Description
In today’s high-pressure policing environment, leaders inevitably pick up “rust” — the wear and tear from years of service, complex decisions, and operational stress.
Beneath the Badge With Grit introduces a bold, human-centered leadership mindset: embracing the rust not as a flaw, but as a sign of perseverance, experience, and resilience. This session is about the space few people see — the space beneath the badge — where identity is shaped, purpose is refined, and performance is either sustained or quietly eroded.
Drawing from the MAGNUS ONE Science and the Elasticity of Identity Theory, which Dr. Mitch Javidi developed and Justin King will present, this presentation equips law enforcement leaders with strategies to:
- Stay resilient without becoming emotionally closed.
- Lead with grit without sacrificing connection.
- Sustain identity, purpose, and peak performance over the long term.
Rust is not something to fear or hide; it is something to manage, heal, and integrate. True leadership grit is not about impenetrable toughness — it’s about elasticity, humility, and the ability to recover and grow while staying open.
Participants will explore:
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How to recognize leadership drift and accumulated rust before it corrodes decision-making.
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How to build the internal capacity to sustain high performance while remaining emotionally accessible and connected to others.
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How to apply elasticity principles to protect personal identity and prevent burnout.
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How to use “de-rusting rituals” and Small Positive Incremental Changes Over Time (SPICOT) to maintain daily leadership agility.
This session will challenge attendees to reconsider traditional definitions of grit, toughness, and leadership armor, offering instead a sustainable leadership model that honors both strength and human connection.
The presentation directly supports your agency’s macro vision: Together in Service. It delivers actionable strategies to sustain leaders, build stronger teams, and foster cultures that honor the long game of leadership in policing.
Presentation Outline:
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Introduction to Beneath the Badge With Grit
○ Overview of Elasticity of Identity Theory
○ Review: Elasticity of Identity Research Results – A National Study
○ Embracing rust as part of the leadership journey
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Elasticity of Identity in Law Enforcement Leadership
○ Understanding leadership drift and identity fatigue
○ Personal agency and self-regulation in high-stakes environments
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The Three Dimensions of Leadership
○ COMPASS: Building social connection and relational leadership
○ ARMOR: Developing inner resilience without emotional isolation
○ MISSION: Sustaining purpose, fulfillment, and professional impact
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The Leadership Spiral and the Leadership Pulse
○ The phased progression of leadership growth
○ The continuous rhythm of renewal and elasticity
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De-Rusting Rituals and Habits
○ Small daily leadership practices to stay agile & elastic
○ Creating customized “de-rusting” routines for sustained resilience
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Key Takeaways and Leadership Commitments
○ Sustaining elasticity and grit in leadership
○ Embedding renewal practices into agency culture
Key Takeaways and Learning Objectives:
- Leaders will understand how to recognize and manage leadership rust before it undermines identity, purpose, and performance.
- Participants will develop a modern, sustainable definition of grit — one that blends strength with openness and resilience.
- Attendees will leave with immediately actionable leadership rituals, including SPICOT (Small Positive Incremental Changes Over Time), to maintain agility and daily renewal.
- Leaders will be better equipped to sustain themselves, their teams, and their agencies while navigating the evolving demands of modern policing.
Faculty - Justin King
Justin King is the Chief Product and Strategy Officer (CPSO) of the National Command and Staff College. With over 33 years of Military and Government experience, he leads the organization’s product and business development and implementation of the company’s strategic initiatives.
Justin is a trusted consultant and coach with a reputation for developing strong, resilient organizations and confident, capable leaders. Drawing on his breadth of experience in business management, training facilitation, and in-the-trenches investigations, he inspires individuals and teams to unparalleled heights of performance.
Justin has designed, directed, and advised on high-stakes initiatives in the United States, Afghanistan, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Paraguay, and Ukraine. He has also restructured organizations, sky-rocketing productivity and boosting morale.
Over the years, Justin built a standout career with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As a member of the Senior Executive Service and Special Agent in Charge of the Omaha Division, he led hundreds of employees to mitigate risk, combat threats, and promote the agency’s global mission—while creating a more accountable, people-centric culture. Before his assignment to the Omaha Division, Justin served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock District Office, where he strengthened investigations by providing focused, compassionate leadership to a talented and hard-working team.
Earlier, Justin advised and supported the head of the DEA’s Global Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Offering a combination of strategic and hands-on leadership, he ensured efficient administration and seamless delivery of training programs for agents, diversion investigators, intelligence analysts, chemists, and leaders in 60+ countries around the world.
Before joining the Office of Training, he excelled as Section Chief and Team Leader of the DEA’s Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Teams (FAST) initiative. He mobilized teams and worked alongside foreign agencies and Special Operations Forces to provide training and drive complex operations in Afghanistan, Mexico, Paraguay, and Ukraine. His rigorous in-country programs deepened international partnerships and improved host-nation law enforcement efforts, while offering vital instruction on tactical, medical, and investigative techniques. In addition, he expanded US capabilities by facilitating the first certification courses for DEA’s elite Special Response Teams, after helping to develop the curricula earlier in his career.
His previous field assignments include Group Supervisor and Special Agent with the Oklahoma City District Office, where he brought discipline, tenacity, and enthusiasm to his work as a business and investigative leader. In these positions, he directed and contributed to a High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force that implemented pivotal investigations with local and worldwide impact.
Justin joined the DEA as a Special Agent in the Laredo District Office and was quickly promoted to the FAST program due to his strengths in leadership, training, and diplomatic communication. Collaborating with peers and international partners, he designed and delivered training courses and conducted joint operations with law enforcement and Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, Guatemala, Honduras, and Kyrgyzstan.
Throughout his career with the DEA, Justin increased teamwork, eliminated friction, and enhanced outcomes at every turn. He laid the foundation for this success in the United States Army and Army National Guard as both an enlisted soldier and officer. Serving in the Infantry Branch, he held multiple leadership positions while also working as a staff officer, trainer, and Officer Candidate School Instructor.
Justin is an engaging speaker and presenter with great communication skills, solid instincts, and an unwavering commitment to people. He has completed executive and leadership development programs at several institutions including the National Command & Staff College (top graduate), the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma.
