Police culture says it values integrity. But far too often, values-based leaders who are innovative, ethical, community-minded and who challenge the status quo find themselves stuck on the career ladder and quietly sidelined. Promotions stall and opportunities disappear. If we’re serious about reform, accountability and preparing for the next generation of police leaders in the second quarter of the 21st century, we have to confront an uncomfortable truth: many of our most capable leaders aren’t rising. Not because they lack talent, but because they don’t conform.
This article explores why that happens and how these leaders can break cultural barriers and still succeed in police promotion systems without compromising who they are.
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Why many great leaders fail to rise in law enforcement
While leadership development programs often focus on skills, credentials and tenure, they frequently overlook the subtle but powerful cultural forces that determine who gets seen, supported and selected. In policing, the most capable leaders don’t always rise — not because they lack merit, but because they challenge internal norms, threaten comfort zones, or simply come from outside the dominant circles of influence.
The following six barriers illustrate how institutional politics, conformity, cultural bias and organizational insecurity often implicitly — and even sometimes explicitly — conspire to hold back values-driven leaders.
1. Politics over principle
Police departments tend to be deeply hierarchical and political. Climbing the commissioned ranks often has less to do with merit and more to do with alliances. Leaders who put mission over maneuvering can be seen as politically naïve and get passed over for their colleagues who play the game more effectively. [1]
2. When humility hurts
As a profession, we say we value humility. But in reality, it is visibility that matters. Officers from dominant groups who promote themselves are often praised as confident. But when outsiders or reformers do the same, it can be seen as arrogance. [2] Many values-based leaders remain in the shadows simply because they believe the work should speak for itself.
3. Threats to the status quo
Bold leadership can also make insecure superiors uncomfortable, fearing that the emergence of strong talent beneath them will undermine their authority or expose their limitations. Values-based leaders with fresh ideas, community support and/or charisma may be perceived as threats in agencies that prize loyalty and the status quo over innovation. [3] The result? Silence, stalled careers and missed opportunities.
4. Conformity and cultural bias
Tradition is a double-edged sword. While it provides structure, it can also resist change. Reformers are often seen as disruptive, even when their values and ideas serve the agency’s future. [4] Bias also shapes who we see as “ready” to be promoted. For example, assertiveness in a man may be praised, while in a woman, an outsider, or a person of color, it may be penalized. [5] This creates a painful paradox: the very traits needed to modernize policing — creativity, diversity, moral courage and empathy — can often be the traits that push these leaders out of promotional pipelines.
5. In-groups and loyalty networks
In many departments, success also depends on in-group and tribal affiliation. Internal promotions often flow through informal networks: academy classmates, union allies, and past collaborators, [6] and outside promotions are extremely rare. Even when departments look outside their own ranks for a transformative executive leader, many of the recruiters hired to conduct “national searches” frequently look to their own in-groups to fill these positions, resulting in the same group of chiefs being recycled from department to department. Leaders without deep roots in the existing “system,” or who have politically risky affiliations outside the existing “system,” frequently find it difficult to enter or expand the in-group in these networks and are frequently kept outside.
6. The turnover trap
Leadership transitions often result in the erasure of prior progress. New chiefs frequently reshuffle personnel and reverse succession plans of their predecessors to consolidate their base — not always based on merit, but frequently based on perceived loyalties. [7] This kind of organizational fragility creates what some call the “turnover trap.” Over time, this type of churn will undermine organizational continuity, destroy morale and foster a culture of political self-preservation over organizational excellence, where officers learn that demonstrating loyalty is rewarded more reliably than values-based leadership practices. [7]
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Seven strategies for rising with integrity
Despite these obstacles, visionary, innovative and values-based police leaders can indeed rise if they adopt strategic approaches that align influence with integrity. The path forward does not require compromise, but it does demand skill, reflection, patience, and courage.
1. Play the long game: Ethical political savvy
Instead of rejecting internal politics outright, values-driven leaders must reframe political engagement as mission advocacy. Political skill does not mean manipulation — it means reading the environment, forming alliances with key decision-makers and building support for reform without abandoning one’s values. [8] For example, a commander seeking to modernize use-of-force training could frame this needed reform as a new risk management strategy and gain traction without triggering defensiveness by senior leadership.
