366. Ward Clapham on The Secret Weapon for Solving Crime

About this episode

Ward Clapham discusses the transformative power of listening in policing and community relations.

What if policing could move from reacting to crime to building trust before it begins? In this episode, I speak with Ward Clapham, the former Police Chief in Richmond, Canada, who pioneered the “positive ticketing program.” This simple idea—rewarding positive behavior instead of only punishing negative—transformed community trust and dramatically reduced crime. At the heart of Ward’s leadership was listening. Not just hearing, but listening with empathy, which shaped his career and even influenced policing worldwide. This isn’t just about policing. It’s about the universal power of listening-led leadership—in families, businesses, and communities. The invitation is clear: listen deeply, and watch what changes. Visit Ward's Website Join Greg's weekly ⁠⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about Greg's ⁠⁠⁠books and courses⁠⁠⁠. Join ⁠⁠⁠The Essentialism Academy⁠⁠⁠. Follow Greg on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠.

People in this episode

Host: Greg McKeown

Guest: Ward Clapham

Topics covered

• policing
• community trust
• listening-led leadership
• crime reduction
• positive behavior
• empathy

Keywords

• policing
• crime
• community trust
• positive ticketing
• listening
• leadership
• empathy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Richmond, Canada

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