Turn-by-Turn Directions
Bud’s Bar in Sedalia, Colorado is unpretentious and a favorite of locals. They serve mouth-watering cheeseburgers. To enjoy one of these juicy, handmade patties (or two), hurry on over to 5453 Manhart St. Sedalia, CO 80135.
Address not enough? Need more detail? Below are the turn-by-turn directions from Denver to Bud’s Bar.
In our last blog post, Turning Evidence Based Principles (EBP) into Policies, we discussed the third of the 5Ps, Policy. Your policies grow out of your Purpose and Principles and function as the primary rule book of your agency. The address above to Bud’s Bar is an example of a policy. It provides the end destination but hardly gives enough information to find the truck-filled, dirt parking in Sedalia with lots of neon lights in the front window. Without more specific directions, you may be left lost, frustrated, and hungry. The turn-by-turn directions are the procedures. Procedures are the individual steps to complete the task created by a policy.
Grey Matter
Rules must be interpreted. In fact, that is the primary role of the Judicial Branch of government. As clear as a policy may appear to one person, another person may have a different perspective, no doubt influenced by their own personal principles. While legal grey areas make for interesting debate over a Bud’s burger, confusion and individual interpretations in a community corrections agency creates chaos and, potentially, public safety concerns.
There are lots of excuses not to create standardized procedures:
- “It will create bureaucracy”
- “It limits creativity”
- “Smart people do not need them”
I am guilty of thinking (sometimes out loud) each of the above excuses. Disappointed to learn that people cannot read my mind, I learned that procedures are absolutely necessary. Of course they limit creativity in specific arenas. That is actually the point. A community corrections agency that allows multiple employees to make decisions on the fly is a disaster waiting to happen.
Black and White
If you have employees who love a good crisis and have the need to feel needed at all times, they will likely resist the idea of establishing clear procedures. We all enjoy being the “go to” person with all of the answers.
Want to feel less stressed and work fewer hours? A good set of written procedures is a good start. Begin the process with the following concepts:
- Get to the point (this is not an artistic exercise)
- Be specific (a vague procedure is worse than no procedure)
- List the order and process of behaviors (checklists and/or flowcharts are helpful)
And answer the following questions:
- WHEN: What triggers the behavior?
- WHAT: What needs to get done?
- WHO: Who needs to do it?
- WHERE: Where are the necessary forms and/or equipment?
- HOW: How exactly does one go about completing the task?
You Want Fries With That?
Next time you are in Colorado, with the benefit of the above turn-by-turn directions, stop by Bud’s Bar for a culinary experience. Enjoy the burger, but do not order fries with it. Printed in black and white on the menu are the words, “We don’t have no damn fries.” Cuts right through any potential confusion.
Read more in the series of The 5Ps of Community Corrections
- Community Corrections: Leading with Purpose
- Principle Centered Community Corrections
- Turning Evidence Based Principles (EBP) into Policies
- The 5Ps of Community Corrections: Procedures
- The 5Ps of Community Corrections: Practices
