Do You Feel CONNECTED to Your Work?
Anthony Gangi
Corrections is not a passive job, but rather it’s an intentional career. It’s a purposeful career defined by proper attitude and valiant effort. It’s a career that can actually be quite meaningful and rewarding. Yet, sadly, many of us working in corrections will never see this great and noble profession in that same light.
The demand! The struggle! For many, they will find themselves falling victim to the overwhelming pressure of our intense working environment. Instead of finding joy and fulfillment, they find themselves being pushed into survival mode. For most of them, if they are lucky enough to go home, they are just simply happy that the day is over. Until tomorrow comes! And the day after! And the day after that! Eventually, the routine starts and their monotonous life becomes this repeated pattern of work and escape, work and escape, work and escape. In the end, days will turn into weeks, weeks will turn into years, and upon their retirement, they will find themselves looking backwards for key moments to define their value and impact in this profession. Sadly, in their rush to retire, in their sole effort to spend their work day just counting the time they have left, their chance to create an impact, to have a meaningful and purposeful career has now eluded them.
Does this sound familiar? Does this sound like this could be you? If so, is this how you want to live your life? Stuck in a routine of work and escape? Or, maybe you want something different? Maybe you want to find purpose and meaning and you just don’t know how? I am hoping by reading this article, you begin to find your path into a satisfying and meaningful career in Corrections. It is not too late.
Don’t be a Quiet Quitter
In today’s world of “quiet quitters,” where people are looking for an excuse to disengage from their job, I am asking you to “loudly care” about your career. And that truly starts with one word: connection. You may say, “Do you really want me to connect myself to this negative environment?” “Do you really want me to connect myself to this job?” “Do you know how unhealthy that would be?” or “If I connect myself to this job, I will lose my sanity!”
Unlike the many who work in the outside world, correctional staff can never allow themselves to disconnect from their work. They can never disengage or “quietly quit,” not even for a second. For us, we need to find that connection to our work because, simply put, connection equates to commitment. If you are not connected, you are not committed.
“Is this a heavy lift?” No, but it’s intentional! It starts with a shift in perspective. It starts when you intentionally look for the positive that this profession has to offer. And I don’t mean just looking at your pay and benefits (external incentives). I sincerely mean making the effort to see the value behind the work being done, even in the routine of it all. Passively, we tend to only see the negative. Especially, when we find ourselves in survival mode. It makes sense if you think about it. If we are only looking to survive, then everything we see around us is a threat and simply adds to the struggle.
Change Your Perspective
Our first shift in perspective comes from how we see ourselves in this environment. It’s an insightful look inwards into our own intentional effort to connect to our core values and then use that connection to build a bridge towards the expectations of the agency. In that regard, the passive acceptance of a negative job will begin to shift towards an intentional effort at meaning and purpose. This effort will create the balance needed for the shared investment and purpose towards a meaningful and joyful career. It’s a balance that begins with the expectations that are discovered within (internal) and the expectations of the agency (external).
This is our first step at personally connecting with the value behind the work we do, however monotonous some may feel it to be. This is also the first step at finding fulfillment as defined by our “Internal Why.” Be mindful, when answering “Why we do what we do” in our effort to be fulfilled, we can never look towards external motivations (pay/benefits/status). In the long run, these external motivations/benefits/status will never balance the fuel we expend in this profession. It’s a push that may hold some weight at the beginning, but it will quickly run thin as the profession becomes more demanding.
Instead, allow yourself to be pulled from the inside (inspired) and let it guide you down the path of a greater and meaningful service towards others. This, in essence, will help us move towards a purposeful, meaningful and balanced career (shared investment between you and the agency).
When the time is right, we can look back on the work we did and find internal meaning that adds value to ourselves and others. This is intentional and truly on us to seek and accomplish.
With all that said, there may still be many of us that look to blame others for their unhappiness (bad management, bad working environment, bad culture, etc.). Even though the above could be a big part of someone feeling lost at doing a job they believe has no meaning and purpose, they are still in control of their attitude and effort as they face these challenges. Attitude and effort are the two things within our control and if we can just slightly and intentionally adjust our perspective, if we could just slightly make the effort to see value behind the work we do in this chaotic environment, meaning and purpose will surface. It’s not impossible! Actually, it’s a must!
If we choose not to find fulfillment in what we do, if we choose to disengage and fight every effort to build that meaningful connection to our duties, to our profession, our commitment to each other, our service towards a greater good will weaken tremendously. Without a meaningful connection, there will be no commitment of service.
Imagine, as a corrections officer, or jail deputy, working next to someone who wasn’t connected to their duty to protect and serve. Imagine someone who found no meaning, or purpose in the work they provided. Would you trust them in their efforts? Remember, your life depends on both their ability and want (commitment) to do their job effectively.
At the very beginning of my career, in my constant effort to learn the job, I would find myself asking my co-workers two questions, “What do you do and how do you do it?” As the years passed, I have come to realize that these two questions ended up having very little value to the knowledge I have gained. Actually, at the very beginning, I should have asked my co-workers, “Why they do it?” I find that by asking why, it gives others the chance to look inwards and find meaning and value in their work. It then gives them a chance to share that meaning and value with others. It brings about a shared purpose and a human connection to this profession that is centered on our investment and commitment towards each other. It truly defines the greater service towards the bigger picture.
This is Your Right
Our connection to this profession allows us to reinforce a commitment that is founded on an internal why. It’s an intentional effort that will help us towards a meaningful and purposeful career. However general this article may seem, it was my intention to express a thought that is up to you to apply. Wouldn’t it be great if, at the end of your shift, you could leave fulfilled by the work you have accomplished? That feeling of fulfillment is a right, not a privilege. And, like other rights, we should fight for it. We should tell ourselves that each day I go to work I have the right to seek fulfillment. “I have the right to enjoy a purposeful and meaningful career. Ultimately, I have the right to find my connection to this profession at the most intimate of levels and, within my prescribed role, I have the right to make a difference that will impact generations to come.” For me, that would be the perfect dream. In the long run, my hope is for those who work in the corrections’ profession to find the inspiration and effort needed to seek a purposeful life worth living within a career that brings them ultimate joy. I did. And so can you!
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Anthony Gangi has worked in corrections for more than 20 years. Currently, he works in corrections at the state level. He served on the custody level and has moved through the ranks from line officer to supervisor. With a background in psychology, he has become a leading expert in inmate manipulation. He is the host of Tier Talk, which can be found on YouTube. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the New Jersey chapter of the American Correctional Association. For more information, he can be contacted at gangianthony@yahoo.com.
