I think that the current 'Government Shutdown of 2013' is an interesting time to be thinking about leadership, specifically leadership in the public setting of the government. Although, I think that there are a few things that need to be differentiated between what is going on in the federal setting and the role of municipal government.
There are many who lump government together as one entity...POTUS and the City Mayor are the same, your council members are to blame for what takes place in the house, etc. Civic engagement is something that I am spending a lot of time looking at in my current position and it's fascinating to see how few people pay attention. Right now, the whole world is looking at the United States and are in an uproar about what is taking place. But still people have absolutely no clue about what is going on (take note with this lovely example).
That snip it aside, the public reaction can be summed up in one statement: Our leaders aren't leading for the People.
What is leadership? Peter Decker said "management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." In this instance, our federal leaders aren't really appearing to be managing and they certainly aren't leading. Yes, there is a need to make sure that what passes is correct for the constituents, however, being stubborn isn't the answer either.
That is one of the things that I find so wonderful about being involved at the city level. Leadership and management take on a different role. Sadly, citizens don't get involved enough to know the difference.
In Casa Grande, I truly believe that the city is run by leaders. The Council and the Mayor run in a way that benefits their constituents and the staff works in the same manner. I was given ample opportunity to showcase leadership skills through the freedom and flexibility I was provided in my time with the City. The freedom, as an intern, to be allowed (and expected) to do my job, and do it well, however I saw fit for the task at hand, allowed me to put my experience as a leader to use. I was surrounded by individuals who did their job not just because it was "in their job description" but because they were civically minded with their citizens best interest in mind.
Great job Cassie!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're finding passion in your work with the City of Casa Grande. And your right leadership does exist, its everywhere in small organizations, local businesses, and municipal government sadly people are either too busy or too marginalized to care.
This is a great post! DC is in chaos right now and a lot of people are upset with American leadership. In times like this it is a lot easier to be involved at the city or state level. There is so much uncertainty here, I never saw this while I was working in Arizona for the Senate. I'm going to be so relieved when this whole mess finally gets worked out. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I completely agree that our citizens have no idea what is going on and that troubles me. Do you believe compulsory voting would help citizens be more involved in polics? This law exists in a couple different countries, Australia being one of them. Let me know your thoughts on this.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Lee
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