And I fully agree that a work culture should invite people to grow and leave. And after they leave, there should be an ongoing affiliation with them so they can come back, refer new people for employment, speak about the local government agency as one of the best employers, etc. I just don't think we should start with the assumption that they will leave.

I want to start with the assumption that we can make this workplace one of the finest in the labor market ... that doing local government work is something very special ... that working for local government management will be a better experience than you will ever get in the private sector unless you are discovering a new cure for human suffering. This means I will have chosen and developed supervisors who really relate to all employees, supervisors who are totally centered, self-confident and who are constantly helping the organization and employees learn as much as they can about their field and related fields.

Employees are trained and invited to share in the governance of the organization. Benchmarking other organization allows my employees to experience other organizations (which won't have the super climate we offer) and gives them information they can use to improve my organization.

They become value-literate. They will learn about the importance of values in running a high-performance organization and in the process keep their personal values elevated and in focus. So when a choice comes between money and making working for an exceptional organization, personal values will dominate.

They become organization-excellent literate. All employees will learn about what makes organizations the best places to work. They will, as a result, set high standards for their own organization and will look at other work choices through informed glasses.

They will become work-design literate. They will learn and teach what makes excellent jobs: big picture vision, the just-right amount of feedback, the just-right amount of flexibility, and unlimited mutual support and respect, unlimited wholeness/meaning and unlimited opportunities to learn. When they are able to design jobs at Zenith City with these components, they won't leave for other places that (1) won't allow them to design their own work, or (2) don't place a premium on these high-performance factors. To the degree they become successful seeing that these factors are present at Zenith, they take personal ownership of the entire organization. Leaving will require some serious consideration.

They will become organization-structure literate. They will learn how competency based pay and flexible work classifications are so important to reward people committed to continuous learning. They will see that it is absolutely critical to align all the policies and workplace structures with high-performance missions and goals. Structure that works against flexibility will be replaced by employee-designed systems that support high levels of personal accountability and organizational excellence.

They become literate about things that are important to them. In our new high-performance workplace, we place a premium on the things that are important to the people who come to us. We have read The Cluetrain Manifesto, The First Rule is to Break All The Rules and The Day America Told the Truth. We now longer deceive ourselves into thinking these new workers need to be molded into our idea of success. We and they will design new organizations that are exciting, accountable and look entirely different from anything we now see.

We need Bob Behn and others like him to tend to the blocking and tackling. But we need brand-new organization pioneers who are really good at relating to people at a very much deeper level of mutual meaning, mutual respect and mutual purpose.

Martin Nelson
Riverside, California

The writer is a former human resources director for several California cities and counties, and now an organizational development consultant to local government.

BALANCE THE STAFFING PORTFOLIO

DHR is staffing like a growth fund. It recruits young, high-potential professionals who have high returns, but high risks. One risk is that some will be “losers” like Roger Vaughn. But the more substantial risk is the loss of continuity as they inevitably move up and move on.

DHR needs some “income” stocks to go with its “growth” stocks. These could be mid-career professionals from other departments of local government. They could be former clerical employees who you have encouraged to get their degrees and move into the professional ranks. Amazingly enough, they could be people you hire of the official recruitment list.

One or two of these individuals will turn out to be undiscovered stars. One or two may turn out to be dead weight. Most of them will be solid, capable professionals. They will do a good job of handling day-to-day business. They will give you a good 40 hours of work each week. They will provide continuity for your organization.

You need both kinds of employee on your staff, just like you need different kinds of investments in your portfolio. If you have all “income stock” type employees on your staff, then you lack the top talent, energy, and innovation you need to promote change and improve operations. This is the stereotypical hidebound bureaucracy.

But, if you have all “growth stock” type employees, you will find yourself in the position of the Zenith City DHR-constant turmoil, no one to follow through on your accomplishments.

All “growth stock” employees, and you get the kind of turmoil DHR is experiencing.

Neil L. Bergsman
Maryland Director of Budget Analysis
Annapolis

THE REAL WORLD OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

My advice is to be as professional as possible while in your position, to be multifaceted in the ability to perform in a number of professional areas at once but to remember that the mentality of protecting your own self-interest has not only become necessary but the environment and standards have been set by others.

My retention strategy and professional responsibility and ethics to my staff people is to perform extraordinarily and continually improve yourself, and that, if the opportunity presents itself, that the best course of action is to get out and up. Public service does not mean public abuse, and the “experts” would be well advised to spend some time in the real world of public administration!

Paul S. Vayer
Executive Director
New Britain Housing Authority
New Britain, Connecticut

The writer, an attorney, is a professor at Central Connecticut State College in New Britain and Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut.

CAPITAL MISTAKE?

Behn assumes that the issue is money. But is that really the only issue? In A Study in Scarlet, Holmes admonishes Watson that "it is a capital mistake to assume you have all the facts, this biases your judgment." On the face of it, Behn and the Zenith City HR director are assuming money. Just ask an outgoing staffer why they are leaving and what would have influenced a decision to stay.

Karl L. Peterson Jr.
CADD Manager
Cook County Highway Department
Chicago

HIRE OLDER WORKERS

Many times we overlook the older workers (45 and up) while courting the younger workers who we know will leave us as soon as a better opportunity appears.

While we may have only 1-3 years with a younger worker out of college, we may have 15-20 years with a more experienced and more dedicated mature worker. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and they may teach you a few also.

Donna S. Beveridge
Child Care Coordinator
Children's Network, San Bernardino County Human Services System
San Bernardino, California