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"California--Mired in Minutia"

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This modest inquiry may suggest "whether-or-not they've earned' your support and vote.

Reconciliation: Where is "Please, "Thank you" and, "I'm sorry" in this process?

It defies all logic how elected leaders continue to point fingers at each other whenever things go wrong. After all, it's their jobs. Tragically, taxpayers continue to let them get away with it. Now, imagine what would happen if we - Joe Citizen - started paying our bills with IOUs, bad checks, and go on furloughs without finishing a job 3-4 months in arrears. That's right! We'd likely be hauled into court on a "misdemeanor" or a "felony", if not deemed "AWOL", and appropriately told by our employer: "You're fired"!

Obviously, we live in a world of imperfections that suggests we all have flaws. Nonetheless, seeking election to a public office, "Joe Citizen - you and I - are entitled to hold you to your word and keep you accountable for that job. Moreover, if things go array, we deserve a reasonable explanation when things go array. Surely, if "I'm sorry" is good enough for President Obama, "I'll try to do better" should work for the rest of us. Unfortunately, when all state governors met in Biloxi, Mississippi for the National Governors Association annual meeting to implement a deficit plan and response strategy for states during this crisis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was conspicuously absent from that meeting. Instead, he mischievously sent the state Senate leader a metallic pair of bull testicles: reportedly to urge him to cut spending. Perhaps advocates for a part-time legislature and "only-paid" governors are on to something. Notably, if people volunteer for public service they may view their jobs as "practice", similar to lawyers working for clients on a 'pro-bono' basis who may feel clients, or taxpayers, forgo their rights when things go wrong. Guess what? They vote them out of office.

A mischievous act of folly seldom yields sustainable results for either side, especially during a crisis. Nevertheless, leadership does. Whether a person walks out of a crucial budget hearing because of petty disagreements, or sends a colleague a communiquà ©' via testicles, is neither civil nor kind. Yet, both civility and kindness are core prerequisites for effective leadership.

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Ronald Arrington, MBA, MPA: a Consultant, Trainer, Coach, directs a group of training professionals who recognize the grave need to nurture human capital assuring the effective operation of vital boards, leaders, managers and public (more...)
 

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