Mindful police leadership: Opening essential new pathways to 21st-century police leadership and culture

Senior police officers who meditate regularly report that the practice improves their leadership. Interviews and focus groups with 11 commissioned officers from a large Canadian police service identified eight themes: enhanced calmness and self-control, better clarity and decision making, improved focus and efficiency, enhanced presence with others, improved conflict resolution, greater compassion and empathy, reduced harmful stress, and enhanced resilience and work/life integration. The authors argue that these findings extend research on mindful leadership from other professions into policing and suggest meditation may support 21st-century police leadership and culture.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Canadian police managers are facing a series of daunting new challenges that will require significant personal resources to address. Growing research suggests mindfulness training, meditation, and other related contemplative practices appear to benefit leaders in other professions; however, little is known about how these practices may, or may not, be helpful for police leaders. This article contributes to this understanding by sharing results from an exploratory qualitative study that asked senior police leaders who self-identified as regular meditators to discuss how their practices might influence their leadership. Guided by a reflective thematic analysis approach and utilizing NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software, data from semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 11 Commissioned Officers from a large Canadian police service were analyzed for themes. Broadly organized by influence on job performance, relationships, and well-being, eight distinct themes were developed: enhanced calmness and self-control; better clarity and decision making; improved focus and efficiency; enhanced presence with others; improved conflict resolution practices; greater compassion and empathy; reduced harmful stress; and enhanced resilience and work/life integration. These results begin to extend the literature on mindful leadership from other workplace contexts into the realm of police leadership and suggest that meditation and mindfulness are beneficial practices that may open new and essential pathways towards 21st century police leadership and culture.