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!