By @Kristin Withrow, CSDA Communications Specialist
At the 2024 General Manager Leadership Summit, keynote speaker John Spence delivered an exceptional keynote address that inspired the audience and provided invaluable insight into leadership strategies for special districts. Renown for his expertise in strategic thinking, he went one step further with a breakout session and comprehensive reference materials. This article stems from one component of his workbook, ‘How to be a More Strategic Thinker.’
Under the broad category of strategic thinking in organizational leadership lies its people. The people who work in special districts are the fundamental pillars of the organization. Effectively managing talent and fostering a positive organizational culture are crucial to instill the teamwork required for districts to achieve their missions and serve their communities effectively.
Special districts navigate complex regulatory environments and serve diverse populations. Developing the type of teamwork that is flexible, accountable and reliable is critical to success.
Key Elements of Talent Management
1. Attraction: Special districts must attract individuals with the right skills and cultural fit. Taking the time to develop a strong brand that highlights the missions, values and benefits of working at the agency is important. With positive word-of-mouth and competitive pay and benefits, the organization should find success in recruitment channels, including job fairs, and online boards such as CSDA’s career center.
2. Development: Continuous professional development is crucial to build functional skills, but don’t discount the importance of soft skills. Learning to be a team player, to be introspective or enhance emotional intelligence all result in increased productivity. Additionally, the investment in professional development creates pride in the workplace.
3. Retention: To retain talent and reduce turnover, districts must create an environment where employees feel valued and engaged. This includes fostering a culture of recognition, pride in the work performed, promoting work-life balance and a positive culture where employees are happy to come to work.
Creating a Positive Organizational Culture
A positive organizational culture enhances employee satisfaction, promotes innovation, and drives performance. This culture is characterized by transparency, inclusion, and ethical leadership. High performance teams exist in a culture that provides psychological safety (the belief that one will not be punished, or humiliated, for speaking up with ideas, concerns or mistakes), insists on dependability, includes clear structure and goals, where people perform meaningful work that is deemed impactful. Districts can foster such a culture by defining core values and reinforcing them frequently, demonstrating these values through leadership actions, and actively involving employees in decision-making processes.
Impact of Culture on Customer Experience
The adage that “the customer’s experience will never exceed the employee’s experience” underscores the importance of a positive internal culture in delivering exceptional service to the community. Engaged employees who are supported by their organization are more likely to go above and beyond to meet customer expectations.
Ask Yourself a Few Questions
Whether you are experiencing high turnover already, or want to do a checkup of your talent management and retention strategy, here are some things to consider:
Does your leadership style align with your organization’s vision? If your staff goals and objectives aren’t driving the behavior that fulfills the vision, consider making changes to the process by which you measure success. For example, if administrative goals cause friction when they rub up against operational goals, consider how the goals could be better aligned to allow teams to work smoothly together.
Are you recruiting the right type of people? If you’ve experienced turnover, you may have a mismatch between the job and the type of skillset or personality you’re hiring. Or, you may have a broader cultural problem driving dissatisfaction. When hiring, you’re looking for more than functional skillset, you’re looking for someone who fits the culture and the team. If you keep fishing in the same pool, but hoping for different fish, you’re setting yourself up for frustration.
How’s your culture? Whether you define it or not, you do have a company culture. Your employees know what it is, and they talk about what it’s like to work there. If you aren’t setting the tone, you are allowing the loudest voices to be heard most.
Talent and culture management are integral to the strategic success of special districts. By investing in attracting, developing, and retaining talent, as well as fostering a positive organizational culture, districts can build adaptable, resilient teams that enhance their operational effectiveness and service delivery.