Building On Past Experiences:
Enhancing My Role
As The Director
Association of State Correctional
Administrators
June, 2011
Porpoise and Sea Lion Trainer
Marine Corps - 5831 MOS
Correctional Officer - Texas
Sergeant
Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Assistant Warden
Warden
Senior Warden
Superintendent - Oregon
Assistant Superintendent
Director - Wyoming
Presentation Outline …
Know Thyself
Take Stock
Set Priorities
Be Prepared
Remember The Little Things
Do you know what you stand for?
Walk the Talk!
Set Your Own Vision and Values Then Walk the
Talk
Know Thyself
• What are your strengths? How can you build
on them?
• What are your weaknesses? How can you
improve upon (or work around) them?
Know Thyself
• What was your first lesson in management?
• What was your worst business crisis? How
did you resolve it?
• You have life and work experience – build on
those!
Presentation Outline …
Know Thyself
Take Stock
Set Priorities
Be Prepared
Remember The Little Things
Assessing Your Environment
“What I need is a list of specific
unknown problems we will encounter.”
(Lykes Lines Shipping)
What Are The Issues?
 Staffing
• Recruitment and Retention – Fill Vacancies (Luis)
• Key Staff Retiring (Ray)
• Staff Development – Lack of Depth in Bench
• Succession Planning – Create Future Leaders
 Improve Reentry & Reduce Recidivism (Luis
and Jodie)
 Improve Organizational Efficiency/Streamline/
Consolidate With Other Entities Like Parole
and Juvenile (Bruce, Ray, Luis and Derrick)
 Security Basics/Sound Planning (Chuck and
Luis)
 Overcrowding/Population Growth (Bruce and
Ray)
 Pressures on the Budget to Cut Costs (Dan
and All)
What Are The Issues?
 Allocation of Limited Programming and Treatment
Resources Among Competing Sub-Populations
and Low Cost/No Cost Options for Programming
 How to Build Allegiances and Collaboration Within
(and Outside) the Agency
 How to Best Manage External Pressures and
Legislative Micro-Management
 Justice Reinvestment
 Communications
 Privatization and Outsourcing of Beds, Health,
Transportation, Food Service, Canteen, etc.
Some things are obvious – others are
not.
Presentation Outline …
Know Thyself
Take Stock
Set Priorities
Be Prepared
Remember The Little Things
Many times, no
matter what you
do, no matter the
merits of your
goals or your
intentions, there
always seems to
be someone – or
many – who are
willing to tell you
that you are
going the wrong
way …
“This project is so important, we
can't let things that are more
important interfere with it.”
(McKinsey & Company)
Presentation Outline …
Know Thyself
Take Stock
Set Priorities
Be Prepared
Remember The Little Things
BE PREPARED
(For the Unexpected)
Prepared and Not Prepared…
• What I brought with me to the job …
• What I was not prepared for…
• Global thinking and impacts…
FRUSTRATIONS:
• Change is slow and cumbersome …
• Making quick decisions with only half the
information in an environment increasingly
expecting data-driven decision making…
• Reactive reality getting in way of
proactive desires…
BE PREPARED
(To Make Mistakes)
Just Some of the Challenges …
 Ability to get a handle on the small things in a
suddenly bigger world…
 Making decisions on little-to-no information
or data at a time when data-driven decisions
are expected…
 Balancing Evidence Based Practice with the
reality of policy implications and costs…
 Effecting change in a resistant culture…
 Knowing what you don’t know …
BE PREPARED
(To Be Challenged)
‘My people are
so loyal they
will follow me
off a cliff.’
‘My people are so
loyal they keep
me from jumping
off a cliff!’
Presentation Outline …
Know Thyself
Take Stock
Set Priorities
Be Prepared
Remember The Little Things
Its The Little Things …
• How do you interpret or assess your boss?
• How do you stay in touch with line staff?
• How do you manage the different
stakeholders?
• What information are you accessing?
• How do you see the forest for the trees?
• What are some ways to stay sharp?
• How do you take care of you (and
yours)?
Things I’ve Learned…
• Learn from mistakes, start anew
• Be willing to say “I don’t know”
• Trust those in leadership roles around you
• Provide vision – make decisions – and
gain respect
• Effect change and make a difference
Building On Past Experiences:
Enhancing My Role
As The Director
Association of State Correctional
Administrators
April, 2011