Dealing with the Biggest Leadership Problem You Will Face Working in the Criminal Justice Profession
By Jack Enter
One of the most common behaviors I noticed among offenders in jail and in the prison system was their refusal to accept responsibility for their own behavior and instead focus upon the faults of others , their bad circumstances and upbringing , etc . I often asked them why they were in prison or jail and they would often begin their answer with “ they say I robbed a bank ” or “ I was set up for selling drugs by the cops ” or something similar . I met very few “ guilty ” people in our corrections and jail facilities .
In dealing with errant employees I saw the same pattern of blame shifting . Most personnel and managers who got in trouble either flat out lied about their behavior or had an excuse for what they did , “ the inmate made me so mad I had no choice but to hit him ” or “ things are so screwed up here I am right in cussing out the supervisor ”, etc . In my career as head of an Internal Affairs Division – I only had one employee who actually came in and said , “ I have no excuse for my behavior – what I did was foolish and wrong - I understand that it is going to cost me my job .” Fortunately after he said that , the paramedics were able to resuscitate me so I did not die of shock . HA ! It is interesting that of all the men and women I disciplined as a manager – he was the only one I volunteered to write a letter of recommendation for another job .
As we reflect on these people we know that do this – let me remind you that we all come from the same gene pool as they – humans are wired to blame others for their problems . When Adam and Eve got in trouble – they started blame shifting and we as their descendants have never stopped doing it . I have an incredible ability to notice ( and condemn ) the behavior of everyone around us but see myself as a pretty good person . As a result of that , I spend entirely too much time noticing everyone else ’ s mistakes and seem to be totally blind to my own weaknesses and mistakes . This “ sitting in judgment ” of others in the agency , in my family , in political offices , etc . is foolish for several reasons .
First , I have NO ability to change others , or the situations in Congress , or whatever – so I am frustrated and upset over things I cannot really change . Secondly , this focus upon what is wrong with those around me makes me more likely to not deal with the only person or situation I can change – ME ! I think if we are honest , the people who complain the most are not only the most miserable , but the least likely to change or be teachable .
As managers , employees , as spouses , as parents and other various roles we have in life – we need to fight this natural temptation to spend all of our emotional energy and thoughts focusing on how everyone in the world is screwed up – but us . I know that it is the likely the number one reason managers fail to be leaders – we cannot be a leader if we are not “ leading by example ” by bringing our own behavior and attitudes under control .
The most common comment I get while doing leadership training is “ I agree with what you said today – it is too
26 SUMMER . 2021