Sarah J McCrea-Dameron

Every End is a New Beginning

http://www.newfieldasia.com/3-signs-its-time-for-a-new-beginning-by-terrie-lupberger-mcc/

These past few years have been especially challenging for me, professionally and academically. Three years ago, I decided I needed to better prepare myself for the professional pathway I had begun and started to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration. The first year of the journey to MBA involved studying for and taking the GMAT, then applying to programs. Ultimately, I chose the University of Nevada, Reno’s Online Executive Master’s in Business Administration for the following reasons (in no particular order):

  1. Nationally ranked online MBA program by US News
  2. Nevada school, wanted to support the State that raised me and has provided me with opportunity and an excellent quality of life
  3. Online, offering flexibility in my full-time life of work and family
  4. Cohort, expectation to stay with my cohort and graduate in two years
  5. Curriculum, Executive MBA
  6. Faculty

I chose the MBA over other degrees such as a Master’s in Public Health or Public Administration or Nursing Education because I thought the MBA would provide me with the information, education, and training I needed to be competent in my new role as a member of the executive staff. My days were now filled with strategic planning, budgeting, and project management and I needed to be good at it. Also, the MBA is applicable across industry and would provide professional flexibility in the years to come. Finally, my husband and son are very entrepreneurial and I figured this would be a great way to support their efforts in the future.

The timing wasn’t awesome though perfect as I was concurrently promoted, absorbed additional divisions of responsibility, and implemented a new high-profile program. But, then again, nothing makes me more productive than having too much to do.

Two years, many sleepless nights, forgone vacations, and financial management tutoring sessions later, I have graduated, just as my oldest graduated from high school and began their college career. Here I stand, with a new degree and the associated training and education in hand, ready for the next chapter, proud of the progress made on the challenging road behind me and excited about the challenges before me.

Sarah J McCrea-Dameron

Broken Leadership

https://www.asaecenter.org/association-careerhq/career/articles/career-management/how-to-rebuild-broken-trust-in-leadership

I wholeheartedly believe in the purpose of unions and am grateful for the safety and security they provide for their members, regardless of industry. I was a member of a union for many years and benefited from their work and advocacy in policy, procedures, benefits, and contracts. Now I find myself on the “other side” and learning a great deal about the “behind the scenes” politics and relationships.

I consider myself an optimistic realist and wear that badge proudly. I focus on the facts and then work towards the best possible outcome for most, do the most we can for the most at hand. It is impossible to make everybody happy all of the time. There will always be somebody that is not happy with your decision, somebody that feels they are not getting what they want or feels they had to sacrifice too much. It’s an unfortunate reality.

Administrative leadership in local government with union employees is complicated. First and foremost, you serve your community, the people that pay taxes and depend on your operations to meet their needs, the purpose for your existence. You also serve your elected officials placed by your community members to be advocates and stewards of their funds and priorities. Equally as important, you serve your employees, those that actually get the work done. Union leadership, like your elected officials, have been placed by your employees to be advocates and stewards of their funds and priorities. Administration is stuck in the middle, constantly being pulled in at least two directions.

Ideally, the priorities and resources of the elected officials and the people they represent could be those that the union leadership and employees understand and support. Enough resources and funding to get the job done safely and efficiently would be ever-present. This would make the work of administration effortless, simply responsible for the execution of a consensually agreed upon and amply funded strategic plan. Easy (I think, I’m not sure it’s ever happened).

The hard part is working between these two parties when they don’t align. The strategic plan of the elected officials has unfunded expectations and union leadership pushes back to protect the interests of their members. Sometimes, I feel like what I assume a marriage and family therapist might feel like when the parents in a broken home cannot get along and put the children in the middle. The children are given half-truths and biased versions of the truth, start to lose trust in one or both of their parents. The focus shifts from feeling blessed for what they have to lamenting what they have-not. The parents focus more on bickering and arguing than on co-parenting, and lose the focus of putting the children first. