ABSTRACT
From childhood neglect and alcoholic parents, a former prison governor who is passionate about offering hope, job prospects and a chance to break cycles of reoffending, offers his insights on how to be an effective leader in a prison context. Through self-reflection and beneath the surface thinking, this leader accesses how executive coaching helped him perform optimally at work and how his difficult upbringing can be leveraged to enhance his success as a leader. The author Rachel Ellison brings to this incisive case study her own psychoanalytic interpretations so that leaders from all industry sectors and disciplines can learn and apply ideas evoked by the text.
Themes in this chapter include prison life, repeat offending, criminal justice and police systems, respect, power, debt and despair. There are ideas around rehabilitation, redemption, judgement and hope. A metaphor around the meaning and purpose of a prison is turned upside down during a prison riot where a fire means letting the prisoners out rather than locking them in. The leader talks about how to empower others to learn how to lead in emergencies, balancing when to be directive and when to be non-directive. The pressure in sometimes life-threatening situations means strategies for rest and relaxation in order to avoid burn out are essential.
