SYSRC Governance series: Good governance and Good Leadership:

Dear Residents of SYSRC:

Poor governance and poor leadership are at the root of almost every problem on this earth.  I have been a keen observer of both throughout my professional life.  When my kids were young, I used to be able to tell if a particular shift at McDonalds was being well led or not.  It was obvious in the service and demeanour of the staff behind the counter.  You receive better service from someone well led.

Of the public organizations I worked with, some were very successful and accomplished a lot and others, not so much.

The successful organizations all had the same features:

• They quickly determined what they wanted to be about and in doing so, adopted aspirational, imaginative and exciting visions and missions.
• They developed and applied strong and consistent guiding principles on how they were going to deal with each other and with the public they served.
• They focused on the total breadth of their responsibilities.
• They respected the various roles in the organizations, and each stayed in their own lanes.
• They avoided parochial attitudes and rather strove for the health of the whole organization/community.
• They valued and listened to the people they represented.
• They were good employers.
• Their employees respected the authority of the governing council and worked hard to implement the council’s vision and decisions.

We’ve all been part of organizations that work well, and those that don’t. What do you think is the key to success? Drop your thoughts in the comments or email me.

My next statement will be on Tuesday February 17^th as Monday is Family Day.

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful long weekend.

Don Ferguson
SYSRC Supervisor