Disciplining as an Officer
The articles, pages 179-184 in Company Officer and Counseling: Listen, Don't Judge by Richard Marinucci, are both very informative on techniques when it comes to disciplining. I believe that disciplining through counseling is very effective after having read the articles. I have not really heard of discipline through counseling before. Although I have not heard of it I have been a part of it as well as witnessed it personally. Reading these articles was great insight into that. In doing so you have to be very careful as an officer and also come to the understanding that every individual is going to be significantly different due to personalities, relationships, etc..
When using counseling as a method of disciplining as an officer remember to always remain supportive of a member when they come to you in confidence over an issue. Some key things brought up were to keep it just between you and the member if at all possible as breaking this trust barrier could be extremely detrimental as well as not saying too much or too little. Too little could make the member feel as though you are not being a good active listener and too much could cause you to say something you shouldn’t have to the member when all they needed you to do was listen. A happy medium has to be found. Always remember to listen first and then respond. As an officer it is also important to understand what the department expects from individuals and whether or not you feel the individual affected has the focus and ability to perform at this level even though they are experiencing turbulation.
In totality I believe that this message is extremely accurate and needs to be recognized by officers. There are so many things that could go wrong when you are confronted in confidence by and individual and better preparing yourself to handle these types of situations would be extremely beneficial. In the end it will make you a better officer as well as a confidant.
