Women in Leadership: Believing in Yourself

Opening ceremony of the WIFLE 21st Annual Leadership Training. (Photo courtesy of WIFLE.)

This year, the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE) 21st Annual Leadership Training took place in Tampa, FL from August 16-19th. The theme was Real Talk: How to Address Law Enforcement Challenges Through Collective Strength. Over 200 women attended the training.

Several training sessions took place over the course of the conference, and one session was called “Women in Leadership: Believing in Yourself,” moderated by Susan Gibson, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Caroline O’Brien Buster, SAC U.S. Secret Service, Orlando Field Office, was a part of the real time discussion.

The session was set up as a discussion between experienced female executives and top officials as they shared how they successfully navigated through the challenges and triumphs of their distinguished law enforcement careers. SAC Gibson asked the WIFLE audience to delve into the mindset of SAC Buster and how she confronts critical responsibilities with a keen and distinctive focus on leadership.

The WIFLE audience posed several questions to both SAC Buster and their counterparts in the audience. Questions came from women at the training who had been working in federal law enforcement for two years to those who had been working in the field for over twenty years.

The panelists discussed the importance of having both a mentor and an advocate within your office-- an individual one can look up to as a role model and another who supports you when you are not in the room.

During the session, younger women who joined federal law enforcement recently were looking for ways to break past the “boys club” that is often federal law enforcement. More experienced women gave them advice such as “hold your ground,” “never be a pushover,” and “have the courage to speak up”.

Women in leadership positions are often not taken seriously or even ignored. SAC Gibson explained that the best way to avoid this situation was by creating a set of rules and taking ownership of one’s role as soon as possible. SAC Buster reaffirmed this position, adding that confidence is key when women step into leadership roles in federal law enforcement.