Are You a Glory Hog?

March 19, 2009

By being a glory hog, we mean are you one of these people who like to take the credit for things you did not do or ideas you did not have? Or will you make sure others know who really did the deed or came up with the idea, as in share the limelight? This is a trait that many people seem to have difficulty with particularly if they are competitive. While being competitive as a cop isn’t always a bad thing, there is a line you probably do not want to cross here.

If you are praised for something you did not do and immediately point that fact out, you have something the examiners highly value, and you need to be proud of yourself. This kind of behaviour goes directly, once again, to your ethics, reliability, honesty and integrity. Imagine what taking that credit will mean to others if they find out later that you did NOT do what you implied you did. Now who has egg on their face?

Above all else, a cop has to be honest to the core. His or her integrity has to be a deep ingrained thing that is second nature, like breathing. Your reliability has to be totally rock solid and you have to be who you say you are. You have to do what you say you will do. If you tend to want all the attention and the limelight even if it’s not deserved, think twice about becoming a police officer. There is no room for loners. Cops need to be team players.

This brings us to the one other trait a cop needs – the ability to be a member of a team. This ability also includes following and accepting orders, and the leadership of others, despite how you may feel about them. It also means working with those who either have more or less experience than you do and doing it willingly. If you have hang ups about their experience, race, creed, color, religious or sexual orientation, then you certainly have a major problem that needs to be addressed before attempting to become a police officer.