Indianola Police Chief Rob Hawkins was sworn in earlier this month, promoted to the position after serving as Captain and Interim Chief for the department since the retirement of former Chief Brian Sher. Chief Hawkins tells KNIA News he feels one of his biggest strengths as a leader is the ability to adapt to best serve any situation.

“Everybody has their own style, I’m going to call mine adaptive. No one style of leadership will fit every situation we face in law enforcement. Every person responds differently to a leadership style as well, so being authoritative, or hands off, or participative, doesn’t always mesh with things. You have to build those relationships with people, and it helps you figure out how best to lead in certain circumstances or with certain people or groups. There is no one style of leadership that fits every situation or person. I like to think of myself as adaptive, and that’s how I’m going to operate.”

Hear more about the goals, background, and future plans from Chief Hawkins on an upcoming series of Let’s Talk Indianola programs.