Nobody Owes You a Career. You Build It.
- May 28
- 3 min read
LEADERSHIP | CAREER DEVELOPMENT | WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
Two rules every officer needs to understand — before it’s too late.
By Sheronda Grant | We Are Strong Enough
Lately I’ve been reflecting on my career — 24 years, from an 18-year-old police intern to an Inspector of Police — and I keep coming back to one truth that I share with every member I mentor:
“Nobody owes you a career. You build it.”
It sounds simple. But in 24 years of watching careers rise and stall, I’ve come to believe it’s one of the most important mindset shifts a law enforcement professional can make — especially women who are navigating organizations that weren’t always designed with them in mind.
Rule One: Recognize the Game.
The Game Is Real. Learn to See It.
One of the first things I teach members I mentor is this: learn to recognize the games being played in your organization and or unit. Not to become cynical. Not to become paranoid or jaded. But to avoid pitfalls, protect your reputation, your peace of mind, and the career you’ve worked so hard to build.
Every organization has politics. Every department has gatekeepers. Every promotion cycle has dynamics happening beneath the surface that nobody puts in writing. The members who thrive long-term are the ones who see those dynamics clearly — and choose not to be victimized by them.
Rule Two: Your Career Is Your Responsibility.
Nobody Is Coming to Save Your Career
I’ve watched talented members wait for someone to notice them. Wait for the right assignment to fall into their lap. Wait for a supervisor to finally say their name in the right room.
Some of those members are still waiting.
And the members who moved past them? They weren’t more talented. They were more intentional. They took ownership of their assignments, their roles, and their career. They didn’t wait for permission — they earned access through consistent, visible, documented action.
What Ownership Actually Looks Like
Owning your career doesn’t mean ignoring the games that are played nor does it mean ignoring systemic barriers — those are real, and anyone who’s spent time in this profession knows it. Owning your career means making the decision every single day to be so prepared, so visible, and so undeniably competent that you become difficult to overlook.
It means volunteering for the assignments nobody wants — because that’s where you build the experience that sets you apart. It means building relationships across ranks, not just within it or above it. It means documenting your wins, your impact, and your growth — because nobody else is keeping that record for you. It means owning your mistakes and learning from them.
Most importantly, it means making peace with the fact that you are the CEO of your own career. Not your FTO. Not your sergeant. Not your department. You.
Maybe It’s Not a Coincidence
If you’re reading this and something is stirring in you — maybe it’s not a coincidence. Maybe it’s a sign leading you to take the initiative your career yearns for.
The members who reach the highest levels of this profession aren’t always the most gifted. They’re the most intentional. They play to win — and they know the rules of the game.
What’s one thing you’ve been waiting on that you could take ownership of today?
About the Author
Sheronda Grant is a 24-year veteran of a major city police department, currently serving as an Inspector of Police. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding strategic patrol operations, crime reduction deployment, public information and community policing strategies. She is the founder of We Are Strong Enough, a leadership development platform for women in law enforcement. She has mentored 40+ members to promotion and is a 2025 NAWLEE Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year Finalist.
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