Elevate Your Call To Service

Michael McIntosh
  • 4.6 (10)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Elevate Your Call to Service is a leadership podcast for law enforcement professionals who want to lead with greater clarity, readiness, and purpose. Hosted by Michael McIntosh, a career law enforcement leader with decades of experience, and Cathy McIntosh, a longtime law enforcement wife and business leader, this podcast brings together field-tested leadership experience and the human side of service. Each episode explores the real challenges facing today’s law enforcement leaders, including leadership readiness, communication, trust, mentorship, culture, wellness, resilience, and service-driven leadership. Michael and Cathy help current and future leaders think beyond the title, prepare before promotion, and lead in a way that strengthens their teams, agencies, families, and communities. Whether you are preparing for your next leadership role, mentoring future leaders, or responsible for developing leadership within your agency, Elevate Your Call to Service will help you grow as a leader and stay connected to the purpose behind the work.

  1. Aug 11

    Police Culture Starts with First-Line Leaders

    What if the people with the greatest influence on your organization’s culture aren’t sitting at the executive table? In Part One of our conversation with leadership expert Karen Collins Rice, we explore the powerful role first-line leaders—especially sergeants and field training officers—play in shaping police culture. They are often the people teaching new employees what is valued, what is tolerated, and “how things are done around here,” whether that culture is being taught intentionally or not. Karen joins Mike and Cathy to discuss why leadership is never neutral, how small behaviors and everyday decisions shape organizational culture, and why trust, psychological safety, and belonging matter to both performance and retention. The conversation also takes a hard look at the stress organizations can unintentionally create for their own people—and what leaders can actually control. If we want stronger cultures tomorrow, we have to intentionally equip the leaders who are shaping them today. In this episode: • Why FTOs and sergeants are the front door to organizational culture • The influence of everyday leadership behaviors • Why psychological safety is essential to resilience and learning • The connection between belonging, trust, and retention • How internal organizational experiences affect employees • Why leadership is never neutral This is Part One of our two-part conversation with Karen. In Part Two, we’ll explore emotional intelligence and the role it plays in developing adaptable leaders and healthier organizations. View our show notes at https://leleaders.com/elevate/police-culture-first-line-leaders

  2. Jul 28

    How To Build Trust As A Leader And Strengthen Your Team

    How to Build Trust as a Leader and Strengthen Your Team | Featuring Matt Davis of True Bold Leadership Trust isn't built by a title—it’s earned through consistent leadership. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh welcome Matt Davis, founder of True Bold Leadership, to discuss why trust is the foundation of every high-performing team. Drawing from his experience as a law enforcement lieutenant and leadership coach, Matt shares practical strategies leaders can use to build trust, strengthen communication, and create organizational cultures where people genuinely want to contribute. Together, they explore how leaders earn credibility, why communication often determines the health of an organization, and how self-awareness shapes the way teams experience leadership. Matt also introduces his BELIEVE Leadership Framework and offers practical questions every leader should ask to better understand and serve the people they lead. Whether you're leading a public safety agency, supervising a team, or preparing for your next leadership role, this conversation offers practical insights you can begin applying immediately. In This Episode Why trust is the foundation of effective leadership The four pillars of trust every leader should understand How communication shapes organizational culture Why leaders must first learn to lead themselves Matt Davis' BELIEVE Leadership Framework Practical questions that build stronger relationships with your team How intentional leadership creates healthier organizations About Our Guest Matt Davis is a law enforcement lieutenant, leadership speaker, and founder of True Bold Leadership. Through his BELIEVE Leadership Framework, he equips leaders to build trust, improve communication, and create cultures where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to perform at their best. Connect with Elevate Your Call to Service Leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about continually growing into the leader your team deserves. Subscribe to Elevate Your Call to Service for practical conversations on leadership, mentorship, culture, wellness, resilience, and preparing leaders before promotion. Because leadership shouldn't be left to chance. View our shownotes at https://leleaders.com/elevate/build-trust-as-a-leader-strengthen-your-team

  3. Jul 14

    Signs You're Not Ready for Promotion: What Leaders Need to Learn Before The Next Level

