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Direct from the Director
— Leadership Style —

ITD employees,
Last month, I introduced myself to you. Now, I would like to outline my leadership style and management philosophy.

I believe in setting high goals and positioning employees to achieve them. I hold employees accountable for attaining those goals. Organizational success and individual performance must be based on goals that are defined and measurable. Anyone can say how he or she is doing, but in the end it is results that count. Actions speak louder than words.

I am a firm believer in delegating responsibility and authority to the appropriate level. With that comes accountability for your decisions and actions. The best decisions are made closest to where the work is being performed and operations are taking place. Our front line employees must make decisions that best serve our customers. Those not directly serving our customers must support those who do.

I understand the differences between Headquarters and the districts. I have worked in both. If you work in a district, your mission is to serve the customer directly, making quick decisions on a variety of issues every day. If you work at Headquarters, your responsibilities can be more global. You are serving both the districts and our customers from a statewide perspective.

It takes all sides of the operation for us to be successful. And no matter where you work, you must strive to meet our customer’s needs while being good stewards of the money they entrust us with.

Being successful and accountable means we must all perform our job with integrity. I have no tolerance for those who cheat the system. I will also hold supervisors accountable for the actions of the employees they are responsible for if they are aware or should have been aware of the employee’s behavior.

I am also a firm believer in representing the department as one voice. We are all members of the ITD team. If we have internal differences, we need to work together to resolve them rather than blame one another or finger point. When we talk to our customers, family, friends and neighbors about our jobs, we should speak with pride about the work we do and the service we provide!

My leadership style can be summarized this way. I expect us to work together as one team and employ the highest ethical standards in doing so.

Next month, I will outline my vision for the department and provide a map for where we are headed in the future.

Thank you for your continued commitment.

Brian Ness
Director