Sara Being Served…SEI
Last month, I told you about the “youngs” and how they use the word serving. Well, this month, I was served.
No, not with a court summons, though in our line of work, that unfortunately happens sometimes. I mean I had the chance to be served by others- others who love public service and who truly value what we, as local government managers, do.
In July, I attended the Senior Executive Institute (SEI), a program of the Virginia Institute of Government at the Weldon Cooper Center at UVA. SEI is a two-week residential leadership program for local government professionals, and it’s been on my bucket list for five years.
I learned a ton, and remembered some things I’d forgotten. I learned about conflict styles- I’m a compromiser, and learning this helped me realize how much my desire to bring things to closure drives this style. Can’t we just come to some agreement and move on? ‘Probably not as often as I would like to,’ is the answer to that one. My Mayor sometimes reminds me to, ‘slow my roll,” and I now have a great set of questions to put on my whiteboard to remind me of that, even when he isn’t around.
Before leaving SEI, each participant creates a plan to put their learning into practice. My top goal is to better empower town staff. I picked up some great tools for engaging staff that would work for managers, no matter the size of their organization. While many of my staff members are wonderfully outspoken (sometimes with just as many opinions as I have), others are quieter. SEI reminded me how important it is to intentionally reach out to those voices and not just wait for them to speak up. I want to build a culture where asking questions, offering ideas, and even sharing the “contrary view” are part of our everyday routine. I already knew most of their ideas are better than mine anyway; I just need to be sure I’m hearing all of them.
My second goal relates to my own personal effectiveness. For me, that means doing a better job at managing my stress and conflict areas. Generally, I feel like I manage stress pretty well, but this year, I have found my patience wearing a bit thin. I came back from SEI with real strategies for my specific areas of concern.
More than anything, however, I left SEI with joy and gratitude. The 2025 cohort included 21 leaders from around the country, and the room was filled with incredibly smart, dedicated public servants. Sometimes, in our line of work, we feel jaded and tired. It is easy to feel drained of hope and skeptical about public service and about how things are going in our world. To spend two weeks with such creative, energetic public servants did my heart a world of good. These people are absolutely the example of what we hope for when we think of local government.
Besides the participants, there is the team that makes this happen. VIG brings years of experience and a heart for this work to every cohort’s experience. They nurture their cohort and remind them of all the amazing things happening every day in local government. I was even more personally served too- as a manager in a very small place, I would never have been able to go to SEI without outside support. I was blessed to receive two scholarships to help me get there.
So my word to all of you- when have you last been served? In the serving of others, are you remembering to take time for your own professional development? If you cannot answer that question with a strong ‘yes,’ take time to think about when and how and where you will look for these opportunities. I’ll just let you know- SEI was worth every minute.
Welcome to our new members:
Patrick Duhaney, City of Virginia Beach
Mellanie Shipe, Town of Strasburg
Jennifer Wheeler, Virginia Peninsulas Public Service Authority (VPPSA)
Tracey Shiflett, Town of Broadway
Kimberly Kingsley, Town of Abingdon
Kwasi Obeng, City of Hampton
Keelyn Graves, City of Petersburg
Lisa Booth, County of Fauquier
Patricia Smith, County of Louisa
Kelvin Wright, City of Chesapeake
Brooke Wright, County of Campbell
Landon Green, Charlotte County
Monica Croskey, City of Virginia Beach