Episode 2: Having the Right Mindset

THE SHAKEDOWN
Episode 2
A Podcast by the National institute for Jail Operations (NIJO)
Hosted by Warden Aaron Dawson

 
 Well, welcome back to another episode of the shakedown. Glad to be with each of you today. As I said earlier, we want to dig into today, the mindset of a corrections officer. 

I saw the other day, quote, and it very simply said that there's no smoke without fire. Now, on a very practical level, safety level, that makes sense. I got to thinking about that statement, that there's no smoke without fire--It reminded me of another principle that I'd heard in the past that basically said that, "Behind every great action, is a great mindset, or philosophy". So putting all that together, what mindset do we need to come into the door with every day? And for every shift? And, in considering this and pondered on this? I believe that there are 5 elements, or 5 mindsets, that you and I need to bring to the table as a corrections officer.  

1:15
 
First of all, is confidence. Why are we here? Why do we go to work? Well, you could say, "Well, that's easy." As we talked about last time--it's safety, security, care, custody control.  Well, have we been trained how to do those things? To provide safety, to provide security, to adequately care, or to provide the right custody, to control the environment that we work in? Do we have the support that we need to accomplish the task that we've been trained to do? Who's going to win in the end? Well, if you know the answer those questions, then we need to walk like it. We need to work like it. We need to come in every day with a competence that you know what--"I know why I'm here, I know how to do what I need to do, I know I have the support to do what I know how to do." And so I need to enter each housing, and I need to enter the building, I need to enter each situation, with the confidence that I am well-trained, well-equipped, well-supported and ready to do what it is that my job is to do. 

2:27
 
Now, having said that, there is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Arrogance says, "I can do this because I want to, and I can force the issue."  Arrogance says, "You're going to do what I want you to do, and if you don't, I'm going to make you because that's what I want to happen."  But confidence says, "I will get it done, because it's right, because it's my duty, and because it's what it's expected of me, and it's what I'm equipped to do."  So we got to come in with confidence. We have to come in knowing what our job is knowing that we know how to do what our job is, knowing that we have the support to do that job, and approaching every situation with confidence. 

3:14
 
 I remember when my wife and I first got married, before we had any children. As a kind of a side job, I would umpire softball and baseball--I would referee basketball games. I can remember that first year that I umpired an old, an old umpire told me he said, "Look," he said, "the calls that you know what happened, make those calls." He said, "those calls that happen, and you don't know what happened," he said, "you sell the call.  You convince everybody there, that you know exactly what happened--You're so flamboyant, you're so convincing, that everybody else looks at you and goes, 'Oh, man, I didn't see what happened, but obviously he did--because man he made that call with confidence." So first mindset is confidence. 

4:01
 
 Secondly, integrity. What do we do consistent? consistently? Pardon me? What do we do when someone's looking? How do we work? How do we work when somebody isn't looking? How do we work when we're rested up and gung ho? How do we work when we're tired? And in those times, when you know what, we just don't care? How do we work when we want to? How do we work when we don't want to? What is it that motivates us to go to work every day to put that uniform on and to do our job? If our answer to that question is, or any of those questions, is that we do what we're trained to do, because it's right, and it's what we're expected to do--then we're on good ground. Yes, we need to support our family, no doubt about it. I work Because I work, I expect to be paid, I need that pay to support my family. Yes, we want to make a difference.  We yes, we want to matter. But, how we do that how we accomplish that matters. If we are basing our work ethic on what is right, we'll be fine. If we base our work ethic, on what's convenient for me today, it's going to come back and it's going to bite us eventually. We do what we need to do, and we do it right because it's right; not because somebody is watching, not because somebody forces us, not because we have to, or because the sergeant or the supervisor or the warden or the lieutenant--whoever-- is standing and watching--no, because it's right to do it. 

5:56
 
 So, we've got to come in with confidence. We've got to come in with integrity. Thirdly, we got to come in with determination. The definition, the dictionary definition, of determination, or being determined, is having made a firm decision. And I'll tell you, this goes along perfectly with integrity. Once we've purposed, once we've decided, once we've determined to do what's right--to do it the right way--that decision needs to be firm, and resolute. Because there's going to be times when that decision is going to be challenged--"I decided today, man, I'm well rested, I'm gung ho-- I'm excited about being here-- I want to do this, and I want to do it right. And, and I'm gonna I'm gonna, I'm going to be determined to do it right."  Well, that's all good and well, but what about tomorrow when I'm tired? What about tomorrow when I'm annoyed? Or I'm irritated? Or I'm angry? Or what about tomorrow when something's going on at the house and it's bugging me, but I'm here at work and I can't be at home to take care to take care of that? What about then? Am I just as firm? I am I just as resolute, am I just as determined to do it the right way? Like I said, having made a firm decision? 
 
