When We Lead, We Grow
by Mike Wear, PCI #516T-B/EMSCI #059T-B
Metropolitan (DC) Police Department (Ret.)
IPMBA Education Director
A recurring question for public safety cycling programs has emerged. The question in simplest form is, “How do we keep our units growing?” My response is generally, “I wish I knew!” My sincere belief is we need leaders, teachers and advocates to stand with us and continue to spotlight the positive impact a bike unit provides.
Public safety is changing and the role of public safety cycling is changing, too. We must encourage growth and continue to bring new members to our units and teams. The insight from those newly entering public safety is invaluable; we all must learn what is recent, realistic and relevant to provide the best service possible. But how?
Leadership has been defined in many different ways, all relating to the ability of the one, a leader. As summarized by Johns Hopkins professor Marc De Simone: “The leader is the one who takes others to a place they would not have been able to go or achieved a goal they desired without the leader’s assistance and guidance.” Leaders don’t necessarily have to be high in rank within their organizations, but they do need to have influence and the opportunity to be heard.
To be a leader, we must earn the respect of those we manage, supervise and/or train; they are our followers. As members of IPMBA we serve as ambassadors and/or instructors of public safety cycling, which presents us with a platform from which to broadcast our unit needs and desires to grow. We are not out win a war on administration, but stand united in our passion to serve the public the best we can.
The role of an instructor is more than just standing up in front of a classroom and delivering a PowerPoint presentation. We must reach our audience, presenting the material with relevant examples and methods of instruction that reach varying audiences. We must communicate with our younger and older members. Each group offers unique challenges, but our common goal is the desire to serve the public. We must deliver presentations with examples from recent local and global events. At a minimum, our introductions and “hooks” need to capture the interest of all audiences. We must capture the students’ attention and provide realistic goals for the both the individual cyclists and their organizational teams.
The instructor possesses the gift of knowledge, which they present to their students. The system empowers the instructor to utilize a respected platform and gain the trust of their followers.
Through this media, we motivate both new and seasoned members to use their teachings and roll out to the streets as highly motivated and dedicated to public safety service.
Our hope is that their excitement will be contagious and spread through the ranks of their agency. My experience has been that a successful unit will grow and gain attention based on the presentation of positive attitude and the unit’s production output. To develop the positive output, the units require both initial and continuous training.
The training process is cyclical, and each rotation provides the opportunity for the instructor to reach out to their students, providing new material and drawing the follower to new heights. Always provide material that is recent, relevant and realistic. Continuously strive to educate yourself and enhance the experience of those you teach.
Take your students to places they could not get without you. Impart your knowledge and experiences to develop their tactical and riding skills. Our ability to train students is the ability to lead them.
To make our units grow, we must become leaders!
Mike recently retired after nearly 30 years of service with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC. He was one of the first members of the MPD Mountain Bike Unit in 1992 and was on the first Civil Disturbance Squad on July 4, 1995. In 1997, he became the first city-wide mountain bike coordinator and training supervisor. He discovered IPMBA in 1998 and has been a dedicated member ever since. Employing his experience and knowledge into the professional cycle training offered by IPMBA enabled him to be certified as an Instructor in 2001 and an Instructor Trainer in 2008. He also teaches EVOC, MC, Segway, firearms, marksmanship, CIO, patrol rifle, and CDU. He serves as Education Director on the IPMBA Board. His motto is, “Ride Hard, Ride Safe, and Thanks for Coming Out!” He can be reached at sgtwear@msn.com.
(c) 2017 IPMBA. This article appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of IPMBA News.