AST Digital Magazine October 2017 Digital-Oct | Page 17

Volume 17
October 2017 Edition
What Corporate Executives Can Learn from the U.S.
Marshals Service
By Lenny DePaul, Joseph Calandro, Jr. and Eric Trowbridge
Lenny DePaul served as commander of the NY/NJ RFTF and Chief Inspector of the Marshals Service from 2002 to 2013,
and Command Center Investigator from “Hunted” (Courtesy of CBS)
Imagine you’re a law enforcement officer, and
that you and your partner have cornered a
dangerous fugitive.
Just as you’re about to handcuff him, his twelve-
year old daughter emerges from a side door with
a gun pointed straight at your partner yelling, “Let
my daddy go!”
What do you do?
This is the kind of question you might be asked
if you apply for a job with the U.S. Marshals Ser-
vice.
There’s no one correct answer: If you shoot the
child, how would you deal with the news head-
line, “Deputy Marshal Shoots Twelve-year-old
Armed with a Water Pistol”?
Alternatively, you might try to talk to the girl, and
ask her to put the gun down. But, if she shoots
and kills your partner, how would you explain
your decision to his (or her) family?
The ability to handle such “no-win” situations is
critical to any decision-maker.
That’s why the Marshals distinctive take on strat-
egy, leadership, and talent selection is so fasci-
nating.
And as the Marshals strive to gain an edge on
fugitives, its approach to selecting motivated em-
ployees, gaining an information advantage, and
making the most of finite resources are equally
interesting, and useful to corporate executives.
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