October 19, 2017

First MAT meeting provides great venue for feedback

The new “Management Advisory Team,” formerly known as Monday Morning Leadership met on October 3 with members of Cabinet. The meeting provided an excellent venue for learning and sharing. Marnie Allen talked about the hard work that went into maintaining affordable health benefits for our employees. This was no easy task! To read the handout she shared with MAT members click here. On page two of the document you can read about the factors that influenced the decision-making process.

The teams also engaged in table discussions about communication. Themes that rose to the top:

What we are doing well when it comes to communication in the agency:

Weekly email updates from Tim
GOesd112 – features and fun
Cabinet debriefs in staff meetings

Where we need to improve:

Being quicker to get important changes and information out to staff
Better communication on some topics such as onboarding, travel (state and federal rules), fiscal procedures, retirement.
Communication with field staff

What managers would like to have input on:

Costs – financial information and restrictions
Information on how or why a decision was made
Expectations to share information

We will continue to seek feedback and implement communication strategies as required or requested. We always appreciate feedback!

Quest Video

Tim shared an inspiring video produced by Rose Yandell about the Quest program in Cowlitz County. The video will be unveiled at the national AESA Conference in December during a presentation by Dr. Sara Paul. You can get a sneak peek here: https://youtu.be/79zbR2opBOo

Painting, planning, reconfiguring and installing

Our facilities staff remain busy with a variety of new and ongoing projects. The latest: