Michael Marshall, VMI chief of police, recently completed the Professional Executive Leadership School and received the prestigious PELS Graduate Leadership Award.—Photo courtesy VMI Communications and Marketing.
Michael Marshall, VMI chief of police, recently completed the Professional Executive Leadership School, an intensive 3-week leadership education program spanning a period of 3 months. PELS is conducted by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police in cooperation with the University of Richmond and designed for law enforcement officers currently serving in executive-level positions in the Commonwealth. The objective of the program is to teach best practices in leadership, challenge participants to reflect upon their leadership competency, and examine ways of achieving both personal and professional growth.
Marshall, one of only 28 individuals who qualified to attend the highly selective program, was awarded the prestigious PELS Graduate Leadership Award at the graduation ceremony. The award recognizes one member of the class who has demonstrated a personal commitment to expand their own leadership abilities, exhibited a sincere desire to learn and improve themselves, best represented their organization and profession, and demonstrated a sincere desire to support and encourage others in the class. The winner is chosen by their peers in a blind ballot.
Lt. Nick Lion of the Alexandria Police Department, who also completed PELS, shared that Marshall embodied excellent leadership skills from the start of the program. “He took time to individually meet with classmates, both in the academic setting and during our social hours. His broad scope of knowledge, skills, and abilities brought context and perspective to many of the topics we covered in the class. He asked genuine questions and listened thoughtfully, and his principles are firmly grounded in the selfless values of duty and service. He was an easy choice for this significant award,” said Lion.
Marshall stated that while most good leadership skills are universal, there are skills particular to law enforcement. “I use the phrase, ‘clarity with power.’ In our profession, we don’t have a lot of leeway time during certain events, so when we are called on to make that split-second decision, we’re clear about it and understand ramifications that could occur. A good leader must be open-minded, able to accept constructive criticism, and understand the importance of teamwork.”
Marshall has been invited to return to PELS in February to teach budgeting for public personnel as an adjunct professor.
Editor's Note: Story originally published by Virginia Military Institute.
