Changing your Ways

Wasted Honor -

Carl R. ToersBijns is the author of the Wasted Honor Trilogy [Wasted Honor I,II and Gorilla Justice] and his newest book From the Womb to the Tomb, the Tony Lester Story, which is a reflection of his life and his experiences as a correctional officer and a correctional administrator retiring with the rank of deputy warden in the New Mexico and Arizona correctional systems.

Carl also wrote a book on his combat experience in the Kindle book titled - Combat Medic - Men with destiny - A red cross of Valor -

Carl is considered by many a rogue expert in the field of prison security systems since leaving the profession. Carl has been involved in the design of many pilot programs related to mental health treatment, security threat groups, suicide prevention, and maximum custody operational plans including double bunking max inmates and enhancing security for staff. He invites you to read his books so you can understand and grasp the cultural and political implications and influences of these prisons. He deals with the emotions, the stress and anxiety as well as the realities faced working inside a prison. He deals with the occupational risks while elaborating on the psychological impact of both prison worker and prisoner.

His most recent book, Gorilla Justice, is an un-edited raw fictional version of realistic prison experiences and events through the eyes of an anecdotal translation of the inmate’s plight and suffering while enduring the harsh and toxic prison environment including solitary confinement.

Carl has been interviewed by numerous news stations and newspapers in Phoenix regarding the escape from the Kingman prison and other high profile media cases related to wrongful deaths and suicides inside prisons. His insights have been solicited by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and various other legal firms representing solitary confinement cases in California and Arizona. He is currently working on the STG Step Down program at Pelican Bay and has offered his own experience insights with the Center of Constitutional Rights lawyers and interns to establish a core program at the SHU units. He has personally corresponded and written with SHU prisoners to assess the living conditions and how it impacts their long term placement inside these type of units that are similar to those in Arizona Florence Eyman special management unit where Carl was a unit deputy warden for almost two years before his promotion to Deputy Warden of Operations in Safford and Eyman.

He is a strong advocate for the mentally ill and is a board member of David's Hope Inc. a non-profit advocacy group in Phoenix and also serves as a senior advisor for Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council in Chino, California As a subject matter expert and corrections consultant, Carl has provided interviews and spoken on national and international radio talk shows e.g. BBC CBC Lou Show & TV shows as well as the Associated Press.

I use sarcasm, satire, parodies and other means to make you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Changing your Ways

What is the most important thing about motivating employees and what can you do to make it better? There are many advantages to having motivated employees and how they feel is a direct link to better performance and at the same time be smiling and happy about their jobs during times of change. Knowing what employees want and what makes them happy is one key to success and should be explored if you are suffering from poor productivity or reduced morale.

There is no doubt that today’s workplace is a volatile, turbulent and unpredictable environment. Sometimes it borders on chaos and yet through it all, you are expected to full fill your duties and complete the job so that the mission is successful. Motivating people can improve performance and attitudes but what has to accompany this method used to motivate you is something people have to believe in to be true and sincere otherwise it may backfire and told to be just another manipulated ploy to get you to work for less and do more with less.

First you must be sure that the systems you have in place are in good working order. You may have to see if you are fat (overstaffed) at the top and flat (understaffed) on the bottom. Being flat at the bottom may create insecurity and low morale. If you don’t give employees what they think they want then you will never see them perform at their fullest ability unless you can motivate them into a higher state of mind and expectation.

Motivated people strive hard to achieve goals, remain positive in their perspective and create the inner power to change things around them. They become better workers as they build their self-esteem and confidence increasing their capabilities to do the job and more. Finally they will begin to seek room for improvements and work hard on managing and developing their own growth and career plans.

The other end of the spectrum are the disadvantages of motivating staff as they may begin to see barriers that existed all the time but hardly noticed. Although not a real disadvantage by definition of the word it does bring awareness to other dynamics in the workplace that may need to be addressed in order to accomplish successful change.

There may be a need to better train managers or supervisors, improve the workplace or surroundings and update or upgrade the equipment used to get the work done and give them better tools to work with as their attitudes change for the good of all as well as everyone working there.

Overcoming barriers when motivating others includes traditional comments such as “we don’t get paid extra to work harder” and “we have always done it this way” and slowly the list gets longer as “our bosses don’t have a clue what we do” and their favorite complaint that “it doesn’t say that in my job description.” Such views will take persuasion, perseverance, and the proof of experience to break down.