Being a Good Steward of Public Resources

GENERALIST HELPFUL TIPS:

• When making decisions, ask how does that align with GPs, e.g. ask, how is that being a good steward of public resources?
• Transparency. Ask yourself if you're being open about this?
• Doing the right thing when no one else is watching.

SUCCESS STORIES:

After reviewing the Employee Survey Results, we reached out to department directors who met one of the following criteria:

• Their department's score was higher than the County average in this category.
• Their department raised their scores from previous years scores.

They provided us with insight, feedback, and suggestions for departments who would like to improve in this area.
 

"According to Wikipedia, "Stewardship is an ethic that embodies responsible planning and management of resources." As stewards of county resources, Finance's mission is to provide centralized fiscal operations sot that departments & offices (our customers) can focus on serving citizens. We seek to be sensitive to our customer's individual needs while still maintaining a County-wide perspective and complying with regulatory guidelines. We ask employees to understand the "why" behind our business practices and change those that no longer make sense. We want to be clear and open in our decision-making, our processes, and in sharing information. Finance employees are encouraged to be proactive business partners, creating value by listening to our customers, anticipating their needs and providing sound guidance.

Under the FRAN project, Finance has challenged all staff to develop more efficient, less paper-intensive ways of doing business. Most staff have really gotten into the spirit of this and are willing to question the status quo.

Ethical behavior is integral to stewardship. We raise awareness of this value by sharing and discussing articles about ethical dilemmas & lapses, and recently held a zoom viewing party of "All the Queen's Horses," a documentary about theft in the public sector."

Carol Block, Finance Director

"I feel like being a good steward of public resources is inherently ingrained in the culture at Larimer County, and it's no different in Natural Resources. We take pride in the services we offer to the public and one of the key services is to provide a safe place to experience the physical and mental wellbeing that comes from being outside in nature.  This is more important today than ever and something our staff take great pride in providing.  We also work hard to steward our public properties and natural resources across the county in an ecologically sound and healthy way.  Finally, we recognize the fiscal responsibility in providing a high quality experience for the public, because that good visit then in turn generates financial support for our Department through things like user fees and ballot initiatives. These are things we don't take for granted so there's a constant drive to steward our natural resources and to provide the best experience for our visitors."

Daylan Figgs, Natural Resources Director

SUGGESTIONS & TIPS:

• Stewardship has many facets, so there isn't one specific action to address it. I think it helps to be clear with staff about what the department's values and core mission are, and to communicate this consistently with staff.
• Be present, find a way to connect with your audience.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions and get feedback.
• Don't get stagnant; be willing to changing things up.