Lessons Learned

The month of December marks my fourth month interning for the Town of Gilbert! Although I still have a few more months left in my internship, I have already gained some valuable insight.. After reflecting on my experience with the Town, one important principle I have learned throughout my time is: with great power comes great responsibility. Although this seems a very easy principle to understand, it often becomes very convoluted in our day-to-day operations. As local government leaders, it’s important to use your authority judiciously, and to not exercise power for the sake of doing so. If we are to truly act in the best interest of the community, we must know what government needs to be involved with, and what it does not. Government is often perceived as antiquated and difficult to work with; this perception requires local officials to act with transparency and prudency at all time. It can be difficult to determine when we should exercise power and when we should not, but we always need to fully evaluate the effects of our decisions before acting.

Meeting my Goals

When I began my internship in August, I outlined three specific goals for myself. The first goal was to develop an in-depth understanding of each department and to spend time assisting with their daily functions. Since I began working here, I have already assisted the Planning Department, Budget Department, and Communications Department. I understand most of the core functions of each of these departments and was able to get involved in completing some of their important deliverables. Despite my success in these areas, one department I have yet to become involved with yet is Economic Development. In the second part of my internship, I will focus on getting myself involved in project work for the Economic Development department. As of now, I would rate my success of this goal at 65%; I have accomplished what I set out to do, but there is room to expand upon my achievements.

                My second goal for this internship was to “become oriented with Town Council proceedings and help produce council agendas, council communications, council meetings, and council presentations”. Presently, I would state that I am on track to meet this goal. In January, I will be presenting twice to Council on the issues of mobile food vending and the Town’s bid-appeal process. Both of these issues will require that I draft council communications, prepare a staff report for e-session, and present my recommendations during a regularly scheduled council meeting. This process will provide the exposure I need to become more familiar with the council-staff relationship, as well as add significantly to my professional skills and experience.

                My third and final goal for my internship was to help formulate and develop performance management goals for each department. This goal required me to work with other staff members to create appropriate metrics and measurement techniques in an effort to gauge departmental success. This goal was accomplished when I assisted with the benchmarking process for the Communications and Legal Department. During the annual budgeting process, Gilbert undertook the practice of performance management and benchmarking. Through this process, I was able to help gather data, record metrics, and develop a portion of the report used for the Town’s FY 2014 – 2015 annual budget. My work with these departments has allowed me to meet my goal; however, I could always benefit from more hands-on experience in this practice area.

"Super"-vision

Working for the Town has afforded me the opportunity to have many mentors, all of which have helped with my growth and professional development. In particular, I would like to thank my supervisor for enriching my internship experience far beyond my expectations. Managing people is no easy task, but the ability to simultaneously coach and challenge others, requires great expertise. I can honestly say that I look forward to coming into work every day because I know my supervisor will guide me through any difficult situations I face. My supervisor is always available to provide the support and training I need for career success. An internship should be used to expand your horizons and my supervisor has helped establish my peer level network within the organization. She constantly encourages me to push outside my comfort zone and tackle new challenges. Being a good supervisor is creating a supportive and safe environment for employees to act independently and be creative, and I am not afraid to fail at any task because I know that is part of the process. When I conclude my internship with the Town, I know I will be prepared to take the next steps in my career, whatever that may be. The preparation and guidance I have received at Gilbert is unparalleled to any other employment experience I have had, and in large part, I have my supervisor to thank for that!    

Organizational Strengths

Organizational Strengths

          From an organizational standpoint, the Town of Gilbert has many strengths. Gilbert maintains a strong commitment to the organizations “mission, vision, and values”, which include being the best in class in all lines of service. The values of the organization are printed on each employees ID Badge, on the Town’s website, and on wall art throughout the workplace. The values the Town seeks to uphold are: integrity, respect, accountability, innovation, learning, and communication. Aside from a strong mission, vision, and values system, the Town maintains a unique approach to personnel management. The management style at Gilbert utilizes “coaching” opportunities when it pertains to employee discipline. Instead of making punishment and disciplinary action the first step in personnel management, Gilbert seeks to coach and mentor employees through problematic situations. Depending on the type of infraction, Gilbert will usually always seek to retain the employee, but modify their behavior through coaching/mentorship opportunities from senior staff members. Additionally, another strength of the organization is their “on the spot” program, which seeks to reward employees for their good deeds. Staff can submit “on the spot” awards for those who have gone out of their way to help another employee or a citizen. Overall, the Town offers a supportive environment that seeks to nurture and develop their employees to the best of their ability, creating an environment that encourages learning and creativity.  Gilbert gives a great deal of attention to engaging and managing personnel in the best possible manner, which has been one of the organizations greatest strengths.

