In the complex and ever-evolving field of corrections, leadership is far from a one-size-fits-all approach. Each supervisor brings a unique style to the table, influencing how they manage their team and respond to the daily challenges within a correctional facility. While much of corrections work is reactive, dealing with issues as they arise, there is a pressing need for leaders to adopt a proactive stance, guiding their staff toward continuous improvement and long-term success.
By maintaining a proactive focus, we can shift from only reviewing and reacting to leading from the front. This lets us shape our staff’s development, retain institutional knowledge, drive interest and engagement, and even work to more easily defend against challenges and liability. Think of how the following ideas can influence your organization positively.
Get involved: Don’t allow changes to wash over you
We work in an ever-changing environment. Emerging technology, criminal enterprise, social evolution, and many other factors affect the way we operate our facilities. The importance of maintaining personal working knowledge as a supervisor cannot be understated. It becomes evident when someone is trying to instruct you on a topic that they have no exposure to. Avoiding the changes taking place in our facilities will only end in a tidal wave of new information that could overwhelm anyone instead of being absorbed. Learning these small differences and new systems as they come will prevent you from being overwhelmed. Staying on top of your basic knowledge lets you help train new officers and stay connected to the line level much more naturally.
Getting involved and familiar prevents you from becoming static and entrenched. Taking the pulse of your organization is important at every level of leadership. Taking the time to walk around on occasion allows you to see how the facility is operating. Separating our idea of how things used to be or how they should run from how things are going is key to making improvements to our methods.
Capitalize on momentum: Keep the good things coming
A recurring question in so many organizations is: “What are we waiting for?” Oftentimes the financial aspect of our planning is not fully in our control. The tendency to wait until we can have the entire package is understandable. A lot of the time we may have so much on our plate that we want to wait to start a good thing until tomorrow, next week, or the new budget. Unfortunately, tomorrow never comes. We need to focus on what positive impact we can make today instead of waiting for the perfect plan. Small steps taken over time make a bigger difference than a massive effort that never gets started.
Implementing positive change can be beneficial if properly sustained. Are we making changes to benefit the organization, or do we make changes to be seen doing something? Flavor-of-the-month decisions do not drive forward momentum and can serve to frustrate staff quickly with back-and-forth motion. By focusing on improvements, and the end goal of where we want to be, we can avoid trying the same ineffective tactics over and over again while hoping for a miracle.
Be present: Especially in danger
Absentee leadership can be a dangerous element if left unchecked. There has to be a balance between allowing the staff and first-line supervisors to take charge and gain experience and completely overbearing micromanagement. The staff need to see you around, especially if there is the potential for danger. Oftentimes we don’t hear about a situation until it is time to respond, but when we do have time on our side, it is important to share some of the burden of risk with our staff.
Standing shoulder to shoulder in the face of uncertainty and risk shows that we can be trusted to support our staff both on and off the line. Staff are given a shot of confidence when facing danger if they know that the Sergeant is there with them. It doesn’t have to be every single time, but it should be enough that they know you are with them in chaotic times.
Be the example: Walk the walk
“Do as I say, not as I do” has never been an effective leadership tool. Corrections leaders at all levels are under a constant microscope from the public, the staff, and the inmates. We have to be able to walk the same walk we expect from our staff. Our own personal and professional behavior must be above reproach.
Dr. Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak describes the “price of leadership” in “The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People.” To describe it plainly, leadership comes at a cost. We can choose to bear this personally by being present, following our own rules, and effectively leading our shift or section. To do otherwise places the price of leadership on our staff. We should not overuse the privileges that come with rank and position. Extra call-outs or taking snow days for ourselves that we would not allow our staff to take is a prime example. Safety-sensitive positions require safety-sensitive leadership who will be there for their staff literally and figuratively. As with any factory or corporate job, the focus of administration and middle management must be on supporting the “line,” whether that be production or custody, and ensuring that everyone has the proper tools to work to their best ability.
Allow room to grow: Do not be a gatekeeper
Collectively, we do not have the room to waste talent. My shift alone is almost halfway comprised of officers with less than one year on the job. Fighting to retain institutional knowledge relies on developing our staff and allowing them to find interest and engagement in corrections. Staff who want to expand their knowledge of STG material, training opportunities, or any other area should be highly encouraged. Gatekeeping knowledge and experience until people “put their time in” or meet some other vague criteria only encourages them to find their opportunities in other fields or agencies.
As discussed above, there is a necessary balance between giving the staff experience in decision-making and stifling their ability to learn. We naturally gravitate towards what we are interested in. Consider challenging staff to prepare a class on a topic they are passionate about, or ask them to take ownership of a small project. You may be surprised at the depth of knowledge untapped within the staff’s experience at any stage of their career.
Conclusion
The field of corrections is an art form, not a science. This philosophy extends to corrections leadership as well. If you take 25 supervisors you will find 25 different leadership styles. Much of our focus is reactive, tending toward managing an event after it begins to unfold. Without an intentional shift in focus, we can easily slip away from trying to lead our staff to a better place and solely focus on the day-to-day problems we can never escape.
About the author
Adam Sowden is a correctional supervisor and has worked at a local facility in Tennessee for over seven years. With experience in housing, intake and administrative aspects of corrections, Sowden looks to develop successful new officers and help them accomplish their career goals. Sowden is a candidate for a master’s degree at Liberty University, and is a Certified Jail Supervisor through the American Jail Association.
