I started my career in city management in a town of about 2,000 people with 24 employees. I knew them all by name and face. That was Norris, Tennessee in 1988. Today, I have, depending on the day, 295-300 co-workers working three shifts. 24-7, as the police and fire services like to say. It’s a challenge to know all of them by name and face, but I give it my best effort.
I have been getting out of my office over the past couple of weeks to visit department and division staff meetings. I meet them. They meet me. We talk about what’s going on in their workplaces. I tell them about the budget for 2005; the upcoming elections; discuss City construction projects; and talk about our new City Work Plan and the new Operational Reviews we’ve been doing.
I met with Building Inspectors last week. I met with Street and Fleet maintenance workers this morning. I’ll meet with all three shifts of police officers at their pre-shift briefing. I’ll meet with engineers, facilities, parks workers, assessors, etc. down the line. We have a diverse work force. It’s interesting to meet with them and hear about the projects they are working on.
It’s simple stuff. Talking to people, especially co-workers, is an important, and often over-looked, skill in the workplace. Listening to co-workers is the only thing that might be more important. You can only do so much communication through e-mail and memo. You just can’t substitute that good old face to face discussion.
