Luis Briceno

Professor Richmond

Rec 421

March 13, 2017

Ryan Cordero: Fish & Game Warden Lieutenant

For my professional interview assignment, I decided to choose a person who had a career

that combined my interest and my major. I aspire to join law enforcement when I finish college

but I am a Recreation major because of my secondary interest. I was referred to Ryan Cordero by

my professors. Ryan is hired by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife as a Warden, and

has the overall position as Lieutenant. Having a position that high up, I was very eager to get in

contact with him, not only for the assignment, but to get his personal insight on this career that

has sparked interest in my head. I never considered the department of Fish & Wildlife because of

my dream of enforcing the law on the road such as a state trooper, but I have a strong passion for

outdoor activities and Ryans positions matches it perfectly. I was able to connect some of the

characteristics of Ryans authoritative position with recreational leaders management theories.

Ryan Cordero is a Fish and Game Warden hired by the State of California department of

Fish and Wildlife. As a Lieutenant, he has many priorities to take care of throughout the day on-

duty and off. I contacted him and it took him some time before he responded to me with his

contact info. I requested to meet with him in person to make my interview more formal and

professional but due to his schedule we had to plan an over-the-phone interview. When we were

able to talk, he was very helpful and willing to answer my questions. His tone of voice set the

character of his position in my head. He explained everything I needed to know. He joined the

Wardens Academy at age of 22 after he got a college degree of Anthropology and

Environmental science. He then got promoted to lieutenant by the age of 28. Although the Dept.

is statewide, he was stationed in the LA, OC, San Bernardino and Catalina Island areas.

Currently he has only been a Lieutenant for about a year now and his position differs a little from

the wardens. He told me as a traditional warden, their job objective is to enforce the Fish &

Game Codes as well as the California state laws. They patrol all types of landforms throughout

the state with different methods of movement. Ryan usually spend most of his shifts in the

coastal areas on boat, and occasionally on the backcountry patrolling by truck. Depending on the

area, they utilize helicopters, atvs and also patrol on foot. They have special training to help

them patrol in a natural setting while being prepared with self-defense and weapon skills due to

many encounters they can have with criminals. The wardens are usually on the front line while

Ryan supervises as an over watch on the field.

To become a lieutenant you much move up with time and experience. There are three

ranges to the warden position which take about two years each then the ranking system

determines who is the most qualified the provide leadership with a higher position. As a

lieutenant, Ryan supervises 5 wardens and is a 1st line supervisor. His primary responsibility is to

supervise the wardens core essentials such as directly supervise/evaluate their work, review

reports, and direct details. His management style is influenced by the standards that his

government job demands. According to the textbook, the 14 principles of management by Henri

Farol, deals with the administrative side of management in an organization (Hurd 22). His

management is parallel because it involves principles of the theory such as the division of labor

with being positioned dispersedly throughout the state, the authority earned with position rank,

and unity of direction with the common goal being the enforcement of codes/laws. These

principles also help support the image that he is part of a bureaucracy. They must follow certain
protocols to enforce the laws, there is a hierarchy of ranks such as Ryans Lieutenant Position,

and the interpersonal relationships the officers develop to be able to work as a team to work

more effectively are example of how the theory of bureaucracy fits perfectly (Hurd 23).

He explained how important leadership is in his position. Good leadership represents

more success with their missions. Although the leadership trait may be a natural trait for some,

the eight-month academy teaches most wardens interpersonal characteristics such as

decisiveness, being diplomatic, creativity, and assertiveness that will help them lead better. He

explained to me that many of his leadership traits are influenced by the model the department

sets with the protocols, but hes also made his leadership ideology more open. His personal

leadership principle is to lead by example but develop relationships which is the transformational

leadership theory. He inspires and motivate his wardens to work with high professionalism and

to direct themselves and community leaders. Ryan dictates work methods along with deciding

unilateral decisions through Autocratic leadership but also practices the lassiez-faire leadership

style of giving his wardens freedom to dictate decisions on the field (Hurd 15). Although he is

constantly making decisions that oversee his wardens, he has them patrol their own was which

means they will conduct themselves with different but similar idea of leadership towards the

community. This categorizes Ryan in the team leader structure in the Ohio State Study due to

his ability to create his team into a driving force while maintaining authority (Hurd 17). It was

very clear that the biggest factor to be successful and qualified is to build and have strong

leadership skills.

Throughout the interview, he emphasized how being a leader is the top quality in this

position. He gave me advice to build my headship skills in order to gain a more authoritative

persona. Leading by example ultimately helps you strengthen other skills because of the
responsibility of being the model for the lower ranks. It was a great learning opportunity to get

the facts straight from a high-rank positions. He gave me suggestions on how to obtain his

position from my career path and he opened my mind to the idea of searching for an internship

within the department. He helped me understand that recreation and law enforcement, coincide

in ways. The skills I am obtaining with recreation, such as administration & supervision, are

transferable to other careers. Ive believe using the skillset that I have with my major, interest,

and goals will make me an excellent candidate for law enforcement positions such as jobs within

the department of Fish and Wildlife. Networking and getting advice from a professional like

Lieutenant Cordero, his going to be very beneficial for my future career.

 Works Cited

Hurd, A., Barcelona, R. & Meldrum, J. (2008). Leisure services management. Champaign, IL:

Human Kinetics.