Elevate Your Call To Service

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 Okla...

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 wh...

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...

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 auto...

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...

Are you leading your team—or just staying busy? Most leaders don’t fail because of lack of effort. They fail because they stay in the weeds and lose focus on what actually drives results. In this episode of the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast, we break down the leadership trap of busyness vs effectiveness and what it really means to lead at higher levels. At some point in every leadership car...

Law enforcement is inherently complex—but confusion doesn’t have to be. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we break down what operational clarity really means for today’s law enforcement leaders—and why the absence of it is often the root cause behind hesitation, frustration, and misalignment within teams. Many leaders assume issues come down to effort, attitude, or capability. But m...

In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we break down a powerful leadership concept that transforms how law enforcement organizations operate: the relationship between police leadership and teamwork. Drawing from real-world experience, we explore how high-performing agencies don’t rely on one unit or one leader to carry the load. Instead, they operate through a dynamic model where teams c...

At a recent leaders conference, one leadership theme surfaced again and again in conversations with sheriffs and command staff from across the country. Leaders often see problems developing in their organizations long before they become serious incidents. A deputy who pushes the edge while driving. An employee whose comments cross the line. A pattern of behavior that everyone notices but no one ad...

Welcome to the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast! 

How Leaders Shape Culture: Why Modeling Matters More Than Words Culture doesn’t change because of a memo. It changes because of what leaders consistently model. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we move beyond personal leadership and turn the lens outward—examining how individual discipline, consistency, and behavior shape the culture of an entire organization. Through real-world la...

How Leaders Shape Culture: Why Modeling Matters More Than Words Culture doesn’t change because of a memo. It changes because of what leaders consistently model. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we move beyond personal leadership and turn the lens outward—examining how individual discipline, consistency, and behavior shape the culture of an entire organization. Through real-world la...

In today’s climate of heightened scrutiny and internal pressure, leadership credibility starts long before public decisions are made. It begins with personal leadership. In this episode, we explore how command-level officers—lieutenants, captains, commanders, chiefs, and sheriffs—shape organizational culture through the way they lead themselves. From emotional discipline and accountability to serv...

In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we pause to reflect on the kind of leadership that truly lasts. Leadership isn’t defined only by rank, results, or recognition—it’s revealed over time through patterns, consistency, and the way leaders invest in people. In this episode, Mike and Cathy explore what it means to take the long view of leadership and why everyday interactions often shape...

Effective communication can elevate a leader—or quietly sabotage their influence. In this episode of The Elevate Podcast, Mike and Cathy reveal the five communication mistakes that cripple leadership impact in law enforcement and public service. If your briefings go long, your messages get lost, or your team seems disengaged, the problem may not be motivation—it may be communication. Drawing from...

Wellness & Resilience — Building Stronger Officers, Leaders, and Teams Wellness and resilience are no longer “nice to have” in law enforcement—they are essential to protecting lives, families, and careers. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we’re joined by Buddy Johnson and Vinny Greany, instructors in the FBI National Academy Associates Wellness and Resilience curriculum, for an...

In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we explore what it truly means to lead through service—not rank, titles, or authority. Service-driven leadership is more than a style; it’s a mindset rooted in humility, purpose, and people-first conviction. And for many leaders, that mindset begins long before they ever step into public safety. Mike shares a pivotal story from when he found himself...

In this heartfelt episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy get personal after a family scare—a jolting call about a car accident that reminds them of how quickly life can change. From that moment of fear and gratitude, they pivot into a deeper conversation on spiritual wellness and faith as essential elements of resilience in law enforcement and first responder life. Mike shares key...

What does a shattered Tahoe window and leadership have in common? Both reveal when yesterday’s habits become today’s anchors—and what we have to unlearn. Using a simple parking-lot mishap as a metaphor, Mike and Cathy explore: Unlearning: When a once-useful habit becomes an anchor—and how to let it go. Curiosity over certainty: Why considering “What am I missing?” builds safer, smarter teams. Comm...

In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we unpack how leadership isolation quietly takes hold in law enforcement—and how it starts to cost your team, your agency, and your family. Mike and Cathy distinguish healthy solitude from destructive isolation, explore why good leaders drift into it (time pressure, insecurity, ego, “I’ll just do it myself”), and share a candid story of listening, a...

In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we tackle a costly leadership problem in policing: quiet infighting among leaders that fractures collaboration, slows operations, and erodes public trust.  Drawing from real command‑staff experiences, they unpack how “my division” thinking, surprise decisions, and ego-driven identities turn internal partners into competitors—and what it takes to reb...

Are you tired of setting goals every January—only to watch them fade away as the year gets busy? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast, co-hosts Mike and Cathy McIntosh reveal the hidden flaws behind traditional goal setting in law enforcement and police leadership. Discover why waiting until January to set your goals can actually set you up to fail—and what...

What kind of legacy are you building as a law enforcement leader? In this candid episode, Mike—a 40-year law enforcement veteran—and Cathy—a 40-year law enforcement spouse—explore the real impact of leadership legacy in policing, both at work and at home. Building on last episode’s heartfelt conversation with Mike’s father, they reflect on how leadership habits, values, and even mistakes are passe...

In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, host Mike McIntosh welcomes his father, veteran superintendent John McIntosh, for a powerful conversation on generational leadership in law enforcement and public service. Hear real stories about overcoming adversity, the impact of mentors, and the critical role of trust and recognition in building strong teams. Discover practical leadership advice...

Unlock the power of proactive leadership in law enforcement.  Join us as we sit down with Dr. Abigail Tucker, a board-certified police and public safety psychologist and co-founder of the Heroes Active Bystander program. In this essential conversation, Dr. Tucker reveals why active bystander skills are critical for law enforcement leaders who want to prevent misconduct, reduce costly mistakes, and...