PODCAST · education
Elevate Your Call To Service
by Michael McIntosh
Elevate Your Call to Service is a Law Enforcement podcast that provides tips, tools and resources to help law enforcement professionals become stronger leaders and succeed at work and in life. Over the last several years, we’ve lost a lot of good law enforcement leaders. While this brings opportunities to reshape the profession and operate better than we have in the past, there’s a problem.Many newer and incoming officers lack the role models and mentors they need to navigate the challenges of the job. And even worse, some of our current leaders lack the seasoned development to truly inspire and guide future generations.It’s time to take back our justice system and restore true leadership. That’s why we’ve assembled a team of leaders with a wide breadth of experience and sound leadership qualities to share their authentic, real-time insights.We want to be part of the solution and give upcoming leaders the support they need. Thank you for your commitment to law enforcement. We’re h
Episodes
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How to Build a Leadership Development System that Lasts
What if your agency could develop its next generation of leaders without starting over every time a promotional opportunity arises? In Episode 70 of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh introduce Integrity Leadership Development's Leadership Readiness Program—a practical approach...
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Championship Teams are Built on Trust: Leadership Lessons for High Performing Law Enforcement Teams
What makes a team worthy of trust? In this episode, Mike and Cathy McIntosh are joined by their son, Chris McIntosh, to explore what public-safety leaders can learn from high-performing sports teams about building trust. Together, they unpack why trust has to be earned through consistency,...
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Leadership Shouldn’t Be Left to Chance: Preparing Law Enforcement Leaders Before Promotion
What happens when a promotional opportunity opens—and you realize you haven’t prepared enough people to step into leadership? A good employee does not automatically become a prepared supervisor. Yet too often, leadership development begins only after someone applies for promotion—or after they’ve...
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Beyond words on a wall: How leaders give work meaning
Your mission and vision shouldn’t be just words on a wall. They should help people understand why their work matters and what they’re helping build. In this episode of *Elevate Your Call to Service*, Mike and Cathy McIntosh explore how leaders turn mission and vision into something employees can...
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Leadership, Empathy & Accountability: The Connection That Builds Trust
What does emotional intelligence actually look like in leadership—and can you lead with empathy without sacrificing accountability? In Part 2 of our conversation with Karen Collins Rice, co-founder of Heroes Active Bystandership Training and architect of Trust-Centered Leadership, we explore why...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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...
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You're Not Leading, You're Just Busy: The Trap Killing Your Law Enforcement Impact
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...
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Operational Clarity for Law Enforcement Leaders
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...
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Police Leadership and Teamwork: How Strong Teams Drive Organizational Success
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…
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The Leadership Intervention Gap: What Sheriffs Across the Country Are Struggling With Right Now
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…
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Elevate Your Call To Service Trailer
Welcome to the Elevate Your Call to Service Podcast!
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Law Enforcement Leadership: Rebuilding Organizational Culture from the Inside Out
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...
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How Leaders Shape Culture: Why Modeling Matters More Than Words
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...
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Leading Yourself First: Personal Leadership for Command Level Officers
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...
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Leading So Others Thrive: The Long View of Leadership
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...
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The 4 Communication Mistakes that Cripple a Leader's Impact
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…
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Wellness & Resilience in Law Enforcement: How Officers Learn to Withstand, Recover, and Grow
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...
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Service-Driven Leadership — How Humility Transforms Law Enforcement Teams
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…
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Beyond Tactics: How Faith Strengthens Law Enforcement Resilience
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...
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You’re Not Adapting—You’re Coasting on Old Wins: A Leadership Wake-Up Call
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…
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7 Warning Signs You’re Leading in Isolation (And Your Agency Is Paying For It)
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…
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Beyond the Org Chart: How to Break Silos and Build Mission‑First, Trust‑Rich Teams in Law Enforcement
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...
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Why January Goal Setting Fails Law Enforcement Leaders
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...
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Break the Cycle: How Law Enforcement Leaders Turn Old Habits into Powerful Legacies
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...
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Generational Wisdom: A Father and Son’s Guide to Leading with Integrity and Heart
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...
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The Moment You Stay Silent: How One Miss Can Change Your Law Enforcement Career
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…
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Self-Doubt Killing Your Police Agency Leadership?
Is self-doubt killing your law enforcement leadership potential? Relentless pressures like community unrest, staffing shortages, and self-doubt can fracture teams and erode trust. In Episode 38 of Elevate Your Call to Service, we reveal how personal leadership conquers chaos. Learn practical…
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Conquer Overwhelm: Lead Police with Tools to Build Trust
Overwhelmed by agency chaos or self-doubt? As a law enforcement executive, you face relentless pressures—protests, staffing shortages, and budget cuts that erode team morale and community trust. Episode 37 of Elevate Your Call to Service equips you with proven tools to conquer overwhelm and lead...
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Sleepless in Service: Sleep Solutions to Recharge Law Enforcement Resilience
Exhausted from endless shifts? Can't shut off your brain after a high-stress call? Discover why sleep deprivation is the silent epidemic plaguing law enforcement and how you can reclaim your health, resilience, and edge on the job. In Episode 36 of Elevate Your Call to Service, we dive deep into...
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Stop Toxic Systems and Save Your Team—Now!
Is your agency bleeding talent? Stop toxic systems from sabotaging your team. Toxic workplaces are crushing your best officers, and Episode 35 of the Elevate Your Call to Serve Podcast shows you how to fight back. We dive into the leadership traps—like vague directives, politics over people, and...