"How to Successfully Interview" Webinar

            A few weeks ago, I attended the career services webinar on “How to Successfully Interview”. Even though I am still in the early stages of my career, I have been on several interviews already. I personally believe interviewing is a skill-set that can be developed and honed over time, which is why practicing is important. While I was familiar with most of the information being presented in the webinar, there were some points worth noting. During one part of the webinar, the need for a STAR story was discussed. A STAR story is one that tells: a Situation you were apart of; the Task at-hand; the Action you undertook; and the Results of the process. I think the STAR format would be a useful method for framing some of your career experience. Additionally, I found the statistics that were presented in the webinar very interesting. According to the webinar, 80% of recruiters want to see membership in a professional organization on your social media account. Furthermore, 61% of employers react negatively to profanity and other inappropriate posts and tweets. These statistics made me rethink some of my social media posts, and to exercise caution in regards to my social media activity.

Thanksgiving Holiday

            This week I am traveling to Hermosa Beach to visit my sister for Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to traveling and spending some time with my family and friends for the Holiday. My sister and I don’t cook often, but we have committed to making the stuffing and pumpkin pie this year (two very big staples), so wish us luck! After the thanksgiving holiday, I have roughly one week of class and assignments, and then the semester is finished! It will be nice to have a break from school to concentrate more on work, as well as other areas I haven’t been able to give as much attention to. More importantly, I am looking forward to spending time in Philadelphia with the rest of my family over the winter break. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Modern Day Public Service

How to Demonstrate Public Service?

At all levels, government should be providing some form of public service to its citizens; however, the type of service will vary dramatically depending on what level of government is involved. One of the reasons I became interested in pursuing a career in local government was because of the impact I could have on the community. Personally, I don’t feel that I could accomplish much at the state level, and even less at the federal level, which is why I have concentrated my efforts at the local level.

My experience in local government thus far has shown a changing landscape in regards to providing public service. Originally, local governments were formed to address infrastructure, safety, and health issues in the community. The need for building and fire codes, sanitary/sewer systems, safe roads, and open space were the early drivers for the enactment of public services. Ensuring and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the community, has always been the underlying goal of local government; however, as society has progressed and technology has improved, the role of government has shifted as well. Citizens now look to local government to demonstrate their commitment to public service in a manner that differs from those in prior decades. Current public service expectations include transparency; accountability; financial prudence; efficiency; and a commitment to ethics. These recent trends in public service have impacted Gilbert’s mission/model in several ways.

Gilbert’s mission is to be “best in class”, which is a commitment to effectively and efficiently serving residents and the businesses. The Town employs this mission by keeping some of the lowest utility and tax rates in the county. Additionally, financial prudence is exercised through the Town’s careful evaluation and implementation of municipal services and programs. Not being transparent with the use of taxpayer dollars has been a stumbling block for many communities and Gilbert makes a concerted effort to avoid any instances of impropriety. Publishing financial reports and documents, while taking accountability for any wrongdoing, is a key provision in providing the level of public service citizens desire.

This weekend I was able to spend time hiking and running outdoors, which is something I always enjoy! The weather is beautiful this time of the year, and I am certainly enjoying the fact that I am not still living in a cold-weather climate. I was also able to catch up with some friends this weekend as well, which has been increasingly difficult with my recent school and work commitments. Most importantly, I submitted my midterm for one of my classes this week, which only serves as a reminder of how fast the semester is going, and how little stands between me and my graduate degree!

Leadership in Local Government

Interview with Gabriel Engeland - Town of Gilbert, AZ

As an intern for the Town Manager’s office in Gilbert, I have several supervisors; however, there are three staff members that I interact with the most. All three staff members function as an Assistant-to the Town Manager and perform a variety of duties. For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to interview Gabriel Engeland, who fills one of the Assistant-to the Town Manager positions. Gabe has been with the Town for approximately 18 months and plays a pivotal role in the Town’s day-to-day operations.  When I asked Gabe to describe his main job responsibilities he noted that he is basically a generalist, which means that he works on a variety of tasks that can involve a multitude of departments. Some of his current responsibilities include policy drafting, economic development agreements, long range infrastructure planning, and staff process improvements. Although Gabe is involved with many different functions of the Town’s operations, internally and externally, his ultimate responsibility is to implement the will of the Council and the Town Manager.

