Abstract
Law enforcement professionals experience stressful and traumatic events by nature of their occupation. Stressful and traumatic experiences can induce psychological and physiological disruptions that may interfere with the careers and personal lives of law enforcement professionals. Pre-traumatic stress inoculation is a concept which suggests that increasing resilience through the advancement of the biopsychosocial-spiritual holistic self may provide amelioration of the adverse effects of stress and trauma before experiencing them. The practice of servant leadership behaviors finds alignment with increased resilience. This dissertation in practice study used qualitative research to examine the influence of three specific servant leader behaviors on subordinate resilience in a resident office of a Central Californian division of a federal law enforcement agency. The results of this study revealed an evidence-based connection between those behaviors and subordinates’ perceptions of increased resilience. The three servant leader behaviors are: (a) creating collaborative environments, (b) promoting subordinates’ autonomy, and (c) leading with ethical and moral decision-making. This study not only further informs the discussion on the influence of leader behaviors on subordinate resilience, but the research also provides amalgamation between servant leader behaviors and subordinate resilience with application to the law enforcement field. Augmented resilience may save the lives of law enforcement professionals and the lives of those they serve.|Keywords: law enforcement, resilience, servant leadership, stress, trauma