    Being successful in your current role doesn't automatically mean you're ready for promotion. Leadership readiness requires understanding how your responsibilities, decisions, and leadership expectations will change at the next level. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh discuss the signs a leader may not be ready for promotion yet—and what aspiring leaders can do now to prepare for the next level of leadership. Drawing from Mike's decades of law enforcement leadership and experience with promotional processes, assessment centers, and hiring decisions, they explore why strong performers sometimes struggle through promotional processes and even after promotion. The problem often isn't a lack of experience. It's continuing to think and operate at the level of the position they just left. You'll hear how to recognize gaps in promotion readiness, why aspiring leaders should study the role they're pursuing, and how feedback, delegation, decision-making, and a broader organizational perspective reveal whether someone is prepared for greater responsibility. In this episode: Why success in your current role doesn't automatically mean you're ready for promotion How leadership expectations change at each new level The warning signs that reveal gaps in leadership readiness If you're preparing for a law enforcement promotional process, pursuing your next leadership role, or are responsible for developing future leaders, this conversation will challenge you to look beyond past performance and start preparing for the responsibilities ahead. Leadership readiness starts before the promotion. View our shownotes at https://leleaders.com/elevate/signs-not-ready-for-promotion

  4. Jun 30

    Leadership Lessons That Shaped a Police Chief

    LLeadership isn't built in a single moment—it's shaped through years of service, challenges, mistakes, and the willingness to keep learning. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh sit down with Retired Police Chief Leon P. Jones to discuss the leadership lessons that defined his career. From beginning as a young police officer to serving as Chief of Police at Oklahoma State University, Leon shares the experiences that taught him the importance of character, trust, humility, and developing others. Together, they explore why great leaders don't keep their knowledge to themselves, how mistakes can become defining moments of growth, and why preparing the next generation of leaders is one of the greatest responsibilities of leadership. Whether you're an aspiring supervisor, an experienced executive, or someone committed to serving others well, this conversation offers timeless leadership principles that extend far beyond law enforcement. In This Episode Leadership lessons that shape great leaders Leading with character and humility Building trust and developing others Listen. Learn. Lead. View our show notes at https://www.leleaders.com/elevate/leadership-lessons-police-chief

  5. Jun 16

    How To Create Consistent Leadership Standards Across Every Rank

    Leadership standards shouldn't change based on rank, assignment, or personality—but in many organizations, they do. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh explore how consistent leadership standards create stronger organizational culture, improve trust, and develop future leaders across every rank. Why do employees have vastly different experiences depending on who supervises them? What's the difference between leadership standards and organizational policy? And how can executives, commanders, supervisors, and future leaders create alignment throughout an organization? Mike shares lessons from nearly four decades in law enforcement leadership and explains why organizations often struggle with consistency—not because they lack values, but because they lack alignment. In this conversation, you'll learn: • What leadership standards are and why they matter • The difference between leadership standards and organizational policy • Why inconsistent leadership creates confusion and weakens culture • How accountability reinforces organizational expectations • The role mentorship plays in leadership development • How leaders create alignment across ranks and divisions • What executives can do to strengthen leadership consistency • Practical steps to build a stronger leadership culture Whether you serve as a first-line supervisor, commander, executive leader, or aspiring leader, this episode will help you create clearer expectations, stronger trust, and a more consistent leadership experience throughout your organization. Because leadership style may vary. Leadership standards cannot. View our show notes at https://www.leleaders.com/elevate/leadership-standards-across-ranks

  6. Jun 2

    How Great Leaders Build Resilience and Confidence Before Promotion

    How Great Leaders Build Resilience and Confidence Before Promotion Confidence and resilience are not leadership traits that magically appear after promotion. Yet many organizations promote people into leadership positions and hope future leaders will figure it out once the pressure arrives. In this episode of the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast, Michael and Cathy McIntosh explore how leaders can intentionally build resilience and confidence before promotion. They discuss why confidence is not personality or ego, why resilience is more than simply "toughing it out," and how mentorship helps future leaders process adversity before pressure begins defining their leadership. Michael shares practical insights from nearly four decades in law enforcement leadership, explaining why confidence is built through preparation and experience, how resilience grows through reflection and recovery, and why future leaders need opportunities to face controlled pressure before they are responsible for leading others through it. In This Episode What leadership confidence really is The difference between confidence and resilience Why pressure exposes preparation gaps How mentorship builds resilient leaders The role of organizational culture in leader development Practical ways to prepare future leaders before promotion Future leaders don't need less pressure. They need better preparation for pressure. View our show notes at https://www.leleaders.com/elevate/leadership-resilience-confidence-before-promotion