Although Gabe has excelled during his time at Gilbert, he didn’t originally envision a career in local government for himself. Early in his career, when Gabe was living and working in Detroit, he spent a significant amount of time working with nonprofits. Through his interaction with the nonprofits, Gabe found himself getting frustrated with local government operations and began to ponder methods to improve their processes and procedures. The difficulty Gabe encountered in his dealings with local governments and nonprofits inspired him to pursue a Masters in Public Administration at Kansas University.

According to Gabe, and most employers, a Masters in Public Administration (or a closely related degree) is a necessary qualification for anyone aspiring to a career in local government management. Although an MPA is a crucial first step, students need to couple their education with an internship or fellowship with a public agency. Finally, after a few years in the profession, local government professionals should seek to add economic development experience to their resume. While working in economic development is valuable, Gabe also highly recommends attaining an Economic Development Certification/Accreditation. Having these qualifications will make any applicant extremely attractive to any community.

In closing my interview with Gabe, he imparted some important advice for any person in the field. He stressed the importance of staying focused on process improvements and the progress being made in the community. In his words, if you don’t focus on the positive aspects of your work, the negative comments and rhetoric can become burdensome. Gabe’s words sum up my interest and rationale for entering the public service profession. Maintaining zeal for the public service profession can be difficult amongst a worker’s daily challenges, but if you feel compelled to serve for the betterment of the community, you know you have found the right profession. Even though I have only been in my internship for two months, I derive meaning and satisfaction from my work, and am fairly confident that I will spend the rest of my career in the public service profession.

Weekend Activities

This weekend I was able to attend Oktoberfest, which was set up at Tempe Beach Park. Every year it seems that Oktoberfest grows in size and magnitude, and this year was no exception. There was no entrance fee, which was a nice perk when compared to the Oktoberfest that was held at Salt River Fields this past weekend. There were plenty of rides, games, fun foods, and alcoholic beverages. While I did not get a chance to enjoy a funnel cake or corndog, I did get to sample some seasonal beer and wines. Overall, I thought the event was well operated and it provided a great source of entertainment for all ages. And while I’m not sure of the exact dollar amount, I am sure that the event provided a nice revenue boost to Tempe’s local economy too!

The Role of Leadership

Leadership plays a crucial role in my internship because I work in leader-centric environment. Almost every organization has a president, CEO, or some type of leader that is responsible for making decisions on behalf of the organization and its employees, and local government is no different. However, the leadership model in local government is two-fold in that it is mostly generated from the Manager and the Council. The Council consists of an elected body of leaders that are selected based on their ideology and capacity to represent the constituents of their community. It is the Council’s objective to set directives on local policy, while the Manager is responsible for leading and directing employees to carry out the will of the Council, while protecting and promoting the health, safety, and welfare of the community. There is also a third rail of leadership in local government, which is produced by the citizens, businesses, and local agencies. These stakeholders are often responsible for leading other community members, business owners, and agencies, to the accomplishment of a shared goal.

Although I am only an intern, I have already been given the latitude to exercise a leadership role. Presently, I am leading an internal working group that will seek to develop policy and regulations for mobile food vending (food truck operations) in Gilbert. My supervisors have pushed me to develop this aspect of my professional skills and often lead me through their own actions. Whether leadership qualities are innate or developed through professional experience, every manager needs to be comfortable leading both staff and the community as a whole.     

Writing a "Winning" Resume

Career Services Webinar

One of our assignments this semester is to utilize the webinars/workshops offered by ASU's Career Services. The overall goal of Career Services is to assist current students and alumni with their career and professional development. This goal is accomplished by offering career advising, educational opportunities, and access to internships and career fairs, amongst other services. Since it has been a few years since I earned my undergraduate degree, I have already spent a substantial amount of time in the workforce. Given my established work history in my current profession (urban planning/public administration), much of what Career Services has to offer is not as beneficial to me. However, prior to graduation, I will need to revise my resume to reflect my more recent work experience, as well as the completion of my graduate degree. Since I will be updating my resume in the coming months, I decided to attend a webinar on resume writing. The webinar I attended was "How to Write a Winning Resume" and it was approximately one hour long. Overall, I was already familiar with most of the information presented in the webinar; however, I did learn some interesting tips along the way. Some of the most interesting information presented in the webinar was a list of the most desirable skills a candidate could possess. According to the webinar, employers value a potential employees communication skills the most, with initative, adaptability, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical, and teamwork skills also being important. Furthermore, the webinar noted that when describing you work experience, your accomplishments should start with a verb and they should demonstrate the purpose for performing each duty you listed. Prior to attending the webinar, I never thought to describe my work experience in that manner, nor had I thought to include my social media skills, which the webinar cited as becoming increasingly important to employers.