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Why 80% of Leaders Fail This Test: Boost Self-Awareness for Law Enforcement Success
Why do 80% of leaders overestimate their self-awareness, burning bridges with their teams? In Episode 34, we uncover the hidden test most leaders fail—and how to pass it by boosting self-awareness. With raw vulnerability, we share our own struggles and growth, revealing practical tools to…
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Stop Struggling: Lead Through Team Disconnect with LIFT
What does it take to lead when hope seems lost? In this gripping episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, we unravel the dramatic tale of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, where leadership defied impossible odds to save a stranded crew. Paired with powerful law enforcement insights…
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Why Your Team’s Silent Half Isn’t Talking—and How to Fix It
Ever wonder why half your team stays silent while the other half won’t stop talking—and how that’s quietly sabotaging your leadership? Join us as MBTI expert Mary Thompson unpacks the introvert-extrovert divide, revealing why these misunderstandings derail communication, fracture trust, and leave...
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Why Wellness Is the Game Changer Law Enforcement Leaders Can't Ignore
Feeling worn out, disconnected, or like emotional weight of the badge has drained you dry? You’re not alone—and this episode offers hope. In this gripping episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, hosts Mike and Cathy McIntosh tackle the silent crisis of wellness in law enforcement. With nearly 40...
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Inspiring Law Enforcement Teams: Lead with a Clear Why
What if your team’s mission wasn’t just a faded “Serve and Protect” mug—but a rallying cry that lit them up every shift? Former Sheriff Mike McIntosh digs into the playbook for crafting a mission that inspires, motivates, and unites law enforcement teams. From a fractured agency finding “Unity...
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How Law Enforcement Leaders Master Communication—and Win
Ever briefed your team only to find chaos later? Poor communication isn’t just frustrating—it’s a leadership killer. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh tackle the hidden costs of unclear messages, from crumbling trust to life-or-death missteps. Hear how calm...
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Burnout or Breakthrough? Transforming Law Enforcement with Balanced Leadership
Are your officers disengaged, burned out, or drifting apart? The problem isn’t more schedules or checklists. It’s a leadership gap. In this episode, we dive deep into the critical divide between managing tasks and leading people, revealing why law enforcement teams crumble under box-checking…
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The Trust Problem in Law Enforcement Teams-and How Leaders Can Solve It
Championship teams—whether on the field or in law enforcement—are built on one critical foundation: trust. Without trust, teams falter, relationships break down, and missions fail. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh are joined by special guest Chris McIntosh…
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The Leadership Secret That Will Transform Your Law Enforcement Career
Your leadership reputation isn’t what you say it is—it’s what others say about you when you’re not in the room. In this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service, Mike and Cathy McIntosh dive into the often-overlooked concept of building your leadership reputation and why it’s critical for law...
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Developing Law Enforcement Leaders: Why Your Agency Depends On It
How you develop law enforcement leaders is pivotal in the success of your organization. That’s why this episode of Elevate Your Call to Service dives into the challenges law enforcement leaders face in preparing the next generation of leadership. Mike and Cathy McIntosh discuss why so many...
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Maximizing Officer Performance: Nutrition and Exercise Strategies by Corey Proulx
Maximizing Officer Performance: Nutrition and Exercise Strategies by Corey Proulx Do you want to enhance your officer safety and performance through a comprehensive fitness program? Today, I'm with Corey Proulx, who will share keys to help you achieve peak physical fitness and improve your…
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Strategic Ways of Developing Resilience in Law Enforcement
Strategic Ways of Developing Resilience in Law Enforcement Do you want to develop the resilience needed to better respond to trauma in law enforcement? Are you seeking a solution to improve your well-being and ability to cope with the challenges of the job? By unlocking the power of resilience…
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Preventing Officer Burnout: Essential Strategies for Law Enforcement Leaders
Preventing Officer Burnout: Essential Strategies for Law Enforcement Leaders Have you heard these myths about preventing officer burnout? Myth #1: Taking care of an officer's well-being is a sign of weakness. Myth #2: Burnout is just part of the job; you have to tough it out. Myth #3: There's...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Elevate Your Call to Service is a Law Enforcement podcast that provides tips, tools and resources to help law enforcement professionals become stronger leaders and succeed at work and in life. Over the last several years, we’ve lost a lot of good law enforcement leaders. While this brings opportunities to reshape the profession and operate better than we have in the past, there’s a problem.Many newer and incoming officers lack the role models and mentors they need to navigate the challenges of the job. And even worse, some of our current leaders lack the seasoned development to truly inspire and guide future generations.It’s time to take back our justice system and restore true leadership. That’s why we’ve assembled a team of leaders with a wide breadth of experience and sound leadership qualities to share their authentic, real-time insights.We want to be part of the solution and give upcoming leaders the support they need. Thank you for your commitment to law enforcement. We’re h
HOSTED BY
Michael McIntosh
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Elevate Your Call To Service have?
Elevate Your Call To Service currently has 69 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Elevate Your Call To Service about?
Elevate Your Call to Service is a Law Enforcement podcast that provides tips, tools and resources to help law enforcement professionals become stronger leaders and succeed at work and in life. Over the last several years, we’ve lost a lot of good law enforcement leaders. While this brings...
How often does Elevate Your Call To Service release new episodes?
Elevate Your Call To Service has 69 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Elevate Your Call To Service?
You can listen to Elevate Your Call To Service on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Elevate Your Call To Service?
Elevate Your Call To Service is created and hosted by Michael McIntosh.
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