The September issue of County Progress highlights County and District Clerks. How often do you visit yours? How often do you engage their staffs and try to really understand all the hats they wear in their offices? Their struggles and their victories? Their limitations and their needs?
Of course, we know the basic duties of each office, and we are in a unique position to have a default relationship with the other electeds in our respective counties, but how often do we make an attempt to “take a walk in their shoes?”
Earlier this year, I graduated from the TAC 254 Leadership program. It was an incredible experience (which I highly recommend) with a sampling of all the county elected offices. The class included two of us from each office from all corners of the State. It was awesome, over the course of about 14 months, to compare the offices we hold to this group of peers by geography, by duty, by county “style,” by personality type, by leadership style, etc.
We also engaged in an exercise where we played the role of another elected, and we were forced to think through issues from a perspective other than our own.
As Judges and Commissioners, I think this is a healthy way to gain perspective into the niches of expertise that our fellow electeds have. We all have a role in county government that is basically outlined in the State Constitution, but when the rubber meets the road, there’s definitely room for interpretation, application, and each person’s individual vision and style for each office.
Intentionally getting to know these folks and their staffs and understanding the important role they play in carrying out the business and duties of our communities is so important, and this goes for more than just the fellow electeds. It is important to do the same with the other department heads, as well. The more we do this, the better we are able to serve our citizens by breaking down the “silo’” mentality and working as a team that essentially serves the same group of residents; we serve better when we serve together.
It should go without saying that if the only times we see clerks are during their essential duties, during a class at a conference, or during budget season, then we should ask more of ourselves and each other, don’t you think?
