More action, less introspection
There's a Dilbert cartoon on my bulletin board at work dealing with a subject familiar to most administrators, managers, and media personnel.
What is that subject? Meetings.
In the first panel, Dilbert's pointy-haired boss asks Alice to read the minutes from the group's last meeting.
Her report goes like this: "People said irrelevant things. Bad decisions were made. Men are idiots."
Of course it's just a cartoon, meant to provoke a laugh. But it reminds me of some meetings that I've been a part of in the past.
My cynical attitude toward meetings started back in college, when I watched my weekly tally of meetings continue to climb as I approached graduation.
During one week my senior year, I think I counted six meetings in one week that I either led or attended. Some of them actually accomplished something — but many of them did not.
We have a tendency to go to meetings and discuss, discuss, discuss — and not make any actual decisions, let alone good ones.
We feel pretty important in our little sphere, rushing off to our next meeting. But what will it actually accomplish?
That's why last week's Hillsboro City Council meeting was a breath of fresh air.
At its Aug. 20 meeting, the Council received the final report from the Select Committee, a group of Hillsboro citizens who met periodically from Sept. 2002 to July 2002.
Over the course of almost a year, the committee discussed Hillsboro — its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, goals, future plans.
They put together an extensive amount of information, and they should be commended for their work.
But what good is information if it can't be put to use?
Not much — so the Council needs to use this information. Not just let this document sit on the shelf gathering dust.
So said Gordon Mohn, who presented the report. And Steve Garrett, who was on the committee. And council members Len Coryea and Byron McCarty.
That's the right attitude. It's an attitude of action, the attitude of people who want to see change.
It's an attitude of good leadership.
— JENNIFER WILSON
