Any Progress Since 2020?

Although only three turbulent, Covid challenged, years have passed since the thoughts of emerging leaders were published in 2020, the observations remain [relatively] the same. Emerging leaders highlight the need for transparency, accountability, improved communications, establishment of trust, and acceptance of new ideas and change from their leaders. Absence of these attributes contribute to low morale, unapproachable leaders, failure to accept criticism and feedback, and absence of a shared organizational vision.

These observations present opportunities for improvement.

Next Steps

NJLCA—Since NJLCA’s inception, the comments, recommendations, and observations of all participants, mentors, and facilitators, have guided updates to the curriculum. As NJLCA’s curriculum is directly linked to the core competencies for jail leaders, the competencies also inform any amendments. This process will continue.

Jail Administrators—The candid input of emerging jail leaders should be considered by agencies in developing and delivering training to meet current needs of their employees, as well as guidance and mentoring for their current leadership.

AJA—These recommendations offer direction for AJA in developing training offerings. Some topics lend themselves to alternative delivery options (e.g., zoom training sessions that can be archived), for example:

• Budget Preparation and Management

• Staffing, developing a staffing plan

• Statistics

• Collaboration

• Changing Culture

What to do With This Input?

Twenty-first century executives should not only listen to the input from their emerging leaders but digest it—and if the shoe fits…It may be frustrating to read that emerging leaders consider their bosses and those in the chain-of-command their biggest impediments to doing their job. Does this then suggest that maybe the internal culture, the resulting morale and uniting around sincere mission, vision and values are worthy of an open mind and open discussion? Does the current jail leadership role model their expectations of those who are to follow?

Questions to Ask

• In your jail, what are the informal and formal means to get unfilteredfeedback to you? As the leader—are you sure you are hearing all the input—whether your subordinates agree or not?

• What happens to subordinates who step outside currently held organizational beliefs and express their opinions or offer new ideas?

• Does your agency conduct “stay” interviews that invite input; and then act on that information?

• If exit interviews are still used—what happens to the results, who knows about them, and how are they use to improve people and the organization?

What is a “Stay” Interview?

While many organizations use ‘exit interviews’ to attempt to document why employees leave, this is the proverbial locking the barndoor after the horses are gone. The accuracy of exit interviews is often questionable due to the motivation of the departing employee—as they perhaps are not wanting to burn bridges or feel that if the agency cared—it would have asked sooner.

Stay interviews, are a sincere effort to learn what employees are thinking, what they need to do their jobs, and then develop a plan to act on the results. Interviews (or surveys) require trust to gain accurate feedback.

There is a potentially long list of questions that may be asked, and these should be pared down to the essentials important to your jail.

Examples of What to Ask?

• Why are you proud to be affiliated with this agency?

• Have you recommended working for this organization to your friends (or relatives)? Why or why not?

• What can the agency do to attract and hire quality people?

• Give examples of how you are respected as a professional by your supervisor and agency’s leadership?

• If you were placed in a leadership position, what three things would you change?

• Provide examples of positive [or negative] relationships with your peers?

• How are you challenged by your job? Describe something that recently presented an interesting work challenge to you.

• Describe your most difficult challenge at work.

• Who has recognized you for a job well done in the last month?

• When is the last time you offered a suggestion to improve the work you do, or the organization? What was it and what was the outcome?

• Does the agency’s mission accurately depict your work?

• Where do you see yourself in 2 years, 5 years...? whether inside or outside this organization?

• What can the organization do to help you achieve your goals?

• What has been the most valuable training you have received? What training would benefit you in your job?

• Describe how the organization has invested in your career development?

• Who is your mentor or coach in the workplace?

• What are your most valuable talents? Does the organization recognize and use your talents?

• Describe your relationship with your immediate supervisor. What are examples of how your supervisor communicates effectively with you?

Important—don’t ask all these questions—pare down the questions to the most critical ten. Ask specific questions to get specific answers. Don’t ask “yes” or “no” questions, seek to gain insight.

Developing the Questions and Process

As part of a retention plan, assemble a cross section of interested agency employees, and task this group with coming up with stay interview questions. Prior to sending out the survey, pre-test the questions to determine if the instructions are clear, and the responses consistent with what was intended.

If there is a negative or toxic culture in your work environment, don’t expect employees to jump on the survey bandwagon. Employees want to be sure that their comments won’t come back to haunt them, and that the organization is sincere in addressing employee concerns.

Who Should Ask?

Asking is not enough. Who asks is important—a credible person in the organization. Sending out an anonymous survey might work—depending on the trust in the organization—but asking face-to-face might be a better option to get real answers. Train interviewers. Consider using software that assures anonymity or consider an outside organization (for example a college, university, etc.) to ask and coordinate the survey and the results.

What’s Next?

This step is critical; DO something with the results. Failing to follow-up on outcomes of stay interviews undermines the integrity of the process and the organization. While not all identified issues can or should be simultaneously addressed, prioritize and develop a plan going forward that can be achieved. Communicating all the survey findings and the strategy going forward to employees, creates momentum, identifies those who will help, and gives an optimistic and realistic picture of the future.

Exit Interviews?

If the organization continues to use exit interviews—a few updates might be helpful. Examine the questions—are they relevant, specific? Review the circumstances and environment about when these questions are asked—or when the departing employee completes the process. In one instance, an organization required the departing employee to complete the exit interview BEFORE their final pay was issued. While the legality of such a strategy is questionable, the overarching theme is negative and certainly doesn’t encourage honest answers by the person who is on the way out the door.

What are the trends in exit interview responses? Who is held accountable for addressing issues revealed in exit interviews, what are the timelines, and specific actions? And finally, did the initiatives have a measurable outcome.

What’s Next?

Is there a concerning consistency in the input that your emerging leaders are offering you? Is it time to take their comments seriously and genuinely improve your leadership? Administrators should model the behavior and practices that they want from their next leaders.

Whether highlighting the results of stay interviews, digesting the opinions of emerging jail leaders, or scrutinizing exit interview results, jail leaders cannot afford to move forward in an isolated environment. The health of staff, the organization, and the citizens under the jail’s care and custody are at stake.

Special thanks to Nancy DeFerrari, and Sam Houston State University’s Correctional Management Institute of Texas staff Vinessa Mundorff and Payton Jones for their input and help.

Endnotes

McCampbell, Susan W., “Listening to Your Employees: Advice from Emerging Leaders”, American Jails, July/August 2020, page 21.

http://www.cipp.org/core-competencies.html

For information on retention planning, go to http://www.cipp.org/jail-employee-recruitment—retention-resource-center.html

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Susan W. McCampbell, CJM, is President of the Center for Innovative Public Policy, Inc., a Florida-based company specializing since 1999 in public policy consulting. In 2018, she was awarded the Frances R. “Dick” Ford Distinguished Service Award by the American Jail Association for her service to the corrections profession. She is also a Lifetime CJM. McCampbell is the lead instructor for the NJLCA. Contact Ms. McCampbell at susanmccampbell@cipp.org