Ego Kills Careers, and How to Lead Differently with Dr. Ron Camacho

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143 - Ego Kills Careers, and How to Lead Differently with Dr. Ron Camacho

"There is a pre-therapy Camacho and a post-therapy Camacho. They are two totally different people."
— Chief Ron Camacho

What does it take to go from being the most feared officer in the building to the most trusted chief in the department? For Dr. Ron Camacho, it took therapy — and the courage to look honestly at who he had become. In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Conrad Weaver sits down with Chief Ron Camacho of the North Charleston, South Carolina Police Department — a 30-year law enforcement veteran who built his career in York, Pennsylvania, advised police forces in Afghanistan, managed a State Department contract in Mexico, and eventually led two police departments: a 40-person agency in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and now a 400-officer department in one of South Carolina's most complex cities. But his title is not the most interesting thing about him. What makes this conversation different is his honesty. Chief Camacho describes his early leadership style as 'a cross between Patton and Genghis Khan.' He admits to intentionally trying to break officers in disciplinary meetings — and celebrating when he made them cry. He was, as he puts it, angry every day. On the path to a stroke, a use-of-force incident, or worse. In this episode, you will hear:

• Why ego in law enforcement is a symptom of insecurity — not toughness
• How unresolved childhood trauma drove his early leadership failures
• The specific moment therapy changed everything
• How he scaled from a 40-person to a 400-person department and what he had to unlearn
• The real story behind his department cutting use-of-force by 50% in year one
• Why he teaches 'Ego Kills Careers' classes to every rank in his department
• How cross-industry learning from business leaders made him a better cop
• The coaching program he brought into his department to develop officers at every level
• How to start building self-awareness — even if you have never been to therapy

This episode is for every first responder who has ever suspected that the culture around them — or inside them — might be part of the problem. It is for supervisors and chiefs who want to know what servant leadership actually looks like in practice. And it is for anyone who has been told that going to therapy means you are weak. Chief Camacho proves, with data and with his own life, that it means the opposite. Subscribe to the First Responder Wellness Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Share this episode with a leader in your department who needs to hear it.

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