A Distinguished Achievers Breakfast at APCO 2018 on Tuesday included recognition of individuals who earned certifications as well as agencies and PSAPs that earned accreditations. It was bookended with a talk by the CEO of FirstNet and one by an organizational expert about exerting leadership to be successful with a team.

FirstNet CEO Michael Poth is a former Arizona police captiain and SWAT team member. He noted that FirstNet was spurred on by the September 11 terror attacks but those events happened before the first iPhone had been sold.

With FirstNet becoming a reality, it must deal with streaming video, aerial views of an emergency scenes, tracking vehicles and responders, getting directions and GPS locations and sending pictures to the field.

“We are creating a new communications platform that will serve you today and tomorrow, we are innovating for public safety and bringing new technologies to you,” Poth said. “All you have to do is just take one lap around the exhibit hall and see all of the devices and gadgets that are being made just for you.”

CEO Derek Poarch was joined on the stage by the APCO International executive committee who recognized the 2017-2018 Registered Public-Safety Leader Program graduates and Certified Public-Safety Executive Program graduates.

After breakfast, recognition continued for agencies that earned the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children next honored representatives of 9-1-1 centers that demonstrated a commitment to protecting children by incorporating best practices into its policies and training.

After recognizing the agencies and 9-1-1 centers, Angel Arocho, Executive Director of Cable Compliance for Comcast, took the stage to offer advice on the steps that APCO members could take to progress with their careers and to introduce the keynote speaker.

“Do your part to ensure the continued growth, development and success of your teams.  Challenge your employees to pursue an individual APCO professional certification and push your teams to work together in order to obtain an agency certification,” Cortes said. “Create an environment where your team can learn and grow through mentoring and coaching.”

Arocha then introduced the keynote speaker who suggested concrete ideas for how to create that sort of work environment.

Gary Heil, a renowned expert in leadership, management and organizational culture, told APCO members that he came down on the side of a few management principals. One is that environment makes a big difference to the way people act. He cited research that found that expectations matter and that treating people well results in stronger performance. It’s one of the reasons that Heil recommends that leaders lead with love rather than competence.

“Leaders who lead with warmth and build with connection first are many, many times more successful than leaders who lead with competence,” Heil said.

Heil said the flip side of this observation is that fear harms performance and hinders the ability to change. He said that the ability to change with the times and find innovative solutions to problems are among the most powerful drivers of success. Dedication to a job is also one of the elements of the success equation. Public safety telecommunicators professionals help keep people safe, Heil noted, so they are well placed to succeed.

“We have the beauty in your business of having one of the most compelling causes anybody could when they go to work,” Heil said.