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Dr. Randy Garner:

“Tough Times Never Last;

Tough Leaders Do”

r. Randy Garner knows a thing or two about Pay attention to facial expressions and body language.
leadership. An associate dean in the College If the leader appears nervous, others will become
Dof Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State nervous. “Every word, everything you do, every move-
University, Dr. Garner has served as an instructor for ment… are going to be cues for other people to deter-
all 37 classes of the National Jail Leadership Command mine whether or not you are being sincere… and if you
Academy. He also has written books about social influ- have that authenticity of the moment that we need.”
ence, persuasion, and leadership.
On the conference’s final day, Dr. Garner shared Give the situation perspective. Take all available
his thoughts on crisis leadership. During his presenta- information and put it into a historical context. Search
tion “Tough Times Never Last; Tough Leaders Do,” for relevant events in the past to help predict future
he offered the following tips for successful leadership actions. “Our understanding of previous events helps
during difficult times. us and guides us in how we are looking forward. It
grounds what is very difficult to understand into some-
Be visible and available. The faster you do this, the thing that is rooted in the past.”
fewer rumors and stories you will need to deal with Perspective is built from facts and figures—as well
later. “When people don’t know something, they will as from all experiences, not just those similar to the cur-
make it up, and they’ll fill in that void or fill in that rent situation. “Quite frankly, you can find somewhat
gap.” unrelated events of the past that may actually have
Seeing the leader on the ground can be critical. some sort of relevance for the current circumstance that
Authenticity is important. “I can tell if you really care we find ourselves in.”
about me or if you are just dialing it in. I can tell if you In closing, Dr. Garner talked about the goal of a
are really leading from your heart and trying to help or great leader: To make others better as a result of your
if you’re just someone who is doing paint by numbers.”
presence and to make sure that impact lasts in your
absence. Leadership isn’t about what you achieve for
Communicate supportively, carefully, and regu- yourself; it’s about what you achieve for others.
larly. During difficult times, everyone wants to get “Tough times aren’t going to last, but honest, fair,
some sort of understanding of what is going on. “If competent, ethical, vision-seeking, tough leaders do,”
you don’t know, say so, but then figure out how to he said. 
deal with the situation. Remember, your goal here is to
provide an open ear and a firm shoulder that people
can lean on.”
Give as much information as possible as soon as

you can and be credible. Deal in facts and avoid spin. If you weren’t
“I can tell whether you’re being truly empathetic and
you think this is really important, or if you’re just doing registered for the
some kind of PR thing.”

conference, turn to
Control your behavior and actions. Leaders have
their own reactions, fears, concerns, and need for page 14 for information
answers. Sort fact from fiction; take time to be calm
and clear. “You might need to take a pause yourself, on how to access
because when things are flying around and events are

happening quickly, you don’t want to come out and the workshop and
appear to be flustered. So control your own self, control
your emotions as best you can.”
session content.

40 | JULY | AUGUST 2021 AMERICANJails