2. Make visibility about outcomes
Rather than promoting themselves, values-driven leaders could promote outcomes such as highlighting how procedural justice, de-escalation, or community engagement has improved public safety, officer morale and community satisfaction. Sharing stories of team success, lessons learned, or policy wins allows these leaders to build visibility while maintaining humility. [9] For example, a sergeant overseeing a successful youth diversion program could share data showing a 40% drop in juvenile arrests, crediting the team and posting lessons learned to other units. This visibility rooted in results builds trust with senior leadership and spreads impact across the agency. [9]
3. Build external sponsorship
Leadership growth requires champions, especially those who share a commitment to ethics, innovation and community impact. Values-driven leaders could seek sponsorship not only from within their agencies but also from external stakeholders — police commissioners, civic leaders, nonprofit partners, or national associations. [7] For example, a lieutenant could partner with a university, speak at a national symposium, and secure a grant for community policing for their agency. This accomplishment could shift internal perceptions by leveraging this external validation to open new doors and new opportunities. [7]
4. Use emotional intelligence
Change doesn’t require rebellion. Emotionally intelligent leaders can surface hard truths while maintaining trust and collegiality. This means playing the long game, always putting the mission itself at the forefront of decisions, choosing the right timing to speak up, framing critique as care, and remaining calm under pressure. [10] For example, a captain inheriting a resistant patrol division could listen first, build rapport, and then use soft influence to implement accountability tools — turning quiet leadership skills like timing, empathy and trust into lasting progress. [10]
5. Champion cultural evolution, not rejection
Effective reformers in policing celebrate the noble ideals of service, duty and protection while updating the practices that no longer serve the public or rank-and-file officers. Leaders who can respect existing tradition while also guiding its evolution are more likely to succeed than those who reject the culture outright. [11] For example, a new deputy chief could honor traditions while subtly shifting expectations by retaining core ceremonies and introducing values-based and meritorious promotion criteria. In this manner, reform becomes an extension of the department’s identity, not a rejection of it. [11]
6. Create a personal ethics circle
Rising with integrity requires staying grounded. Leaders could surround themselves with trusted advisors — mentors, peers, chaplains, or coaches — who can reflect back both the leader’s strengths and blind spots. [12] This “personal board of directors” can help guard the leader against cynicism, burnout and ethical drift. For example, an assistant chief preparing for a controversial policy rollout could seek input from a retired chief, a community leader, and a group of trusted peers. Their guidance could help sharpen the leader’s message and strengthen their moral clarity when under pressure.
7. Stay loyal to the mission — not the tribe
Overcoming loyalty-driven stagnation requires a cultural shift from tribal loyalty to mission loyalty. While this change must be driven from the top, values-based leaders — especially those promoted under a prior administration — can take deliberate steps to insulate themselves from arbitrary political reshuffling by anchoring their value in the mission, not a person. For example, a division commander could reframe their role in support of the agency’s evolving goals, bridge relationships with the new command staff, and realign communication around shared values, earning trust — not suspicion. Practically, this might involve shifting language from statements like “under the last chief, we...” to “as part of our continuing effort to...” or “in order to support the new chief’s direction,” etc.
📌 Cick for action items for values-based police leaders
- 🎯 Frame goals in ways that align with your agency’s mission or operational priorities.
- 📊 Track and share outcomes — not just ideas — to build trust with leadership.
- 🤝 Build alliances inside and outside your agency to gain sponsorship and visibility.
- 🧭 Stay grounded with a personal ethics circle to avoid burnout and stay mission-aligned.
- 🔄 Reframe your role with new leadership as mission-focused, not personality-driven.
- 🏛️ Honor tradition while guiding cultural evolution toward values-based practices.
Conclusion: The future depends on who we choose to promote
Many leaders that policing actually needs never rise. Not because they lack ability, but because our systems still reward the familiar over the future. That has to change.
By reframing political skill as ethical advocacy, building sponsor networks, staying sufficiently visible in a non-threatening way and for the right reasons, and rooting themselves in values — not personalities — values-based leaders can break through. Departments that truly seek reform must do more than admire these leaders in theory — they must promote them in practice.
Calls for reform and advancement of the policing profession ring hollow if we keep choosing familiarity and the same cultural fit over and over. If policing is to meet current challenges as we move into the second quarter of the 21st century, we must stop recycling the past and start investing in the future. This begins by widening the tent and by identifying and elevating those who are ready to lead it.
References
- Gentry WA, Cullen KL, Altman DG. The Irony of Integrity. Center for Creative Leadership; 2016.
- Ibarra H, Obodaru O. Women and the vision thing. Harv Bus Rev. 2009;87(1):62-70.
- Hogan R, Kaiser RB. What we know about leadership. Rev Gen Psychol. 2005;9(2):169-180.
- Manning PK. The Technology of Policing. NYU Press; 2008.
- Eagly AH, Carli LL. Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders. Harvard Business Review Press; 2007.
- Chrobot-Mason D, Ruderman M, Nishii LH. Leadership in a diverse workplace. In: Roberson Q, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work. Oxford University Press; 2013:149-170.
- Walker S, Archbold CA. The New World of Police Accountability. 3rd ed. Sage; 2018.
- Ferris GR, Treadway DC, Perrewé PL, Brouer RL, Douglas C, Lux S. Political skill in organizations. J Manag. 2007;33(3):290-320.
- Skogan WG. Asymmetry in the impact of encounters with police. Policing Soc. 2006;16(2):99-126.
- Goleman D, Boyatzis R, McKee A. Primal Leadership. Harvard Business Review Press; 2013.
- Schein EH, Schein PA. Organizational Culture and Leadership. 5th ed. Wiley; 2016.
- George B, Sims P, McLean AN, Mayer D. Discovering your authentic leadership. Harv Bus Rev. 2007;85(2):129-138.
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