ICMA's 99th Annual Conference - Recap

This past week I attended the International City/County Managers Association's (ICMA) annual conference in Boston, MA. In my previous blog post, I described how I was fortunate enough to be afforded this opportunity through my fellowship, and how I was looking forward to attending the conference. Now that the conference has concluded, I thought I would provide a small recap of the week's events. The major themes of the conference appeared to be mobile technology and mobile applications; women in leadership; creating work-life balance; using open data; and responding to traumatic events or natural disasters in the community. The sessions were mostly informative, but some of them were not described well in the conference program. The keynote speakers were great additions to the conference and presented a lot of useful information that could be applied to anyone in the profession. One of the speakers, Ann Cuddy, spoke about the use of body language, and how practicing dominant body language can increase our testosterone, decrease our cortisol levels (stress hormones), and lead to increased professional performance. The conference was held at the Hynes Convention Center in Downtown Boston, which provided for a memorable experience. During my down time, I was able to network with other students and managers from across the U.S., as well as explore the city! One of the major highlights was attending the ACMA (Arizona City/County Managers Association) reception, which was held on a yacht that cruised the Boston Harbor during the evening hours. All in all, Boston was an amazing experience that added greatly to my professional and personal development, and I look forward to attending next year's conference in Charlotte!

Work-Life Balance

One of the topics that was presented during the ICMA conference was the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Although I know how important it is to sustain your mental and physical health, I never really gave much thought about what I do to maintain this balance. The seminars on this topic discussed how important it is to not feel guilty about taking care of ourselves; you cannot perform your job duties to the best of your ability if you are not mentally or physically healthy. These sessions made me realize that in order to be an effective and productive worker, I need to be sure that all aspects of my life are being appropriately managed, and that I should not feel selfish when addressing those needs. Moving forward, I think I will dedicate more time to my hobbies and engaging in activities I enjoy (reading, traveling, exercising, etc.). When you have multiple employers and attend school full time, it seems wasteful to spend time on recreational or non-vital activities. Most of time is spent working or doing schoolwork, which is a sacrifice I have been willing to make for the past 14 months; however, I do think I can spend a little more time doing activities I find enjoyable. Presently, I have made a plan to devote at least 3 hours a week to doing activities I enjoy and I'm hoping I can stick to this new schedule.

My Future in Local Government

While I was in Boston for the conference, the winners of the primary election for the candidates running in the 2013 Mayoral race were announced. For the first time in over 20 years, Boston will be electing a new mayor. Incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino has declined to run for reelection for the first time in six consecutive terms. Their were 12 candidates in the primary election, with Marty Walsh and John R. Connolly winning the majority of votes and becoming the two candidates to advance to the general election on November 5th. The attention surrounding the election made me think more deeply about what type of local government system I want to work in after graduation. The council-management form of government is most predominant in the western and southern united states, and places a greater emphasis on the manager's role int the community. On the contrary, the northeast united states will utilize the strong-mayor form of local government. This type of administration involves the mayor having a much greater role in the policy and administrative decisions in the community.The city manager role and the chief administrative officer position have very similar job responsibilities, but ultimately, there are distinguishable differences between the two positions. Most likely, the geographic location I choose to work in will determine what type of local government system I will work in, but before I select a location, I need to decide what role I am more comfortable taking on.

A day in the life of an intern...

The Town of Gilbert

The Town of Gilbert was founded in 1891 and incorporated in 1920. As of 2008, the Town's population was estimated around 206,000, with population levels expected to exceed 280,000 by year 2020. The Town is one of the top-five employers for the community, with approximately 1,270 staff members. Local governments are in the business of providing services to residents and businesses that include public safety (police & fire services), utility services, trash and recycling collection, licensing and permitting services, recreation activities, library services, and other neighborhood programs, to name a few.

Throughout my internship, I will be placed in the Town Manager's Office, which is tasked with overseeing the daily operations and administrative functions of the Town. Gilbert has one Town Manager, one Deputy Town Manager, and three Assistant to the Town Manager positions (ATM's). My immediate supervisor will be one of the ATM's and most of my work will pertain to the Manager's Office or ancillary departments. Currently, Gilbert is allowing me to choose most of my projects, and therefore, I will have the opportunity to develop a well-rounded resume by diversifying my experience with various departments. During my time at Gilbert, I hope to gain more experience with local government finance, particularly budgetary functions, as well as a general understanding of the functions of three major departments: Public Works, HR, and Economic Development.