 

7:23
 
 So, we've got to come in with confidence, we got to come in with integrity, we got to come in with being determined. Firstly, we've got to be perseverant. Now, once we have determined to do our job based, not on my feelings, but based on what's right, we're going to have to be diligent in carrying it out.  We're going to face difficulty.  There's going to be times when the job is--I need to get this inmate from point A to point B, I need to get that housing under control, I need to get this housing unit cleaned up, I need to get this task finished, that task finished--and it's hard--it's difficult. We're going to face difficulty. We're going to face pressure from supervisors, "Look, just get the job done, I don't care how you do it. Just get the job done." We're going to face pressure from co workers-- "Look, I know that's what the policy says,  I know that's what Sarge said, and I know that's that's the way we normally do it...And I'm all for doing it that way, but look this one time, just this one time--Let's just do it like this--let's just get it done."  We're going to face pressure from supervisors, we're going to face pressure and co-workers, and we're going to face pressure from inmates-- "Look, we do a good job for you.  Man, we never give you any trouble. We never give you any trouble, we always do exactly what you ask us to do. Can't this one time this one time? You help us out? Can't this one time you just go on and not pay attention-- this one time, can't you bend the rules a bit for us?" We're going to face difficulty. We're going to face pressure.  We're going to be sick, we're going to be tired. And at times, we're not going to want to--we're going to have to work short-anded. We're going to have to work underfunded. We're often going to have to work under-appreciated. There are times when we'll be enraged, we'll be so angry at what's going on. There will be times when we'll look at the situation going on around us--that inmate that we've invested in, that we've tried to help, and that we thought had finally made the decision to to do differentl,  to act differently--and here they are again... There's times when a co worker that we trusted, that that we that we would have trusted with our own lives, and we find out they're smuggling in contraband, and they just got fired, and arrested. There are going to be times when our hearts will be broken.  There will be times when our purpose is clear, and there wil be other times when all that's clear is that confusion is rampant--all around us.  Regardless of where we find ourselves, we've got to be perseverant. We've got to do it right, based on what's right, regardless of how we feel. 

10:30

So, we got to be confident.  We've got to come in the door knowing what our job is, knowing that we're well-trained, knowing that we're well-supported, and we're going to do what's right, because it's right and nothing is going to dissuade us.  We've got to come in with integrity.  We've got to make sure that what we're saying is right--is actually right--it's based on policies, it's based on procedure, it's based on the laws, it's based on what we've been trained to do--it's based on what our supervisors, our "uplines", would have to do. We've got to come in with integrity.  We've got to come in with determination. We've got to make a firm decision that, "I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right." We've got to be perseverant. We've got to stick to it. We've got to stick to it no matter how we feel, no matter what's going on around us. 

11:13
 
 And then fifthly, when we talk about a corrections officers mindset, we've got to be calm.  We've got to be calm.  And I know that may sound ridiculous to say, because you may be thinking, "Man, Warden Dawson, have you seen my jail? There's not a calm moment there..."  It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what the environment is, we've got to be calm.  I read a quote years ago by Robert E. Lee, and he said this, he said, "I cannot trust a man to control others, who cannot control himself."  
 
 

11:47

"I cannot trust a man to control others, who cannot control himself." Think about that. We are the ones who are supposed to be in control of our facilities. We're the ones who are supposed to be in control of those inmates. We're the control. We're the control. We're the ones that are supposed to be controlling what's going on in those buildings, regardless of the circumstances.  We are the control.  We are the calm in the storm. Now, there is a place for emotion.  There is a place-- there is a time to get fired up. There is a time to speak up. But, it must be under control. "I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself." Are we in control of ourselves?  We can be angry.  There's times where--hey, it's time to be angry. But, when I'm angry, when you're angry, I can't use that as a justification to lash out verbally or physically against somebody else. You know what? There's going to be times when it's time to be sad. There's times when it's going to be time to be happy. There's times when I'm going to feel weary, there's times when I'm going to feel confused. Whatever the emotion-- But, I've got to be in control. I've got to be in control. I cannot trust a man to control those who cannot control himself. That control comes from being calm-- trusting that it's going to be okay--that we can, and that we will, make it work. I can remember growing up and not realizing what was going on-- around my family, in my community, in the church, in the school, in whatever--as long as dad was there, as long as mom was there--as long as my parents were there--everything is fine--they're going to make it work. 

14:03
 
 Well, now that I'm a husband, and now that I'm a father, looking back on, like I get to thinking sometimes you know, there must have been some times when there was some really messed up stuff going on, when it was-- when it was scary, when it when it was time to show some emotion--But you know what? It's going to be okay. We've got this. We can do this. When you walk in that building, when you get together with your shift, or with your team. Y'all got this. You have to believe that you've got this. That's where that calmness this comes from--that's where that control comes from. (Excuse me.) So, based on this, what are you thinking? Are you coming in confident? Are you coming with integrity? Are you coming in determined? Are you coming in perseverant?  Are you coming in calm?  It may be you never thought about any of this, and you just put an application in, you just wanted to come work a job--they gave you a uniform, they gave you some training, put you on the floor, and now you're doing the job-- Well, if you're going to do the job with care, custody, control, safety, security, if that's what you're going to do, this is how you need to think--this is going to make you and I a better officer.  We come in confident, we come with integrity, we come in determined, we come in perseverant, and we come in calm. 

Well, guys, as always, be sharp, be safe, be vigilant. This is The Shakedown.