Rowitz On Leadership

As a biological species, we are programmed to learn. We are by our very nature lifelong learners. And yet, many of our species fight against the learning. In fact, as budgets tighten, as our elected officials fight for their causes, education and training initiatives end up on the cutting room floor. We have developed cultures that put rules, regulations, and protocols around us. We become ethnocentric by judging everyone else by our rules. We often close our minds to all the wonderful things that this world has to offer us. We often expect others to pay for all our learning, do not think there is anything more for us to learn, or we do not often financially invest in ourselves. There is always more to learn. We become effective managers and leaders by building a Toolbox full of wonderful things that enhance our skills and natural talents. I have spent my life with a commitment to my learning that I hope to continue until my last day. Learning enriches my life and I hope the lives of those with whom I share my knowledge and skills through action and discourse. That is the important message here. Sharing knowledge of ourselves and others will make our communities richer and stronger. Building social and human capital needs to be our goal. For us in public health and the human services field, social justice and servant leadership is our modus operandi. Every time we read a book, take a course, attend a conference, work collaboratively with others, use our creativity skills, solve a problem, resolve a conflict, improve the quality of our organizations, or communicate with others, we increase the return on investment in our personal growth and on the organizations for which we work. Knowledge management is cost effective and increases cost efficiency.

I hear people say that they want to increase their skills, but their bosses or elected officials won’t let them. It is true that training and educational dollars are often the first to go when budgets get cut. This is a very short sighted view. Not only do we have lower salaries than those in the private sector, there is no money to help us grow and become more effective health professionals, managers, and leaders. It often seems that there is an expectation that we will fail, that government work is for those that cannot survive in the private sector, or for those that don’t want to work hard. The anti-intellectual stance that we seem to take in our country works against us. Our value system needs to change if we are to remain a first tier country in the world. Education and training are our key to success. If change is our modus operandi, then investment in lifelong learning models must become more highly valued than it is today. For every dollar that we invest in the growth of our governmental workforce, the returns will be significant. It is not only me that needs to grow in order to be a more effective professional and leader, we all need to grow and learn throughout our lives. When will our elected officials and agency bosses change their priorities to invest in our future. Maybe they need to learn and increase their skills as well. Trusteeship of our people and our future is an important concept that our elected leaders need to practice.