The V.I.M. Blueprint: How Value, Influence, and Momentum Shaped My First Team

Before moving on, a little background information is needed. As previously mentioned, in 2020, my agency was tasked with taking over a privately run facility within a 90-day time span. Fortunately, despite the presented challenges and unforeseen issues, most at the DCSO would say the transition was more successful than initially expected.

Looking back on my first day, I was amazed at how motivated and thankful these officers were to work for us. They went on to tell me the benefits of the position, both internally and externally, were things they never thought possible. We took these employees, who were still doing rounds with clipboards attached to incarcerated individuals’ cells with only a radio on their hips and gave them modern tools to do their job. We spent a couple of days training them in subject control techniques and provided them with updated equipment. One of the most important aspects we emphasized is that they now not only represent themselves, but also the city. This resulted in a noticeable display of pride among the officers in their work, which truly showed as they moved forward with the DCSO facility operation.

Shortly after the transition, I would call sergeants at the other DCSO facilities to discuss our staff and bounce ideas off one another. I would go on to tell them about our achievements and successes during the transition. During all this though, I noticed it still felt like there was a disconnect between my facility and the other three. It was like my facility was its own little exiled island, even though it became the second largest building overnight. After several months and not seeing any change, I knew I had to make strides as a leader to bridge this gap for my team’s longevity and overall success in their careers. I spoke to several other supervisors at my facility, all of whom had either been promoted to take over the facility or were absorbed from the previous company’s supervision. After much conversation, I decided to encourage the American Jail Association (AJA) Certified Jail Officer (CJO) certification at my facility. I concluded this would be the best way to accomplish my ultimate goal and believed two things would happen when my officers earned this certification. First, when an officer receives a certification, our agency posts it to our internal website the “Hall Monitor.” The site is regularly monitored by all staff to stay up-to-date on agency news and changes, which I knew would result in widespread visualization of my team. Second, every month we honor the officer and employee of the month at a breakfast hosted by DCSO Sheriff Daron Hall. When officers obtain accomplishments or do acts that deserve recognition, they are honored during this meeting by the sheriff in front of well-over 100 agency administrative personnel, facility leadership, and officers. This, in return, allowed chiefs and administrators in all facilities to see my team and focus on their accomplishments.

In order to accomplish this goal, I selected three of my officers who would most likely take the test and pass it without any issues. I influenced them by sitting down and explaining the importance of credentialing.

While both types of influence are developed in similar but distinct ways, they are deeply intertwined. The best approach I’ve found to enhance both is by using the principle of value. In short, adding value to yourself increases what you can contribute to your team, therefore, enhancing your internal influence. Similarly, adding value to your team strengthens your external influence.

But why is this important? Many people—whether they are above you, on the same level, or even outside your chain of command—judge your leadership based on the performance and behavior of your team. If your team is struggling or caught up in unnecessary drama, it reflects poorly on your ability to lead effectively. Strengthening your team will naturally change that perception. Regarding internal influence, your subordinates should see you as a role model or example of what they aspire to be as supervisors. The more value you bring, the clearer the path you provide for them.

Later in my career, I learned about the idea of influence through my leadership studies. I thought back to this story and realized how important it was that I unknowingly used the principle of influence, both from myself and my subordinates, to achieve the desired goal.

Momentum:

Many do not consider momentum when it comes to leadership, but it plays a crucial role. Momentum can manifest in both negative and positive forms. The goal is to identify which form is occurring and either maintain it if it’s positive, or turn it around, if it’s negative. Momentum is used in many ways, often without us even realizing it. It is evident in my efforts to keep officers applying for certifications. The “Wall of Certifications” was a simple initiative that took me about an hour and $30 to create. It became a tool that helped me use my influence and maintain positive momentum.

While going through this experience, I would be lying if I said I fully understood the concept of momentum. In fact, I had no idea it even existed. However, momentum can be one of the most important principles you apply to your team or organization. When something positive happens, build on it. For example, if an officer finds drugs in a cell, that should be seen as a positive event. Acknowledge the officer and praise them in front of the staff. Show everyone the importance of the find, and hopefully, it will encourage the staff to increase their searches and continue the positive momentum.

A major issue we faced when I was promoted to my current position was retention. When I first moved to the facility where I currently work, our retention level was not at its optimum. After emphasizing the importance of retention to the sergeants, focusing on supervisory training geared towards a newer generation of employees, and repositioning certain sergeants to areas where they would have more success, we saw a significant increase in retention. Part of this success was due to acknowledging my sergeants’ good work during each class graduation. We reviewed the numbers with them and showed them their improvement, keeping the positive momentum going, which has drastically increased our retention, leading to a better and safer environment for everyone involved.

Value:

Value is one of the most important aspects of building a team. Adding value to your people can help in many different ways. This is accomplished similarly to those examples where I encouraged my staff to obtain their CJOs, however; it can also occur in more subtle ways.