Fifth Day
SYSRC Governance series: Establishing guiding principles for Councillors and Mayor’s conduct:
Dear Residents of SYSRC:
I find that having strong principles that guide one’s conduct is a must in order to deliver effective governance and leadership. What those principles are depends on the individual and the situation and they can be established personally or for a group.
What are examples of good guiding principles:
- Having a strong belief in relationship building
- Seeking mutual respect in all dealings
- Believing that consensus is better
- Always trying to understand the other person’s perspective
- Understanding the community and its peculiarities
- Respecting the various roles in the organization (elected and non-elected officials)
- Seeking a win-win for all parties
- Being a good team player
- Modelling transparency and honesty
- Having no hidden agenda
- Knowing that no one size fits all
- Seeking compromise and common ground to the extent possible
- Being fair and impartial
- Realizing when you are not the expert
- Respecting authority
Having strong positive principles guiding the way you work with others will never ever fail you. This exercise is worth doing in all circumstances. These principles can instil a strong culture of teamwork and decorum, and both are very important. It is important to model good behaviour, civility and respect for different points of view.
The next statement will deal on council responsibilities and how to deliver on them.
Don Ferguson
Supervisor SYSRC