Creating Great Code Enforcement Officers Presented by Marcus

Creating Great Code Enforcement Officers Presented by Marcus Kellum

AGENDA o o o Thrust or Drag Developing a Strategic Perspective The Role of an Officer (Inspector) Personal Qualities Workplace Culture Performance

Opening Thought • What made the Titanic band keep playing, even as the ship sank? • Were they told to do so by the Captain? • Was it part of their job description? • Did they think they would be saved?

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others Mahatma Gandhi

Workplace Culture • Culture is like personality • In a person, the personality is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, interests, experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person's behavior

• What are the elements of workplace culture? • Workplace Culture is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people • Workplace Culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of - generally unspoken and unwritten - rules for working together.

Restrictive Versus Permissive • Restrictive - tending to limit: acting as a limit or control on something • Permissive -allowing freedom of behavior: allowing or enjoying the freedom to behave in ways others might consider unacceptable What is the intent of the code you enforce?

. • A high performer can deliver 400% more productivity than the average performer • Despite this, when most managers look at workforce statistics, all employees tend to be lumped together into a category so broadly defined that it becomes difficult to take meaningful decisions • If the people you are keeping are the low performers and your high performers are leaving, would that be really so great?

Sir Isaac Newton proposed three laws of motion in 1665 1. If an object is not moving, it will not start moving by itself. If an object is moving, it will not stop or change direction unless something pushes it. 2. Objects will move farther and faster when they are pushed harder. 3. When an object is pushed in one direction, there is always a resistance of the same size in the opposite direction.

Law of Motion # 1 1. If an object is not moving, it will not start moving by itself. If an object is moving, it will not stop or change direction unless something pushes it.

Law of Motion # 2 2. Objects will move farther and faster when they are pushed harder.

Law of Motion # 3 3. When an object is pushed in one direction, there is always a resistance of the same size in the opposite direction.

Agree or Disagree • Things at work are different today than they were last year • Things at work are better than they were last year • Things at work will be different in the next 6 months than they are today • Improving the way we operate, collaborate and deploy resources is an important lever to creating change • Our chances of dealing more effectively with change improve when we are nimble, collaborative, and focused • Change is inevitable

“Managing a Code Enforcement Team is like flying an Airplane” Marcus Kellum

Thrust and Drag • Thrust is the force which moves an aircraft through the air • Drag is the force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air • Thrust is used to overcome the drag of an airplane • Drag acts in a direction that is opposite to the motion of the aircraft

Developing a “Strategic Perspective” § For flight to take place, thrust must be greater than the drag § If, for any reason, the amount of drag becomes larger than the amount of thrust, the plane will slow down

Developing a “Strategic Perspective” (continued) • If the thrust is increased so that it's greater than the drag, the plane will speed up • It is easier for an airplane to climb than it is to travel at a fixed altitude

What should you do to reduce drag?

Take off is optional, landing is mandatory

Taking Flight and Reducing Drag • Are you (and your team) viewed as strategic? You might have valuable technical or functional expertise, but the fact is that when times are tough, what most organizations need most are team members who can make it happen • Do you (and your team) consistently fail to deliver results? Have you missed deadlines, committed to projects you hadn’t delivered, or do you set the bar too low? Are you losing effectiveness over time?

Jim Collins “Great vision with mediocre people still produces mediocre results”

Jim Collins • Decide where you're going, how you're going to get there, and who's going with you • Leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who” • They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats

Benefits of Training • A recent survey indicates that 40 % of employees who receive poor job training leave their positions within the first year; they cite the lack of skills training and development as the principal reason for moving on • There’s no question that a solid training program can increase productivity, reduce turnover, improve customer service and enhance delivery, nor can one deny that an effective training program can boost employees’ personal confidence and job satisfaction because they feel valued, appreciated and more committed to their employer

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic but creatures of emotion Dale Carnegie

Personal Exploration • Think about your contributions deliberately and with a purpose • Improve your worth and effectiveness • Is the LOE (level of effort) you provide in proportion to your ROR (rate of return) • How will code enforcement (or your field of choice) be done differently in the future? What are you doing to prepare yourself for that change or usher in that change?

Have you developed a roadmap to make more money next year? Have you developed a roadmap to improve yourself next year and the years to follow? “Our rewards in life are in exact proportion to our contribution, and our level of service” q Need for what you do q Ability to do it q Degree of difficulty in replacing you

Tips on Being a Great Code Officer • Learn how to perform your job well. There’s a big difference between just doing your job and doing your job well — and with pride – Making the extra effort, ratcheting up your game a notch or two, and taking steps to fill any voids in your work will all help you shine in your job.

Tips on Being a Great Code Officer • Work hard. It used to be that just showing up for work was enough to get by in some companies, but those days are long gone – Today, you not only have to show up and be at your job the full day (arriving on time and not leaving early), but also put in a full day of work. Keep personal calls, emails, texts, and the like to a minimum.

• Express positive attitude. You don’t have to be “Cheerful Sally”, in fact, you might not be taken seriously if it’s too much, but having a positive disposition is important – People like working with and helping coworkers with a positive attitude. People with negative attitudes — “Debbie Downer” — drag everyone around them down

• Take initiative. You may be very good at your job, and that is important, but do you ever try to push the limits of your work? – In other words, do you ever consider better ways you could do your job — or better ways your department could work — and make suggestions to your boss? Just do not confuse taking initiative with knowing it all.

• Act professionally. No matter what your job, it’s important to be serious and focused on what you do — and act professionally in all situations • There’s a time and place for fooling around, and it is not the workplace. Professionals follow the rules and are courteous, friendly, and tactful • Acting professionally also means dressing appropriately for your job

Personal Power and Image • Avoids the Overuse of Threat and Expert Power • Builds Relationships on the Appropriate Level • Actively Manages Image and Reputation of the Organization • Maintains Credibility with Follow Through and Results

Decision Making and Ethics • Removes Emotionalisms from Decision Making • Consistently Provides an ethical Model of Behavior • Produces Decisions in Congruence with Ethical Standards • Uses Appropriate Levels of Decision Making • Analyzes the Impacts of Unintended Consequences

• For most of us, it’s important to strive to be the best worker we can be, or to excel at our jobs • It’s not necessarily about impressing the bosses and obtaining a promotion (though you may desire that down the road), it’s more about having a sense of accomplishment for a job well done • There is no such thing as job security anymore, but following these tips should help you become an indispensable member of the organization’s team

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