Let me start this post with a disclaimer of sorts: I’ll be the first to admit that have an opinion on just about everything. And even though I’ve been in Arkansas for a year now, I still keep tabs on what’s going on in the Dallas area — particularly since I spent so many years in D/FW and still have many friends and colleagues there.
All that said, there are lessons we can learn from reading and watching the news. I admittedly try to limit my consumption of it, since it is clinically proven as bad for our health. Still, the events of the past nine days have been eye-opening to me — and I’ve been reminded of some tough lessons in leadership that are perhaps worth sharing.
For those of you unfamiliar with the big story from the D/FW metroplex, on Father’s Day (June 20) the adult son of the brand-spanking new Dallas Police Chief, David Brown, Sr. (in that position for about two months) killed Lancaster police Officer Craig Shaw as Shaw responded to the call of a shooting at an apartment complex. (Click here to read the original story from WFAA). According to the report, “the Lancaster officer — a five-year veteran of the force and the father of two children — was answering a ‘shooting in progress’ call around 6 p.m. when there was an exchange of gunfire.”
A 37-year-old five-year officer — a husband and father of two children — was killed on Father’s Day by the son of the new Dallas Police Chief.
OK, so it’s a bad situation already. A tragic loss of life for a family. The only officer killed in the line of duty in the history of the Lancaster department. And a pretty rough start, I’d say, for the new head of DPD, who must deal with not only the loss of an area officer who was killed by his son – but also with the loss of the son himself — also killed in the incident.
Fast forward to Sunday, June 27, after a full week of a news dominated by coverage of the incident, the aftermath, and the preparations for the funeral of a police officer.
Just when you think a situation couldn’t get any worse . . . well, it does. Continue Reading…