  7. May 26

    Why Mentoring Is Important in Leadership: Building Readiness Before Promotion

    In this episode of the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast, Michael and Cathy McIntosh unpack why mentoring is important in leadership and how structured leadership mentoring helps agencies prepare future leaders before promotion. Good leadership ideas matter. Training, books, conferences, and leadership development programs all play an important role. But leadership knowledge alone does not automatically prepare someone to lead when the pressure becomes real. That’s where leadership readiness comes in. Michael and Cathy explore the difference between leadership development and leadership readiness, why strong performers are not always prepared for the next role, and how mentoring leaders through real situations helps bridge the gap between theory and real-world leadership. This episode also breaks down why mentorship needs structure. Casual coffee conversations and career stories may build relationships, but structured mentorship helps future leaders practice judgment, communication, accountability, conflict management, and decision-making before the responsibility fully belongs to them. You’ll also hear: • Why Great Performers Aren’t Always Ready Leaders • The Gap Between Knowing and Leading • What Leadership Readiness Actually Means • The Promotion Process Reveals the Gap • How Leadership Mentoring Builds Readiness • Why Mentorship Needs Structure • Why Mid-Level Leaders Matter Most • Leadership Challenge: Start Mentoring With Purpose • Why Mentorship Protects Leadership Standards Whether you are an executive leader building a leadership pipeline, a supervisor mentoring future leaders, or an aspiring leader preparing for the next role, this conversation will help you think differently about leadership development, readiness, and mentorship. Key Topics Leadership mentoring Leadership readiness Mentoring leaders Leadership development Law enforcement leadership Police leadership Leadership growth Leadership pipeline development Structured mentorship Leadership preparation Succession planning First responder leadership Supervisor development Organizational culture Future leader development 👉 Schedule a leadership coaching conversation: www.leleaders.com View our show notes at https://leleaders.com/elevate//why-mentoring-is-important-in-leadership-readiness

  8. May 5

    The #1 Leadership Skill That Builds Unshakable Trust

    Most law enforcement leaders believe they’re listening to their teams—but what if your officers don’t feel heard? In this episode of the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast, we break down one of the most common and costly leadership blind spots in policing: the gap between listening and actually understanding what your team needs. If you’re in command staff, executive leadership, or preparing for your next promotion, this conversation will challenge how you approach communication, trust, and influence. Because in law enforcement leadership, intent doesn’t build trust—action does. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: Why officers stop speaking up to leadership The difference between hearing and effective leadership listening How unmet expectations create frustration, disengagement, and low morale The subtle signs your team doesn’t feel heard Practical ways to build trust through intentional communication Many agencies struggle with leadership development—not because they don’t care, but because urgent demands push it aside. The result? Leaders are often promoted based on availability, not readiness. This episode addresses that gap directly. If you want to lead a team that trusts you, communicates openly, and performs at a higher level—this is where it starts. Who This Episode Is For Police leaders, supervisors, and command staff Aspiring sergeants and lieutenants preparing for promotion Agencies committed to developing strong, mission-driven leaders Ready to Strengthen Your Leadership? If this episode resonates, it’s likely not just a communication issue—it’s a leadership development opportunity. We work with law enforcement leaders through 1:1 coaching and mentor-based leadership development to help you: Build trust with your team Lead with clarity and confidence Prepare for promotion with intention Develop leadership skills that actually translate in the field 👉 Schedule a leadership coaching conversation: www.leleaders.com View our show notes at https://leleaders.com/elevate/law-enforcement-leadership-listening-vs-being-heard

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Trailer

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About

Elevate Your Call to Service is a leadership podcast for law enforcement professionals who want to lead with greater clarity, readiness, and purpose. Hosted by Michael McIntosh, a career law enforcement leader with decades of experience, and Cathy McIntosh, a longtime law enforcement wife and business leader, this podcast brings together field-tested leadership experience and the human side of service. Each episode explores the real challenges facing today’s law enforcement leaders, including leadership readiness, communication, trust, mentorship, culture, wellness, resilience, and service-driven leadership. Michael and Cathy help current and future leaders think beyond the title, prepare before promotion, and lead in a way that strengthens their teams, agencies, families, and communities. Whether you are preparing for your next leadership role, mentoring future leaders, or responsible for developing leadership within your agency, Elevate Your Call to Service will help you grow as a leader and stay connected to the purpose behind the work.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael McIntosh
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Elevate Your Call To Service

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