Retired Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich’s Story of Leading through Traumatic Events and Organizational Crisis.

This week, Bob Rich joins the podcast! Bob was the Chief of the Abbotsford Police for 10 years, retiring in 2018. Prior to that, he was with the Vancouver Police for 28 years, finishing his time as the Deputy Chief of Operations.   Bob’s story begins just before 2015. During his time in Abbotsford, the Department faced a number of difficult events — both in the community and within the Department. He dealt with two suicides, him and his team being under investigation, a member being charged through an internal investigation, a leadership crisis, and several more traumatic events.   After a very difficult 2015, Bob and his team changed their focus to "the two M's: the Mission and the Members” after realizing how many first responders are being hurt by the work they do. Since then, Bob has been working to change how we can run our agencies so members stay well throughout their entire career.   Tune in as Bob shares his key learnings through his experiences, both personally and professionally; how he has stayed intune with his emotions through these extremely tough events; what he has done to help himself and the other members of the organization deal with these tragic events as well as their mental wellbeing; and, overall, what has helped Bob stay together in these trying times.   Key Takeaways: [:46] Chief Neil Dubord welcomes retired Chief Bob Riche. [1:51] Discussing the theme of resiliency. [3:00] Bob begins his story with the two events that happened in early 2015. [7:42] What Bob has learned from these experiences as a leader. [8:00] Continuing his story, Bob outlines the next horrible event that followed. [9:40] Bob’s lesson in this story. [10:16] In June, shares the story of another devastating suicide. [13:38] Bob speaks about his son, a police officer, and how that impacted him during all of these events. [15:05] How Bob has managed to connected to his emotions and vulnerable side during all of these extremely tough events. [17:54] What Bob has done in the organization to help its members deal with harassment, tragic events, and their mental wellbeing. [27:29] Bob describes his leadership style, the change in their workplace culture after 2015, and the wellness plan that came about in 2017. [33:09] Bob speaks the next two significant traumatic events. [41:01] What has helped Bob stay together during these trying times. [46:50] Chief Neil Dubord covers some of the key lessons and takeaways from Bob’s stories on leadership and learning over the last 4-5 years. [49:28] Bob leaves the podcast with some final, profound thoughts.   Mentioned in this Episode: Brené Brown’s Ted Talk on “The Power of Vulnerability”   Looking for More Episodes? You can find more episodes of Bend Don’t Break on iTunes, Google Play, and most other major podcasting platforms.   Connect with the Delta Police Department: Follow the Delta Police on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Visit their website at DeltaPolice.ca.