing / working, we rarely look at maintenance

The final habit…Habit 7 Sharpen the saw • Having a balanced, systematic program for self renewal • Physical • Spiritual • Mental • Social / emotional

Without balance and self renewal The body becomes weak The mind mechanical The emotions raw The spirit insensitive The person selfish

The Law of the Harvest It’s the law of the harvest; we reap as we sow. We will enjoy a successful harvest if we cultivate these Seven Habits of effectiveness and live in accordance with the underlying principles.

The Seven Habits Profile Self-scoring seven habits profile Instructions: Read each statement and, using your best judgment, circle the number that indicates how well you perform in the following areas: Very Poor example: 1 Poor 2 Fair Good Very Good 3 4 5 I display belief in the potential of others. Outstanding 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Category 1 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 1. I show kindness and consideration toward others. 1 2 3 4 5 6 2. I keep promises and honor commitments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 3. I do not speak negatively of others when they are not present. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Category 2 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 4. I am able to maintain an appropriate balance among the various aspects of my life - work, family, friends, and so forth. 5. When working on a task, I also keep in mind the concerns and needs of those I am working for. 1 2 3 4 5 6 6. I work hard at the things I do, but 1 not in a manner that causes burnout.

Category 3 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 7. I am in control of my life. 8. I focus my efforts on the things I can do something about rather than on the things beyond my control. 9. I take responsibility for my moods and actions rather than blame others and circumstances. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Category 4 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 10. I know what I want to accomplish in life. 11. I organize and prepare in a way that reduces having to work in a crisis mode. 12. I begin each week with a clear plan of what I desire to accomplish. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Category 5 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 13. I am disciplined in carrying out plans (avoiding procrastination, time wasters, and so forth). 1 2 3 4 5 6 14. I do not allow the truly unimportant activities of my life to get lost in the busy activity of my day. 1 2 3 4 5 6 15. The things I do every day are meaningful and contribute to my overall goals in life.

Category 6 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 16. I am sensitive about the success of others as well as my own. 1 2 3 4 5 6 17. I cooperate with others. 1 2 3 4 5 6 18. When solving conflicts, I strive to find the solutions that benefit all.

Category 7 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 19. I am sensitive to the feelings of others as well as my own. 20. I seek to understand the viewpoints of others. 21. When listening, I try to see things from the other person’s point of view, not just my own. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Category 8 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 22. I value and seek out the insights of others. 23. I am creative in searching for new and better ideas and solutions. 24. I encourage others to express their opinions. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Category 9 Very Poor…………. Outstanding 25. I care for my physical health and well-being. 26. I strive to build and improve relationships with others. 27. I take time to find meaning and enjoyment in life. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Charting your Seven Habits Effectiveness Total your points for each category in the Category Totals column. There are nine categories: the first two are the foundational principles for the Seven Habits, and the last seven are the Seven Habits. After you have completed your category totals, mark each score in the grid below and graph your totals. The higher your score, the more closely you are aligned with the Seven Habits principles. Where your score is lower than you would like, refer to the corresponding chapters (or modules) in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People book (or video program) to better understand how to increase your effectiveness in those habits.

The Seven Habits Profile _____ Category 1: Private victory _____ Category 2: Public victory _____ Category 3: Be Proactive _____ Category 4: Keep the end in mind _____ Category 5: Put first things first _____ Category 6: Think win – win _____ Category 7: Seek first to understand _____ Category 8: Synergize _____ Category 9: Sharpen the saw