I work with an Olmsted County Department on a weekly basis. Due to the nature of this department's work, I will not disclose the department.
This department works in a stressful area receiving minimal appreciation from the individuals their work impacts. Even though their work is taxing, besides support from two non-management individuals, these employees receive negligible support from their management and are not allowed to have input into any department decisions. Even in their difficult environment, I have observed this department successfully work as a team with high levels of trust and respect between themselves. During our working relationship, I have consistently been treated with respect and dignity as we work toward conflict resolution.
I have 25 years experience in military and private leadership/management positions. I have encountered many leadership/management obstacles that I was able to overcome with my leadership/management training. My training provided no situations where publicly describing a staff's alleged deficiencies is appropriate, even if the staff is not identified. The only result in publicly outlining a staff's alleged deficiencies is staff morale will plummet at a faster rate.
When a workplace challenge is encountered, management's initial step is to review the environment management created and find out if it create opportunities for success. If not, management should explore alternative solutions to create a positive work environment without publicly describing the staff's alleged deficiencies.
Steven M. Dittrich
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Rochester
