County Invests in Future Leaders

Congratulations to the 55 employees who graduated from the Dynamic Management Seminar, which emphasizes professional management skills and leadership concepts.

CAO Walt Ekard, who taught one of the courses on leadership as part of the 10-week curriculum, also presented the graduation certificates to each employee at a ceremony held in Marina Village Friday. The participants included representatives from each of the five county groups.

“Our goal from the beginning was to entice you to become better leaders,” Ekard told the group. “The overriding element to being a leader in our organization, and any organization I think, is character… politics will always get in the way, but for us, we have to play it straight.”

The 10-week curriculum included courses on the General Management System (GMS), thinking big, political dynamics, generations in the workplace, scope of authority, operational planning, and labor relations.

 “This is an opportunity to deal with our next generation of managers, exposing them to classes taught by practitioners - not theorists - who work within our general management system,” said Human Resources Director Donald Turko.

In other words, when it came to learning about regional leadership, Ekard and Assistant CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer taught the class, and when it came to interacting with the Board of Supervisors, Pam O’Neil and Chairman Bill Horn presented the course.

The seminar also provides an opportunity for employees to network and share ideas about various management styles. They also meet people from other Groups or departments who they would not usually get to see.

The seminar is offered at most once a year or every two years and is targeted to employees who may be promoted into unclassified service or who oversee a program or unit. Employees who are interested in participating in the next seminar, which has not been scheduled, should inquire with their supervisor or group human resources manager.