Current Projects

One of my current projects is to assist with Gilbert's Performance Management initiative. This initiative is being spearheaded by the Budget Department, but requires involvement and participation from all departments. One aspect of performance management is to create performance measures for each department in an effort to assess whether each department is meeting their stated goals and objectives, as well as measure outputs and efficiency. Benchmarking is one tool used in performance measurement and it allows Gilbert to compare itself to other communities that are similar in size and scope. Currently, I am conducting research on benchmarks established for the Communications Department to ascertain how Gilbert's Communications efforts compare to other communities. Specific measures include social media use, press releases, public involvement, newsletters, mobile applications, and manager/mayor communication. The results of my work will be sent to the Budget Department to assess Gilbert's communications efforts, specifically what the department is doing well, what needs to be improved, and options to explore.

Although there is no 'typical day' at this internship, it is likely that I will be attending anywhere from 1 to 4 meetings each day. The topic of each meeting varies, but every week I attend Executive Team meetings, as well as monthly ATM meetings, and Long Range Infrastructure Planning Meetings. Additionally, there are also Council Study Sessions and bi-weekly Town Council Meetings; however, for the most part, I spend my days working on my current project list. Recently, Gilbert switched to a four-10's schedule, where staff works Monday-Thursday, from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Although the days can be long, I have found that I am able to be more productive with the extended hours. Since people are working more hours in a day, commuting delays, lunch breaks, and other time commitments have less of an impact on the work day. Lunch hours start at 11:00 am and typically go until 1:30 pm. For a normal 8 to 5 schedule, the lunch hours reduce the work day to  5.5-6 hours; however, when you work extended hours, you are still left with 8 full work hours even after the lunch break.

 

Travel to Boston - ICMA 99th Annual Conference

Next weekend I will be traveling with my supervisor and a few other Gilbert staff members to Boston for the annual ICMA conference. The International City Managers Association is the professional and educational association for local government administrators. They are an international organization that is well respected in the community of local government management. Last year, the conference was held in Phoenix and I was able to attend sessions in between classes. The conference drew thousands of local government professionals and vendors, and was a highly valuable experience. I have not visited Boston in several years, so I am looking forward to rediscovering the city, as well as all of the networking and learning opportunities that will be provided through the conference.

Introductions

Hello Everyone!

This semesters marks the beginning of my second year in the MPA program! I decided to get my masters in public administration because I am interested in pursuing a career in local government. More specifically, I hope to assume the role of the city manager for a community with a population range of 200,000-500,000 people. My degree concentration is in urban management and the associated coursework has provided valuable exposure to various managers and industry professionals. Although I am a Pennsylvania native, I previously earned my Bachelors Degree in Urban Planning from ASU as well, in May 2011. Returning to ASU to earn my master's degree has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience, but ultimately, I am looking forward to concluding my studies and graduating in May 2014.

My interest in public administration stemmed from my experience in the planning field. After graduation, I began working for a large consulting firm that provides engineering, architecture, planning, design, and environmental services. Through my time with this firm, I was able to better understand private-sector development by working on commercial retail and restaurant projects. After spending a few months working in this field, I realized that I cared more about the welfare of my local community than my company's bottom line, which is why I applied to graduate school to pursue a career in local government. I identify with the objectives of local government and look forward to making a positive difference in any community I serve. Personally, I feel a strong need to fulfill my role as a public servant and to have a meaningful impact on the health, prosperity, and well-being of the citizens I serve. Ultimately, I believe I can accomplished these objectives and more through a longstanding career in city management.

3 Goals for this Internship

Cumulatively, I have 31 months of internship experience, not counting my present placement with the Town of Gilbert. These internships have been with the Housing and Community Development Office of a county agency in Pennsylvania, a natural gas distribution company in Arizona, and with a local government think-tank. Although I have completed several internships prior to beginning this one with the Town of Gilbert, I have different objectives for this position. This will be my first internship working directly in the Manager's office and I plan to use that placement to achieve the following three goals:

1.) Develop an in-depth understanding of each Departments (Public Works, Economic Development, Parks & Recreation, Budget, etc.) functions and operations, and spend time assisting in each area.

2.) Become oriented with Town Council proceedings and help produce council agendas, council communications, council meetings, and council presentations.

3.) Help formulate and develop performance management goals for each department. Work with other staff to create appropriate metrics and measurement techniques to gauge the progress of each department.

Ultimately, I believe these goals will be challenging, but attainable. If I am able to accomplish these goals, they should serve to fill existing gaps in my resume and add significantly to my professional development. I am only three weeks into my present internship, but feel very comfortable becoming engaged in the organization. Even though I will only be placed in this internship until May, I am determined to make the most of this opportunity!