Episode

The Standard Starts with You

September 1, 2026

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On This Episode

Michael Warren

Host

Tom Sloan

Guest

Great performance in critical moments doesn’t happen by accident. It is built long before the moment arrives—through leadership, preparation, high expectations, and intentional training.

In Episode 30 of the Faces of Leadership Podcast, The Standard Starts with You, host Michael Warren welcomes Assistant Chief Tom Sloan of the Round Rock Police Department for a conversation presented by Command Presence Training.

A United States Marine Corps veteran, FBI National Academy graduate, and experienced law enforcement leader, Tom has built a career around service, continuous development, and preparing people to perform at their best. His journey has taken him from cattle ranches in Australia and West Texas to serving as an embedded combat correspondent in Iraq, joining the Round Rock Police Department, serving in numerous operational and leadership roles, and helping shape law enforcement initiatives across Texas.

Together, Michael and Tom explore the experiences that shape leaders, the importance of self-mastery, and why effective leadership requires seeing not only who people are today—but who they are capable of becoming. They also examine the responsibility agencies have to intentionally develop their people. From identifying informal leaders and preparing new supervisors to building internal leadership development programs and investing in realistic training, the conversation reinforces a fundamental principle: when the critical moment arrives, people will rely on what their organization prepared them to do.

Whether you're an officer, trainer, supervisor, command-level leader, or someone preparing for your next leadership opportunity, this episode challenges you to examine how intentionally you are developing yourself—and the people entrusted to your leadership.

In this episode:
• Why effective leadership begins with self-mastery
• How high expectations can drive higher performance
• Recognizing and developing influential informal leaders
• Preparing supervisors for leadership beyond operational responsibilities
• How Round Rock PD developed its internal Leadership Development Academy
• Lessons from the FBI National Academy and the power of professional networks
• Why realistic, stress-based training prepares officers for critical incidents
• Why training should be viewed as an investment—not an expense

Throughout the conversation, Tom and Michael also explore the difference between being nice and being kind as a leader, the importance of lifelong learning, the influence leaders have even when they don't realize it, and the responsibility to prepare the next generation for what comes next. From developing people before they hold a title to preparing officers before they face a critical incident, Episode 30 is a reminder that leadership is built before the moment—and preparation is what allows people to perform when that moment arrives.

Episode Guest

Tom Sloan

Assistant Chief of Police

City of Round Rock

Tom Sloan has been serving his country and community for the past 22 years. Having worked for his mom and dad on cattle ranches in the Australian outback and West Texas as a youth, Tom learned that kind of hardwork was not for him. So, he set out to do something easier and joined the United States Marine Corps. This is where he met his lovely wife, Jen. It was love at first sight when she yelled at him for not saluting their commanding officer. They served together as journalists in the Marines, Jen a television anchor, and Tom an embedded reporter with an infantry battalion in Ramadi, Iraq. They later married, left the news to Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone, and embarked on a journey of service to community. Tom started with Round Rock Police Department in 2008, and Jen became a neonatal intensive care unit nurse.
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While at the Round Rock Police Department, Tom served as patrol officer, field training officer, SWAT Team member, entry and team leader, patrol sergeant, traffic sergeant, patrol and CID lieutenant, SWAT lieutenant, and CID and SWAT Commander. Tom was fortunate to be involved in implementing many new programs and units, including the DWI Unit, CVE Unit,revamped the wrecker program, and Tom’s Traffic Tips television program, which was a new approach to addressing the old problem of traffic complaints that ultimately garnered national attention and resulted in Tom being named the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 40 under 40 award recipient.

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Tom currently is a board member of the Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority. This governor-appointed position on MVCPA allows Tom to take part in shaping the direction of how state-wide law enforcement agencies address vehicle-related crime with an annual grant budget of $66 million.

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Tom is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, where he is also a contributing writer for Police Chief Magazine, and the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA). He and Jen also volunteer to multiple charitable organizations and support the Hondurn orphanage “Friends of Los Ninos” La Copprome.

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Tom’s professional development includes graduating from the Northwestern School of police and command, where he was selected by his peer leaders as class president. He is a graduate of Session 290 of the FBI National Academy, where he was selected by his peer leaders as class spokesperson.Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice leadership and administration and a masters of public administration degree, the latter of which is from Texas A&M University.

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Tom and Jen are avid runners, having completed numerous half and full marathons and have plans to complete many more this year and those to come. When he and Jen are not running, which is not often, they love traveling and spending time with their three wonderful children, Ryker, August,and Quentin. The destination is usually a Disney theme park and resort, but the destination has recently changed. They will be visiting Boston a bit over the next few years, as their middle child, August, was recently accepted into Massachusetts School of Art and Design.

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