10/11/2013

Historic preservation
Family, friends move ITD's Paddy Flat buildings slated for razing
Last May, Irene Ragan was at home, reading the McCall newspaper, when the picture of a very familiar house caught her eye. It was a home she’d seen each summer when she traveled back to McCall from Independence, Ore. It had stood in the same place, near the edge of Idaho Highway 55 a few miles north of Donnelly at the Paddy Flat location, for more than 60 years. The newspaper reported the house and nearby shop were to be demolished; sad news, indeed.
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2013 Leadership Summit
Leaders aren't born — they are developed
Being a leader is about making those around you better, Director Brian Ness told 200 ITD employees assembled for the second annual Leadership Summit, Oct. 1. “You may say to yourself, how can I be a leader? I may not supervise anybody. I’m not up there giving speeches on behalf of the department. I just want to come to work every day to do my job and do it well. That may well define what a leader is all about...
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DeCoster presents essential elements of organizational leaders
“What got us here, won’t get us there.” That pronouncement came during opening remarks by Dr. Tom DeCoster, a national authority on organizational leadership. He told participants at the ITD Leadership Summit last week that flexibility and adaptation is essential in a rapidly changing world.
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Lt. Gov. Little: Buckle down, work hard, move forward
Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little and transportation board chairman Jerry Whitehead set the stage for last week’s 2013 ITD Leadership Summit by reminding the 200 attendees that we live and work in a fast-paced, ever changing world. How we respond to that change will dictate our level of success.
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Individuals influence organizational culture
ITD began a steady transition toward a “blue” culture the past year. But what does that mean, how do we get there and how will we know when we arrive? Jim Johnson created the Organizational Culture Inventory to assess the characteristics of an organization. The cultural survey, completed by a random group of ITD employees last year, identified the department’s attributes and plotted a course toward the desired culture.
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Military, organization leadership share common traits
When retired Brig. Gen. Bill Bankhead stepped into the spotlight at the 2013 ITD Leadership Summit some attendees no doubt expected to hear a vastly different perspective on leadership than they heard in previous discussions. Indeed, Bankhead presented the tough side of leadership and individual accountability. But his message to 200 ITD employees also reinforced the views of fellow speakers.
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BSU men's basketball coach shares insights on team leasdership
Leadership has many common characteristics, whether it comes in a boardroom, during a maintenance foremen’s meeting or on the basketball court, Boise State University men’s basketball coach Leon Rice said last week.
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Preparedness
ITD emergency structure featured in TR News
ITD’s new approach to emergency management reached an international audience recently when it was featured in a Transportation Research Board's, TR News, special publication on the “Logistics of Disaster Response.” The publication included a major report on ITD’s new emergency management structure that establishes a department-wide approach.
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Highway safety
Bicyclists, pedestrians, drivers need to share the road
Bicycling and walking are important ways to travel for many people so everyon eneeds to to pay attention, follow state laws, abide by the rules and share the road, ITD reminds. Motorists should expect bicycles on the road and pedestrians in crosswalks, explains Mary Burke, with ITD’s Office of Highway Safety.
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Leadership
Encore (10-4-13): Summit inspires employees to lead by example
ITD’s second Leadership Summit attracted 200 employees committed to developing and improving their leadership skills – employees who embrace the concept of becoming the best. All the inspirational messages delivered at Tuesday’s leadership summit can be reduced to a common denominator and succinct phrase: ”If we’re going to become the best as an organization, I must be my best as an individual.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (10-4-13): Szplett’s expertise proves invaluable for in property transactions
District 3 Development Services manager Dave Szplett is involved in countless condemnation cases involving southwest Idaho property. He knows the projects, knows the area, and knows the rules of highway access.
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Multimodal system
Encore (10-4-13): AASHTO prepares series on commuting, multimodal travel
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is releasing the first parts of Commuting in America 2013 -- a series of 16 briefs analyzing the evolving role of commuting, which accounts for 28 percent of the passenger miles traveled on America's roadways.
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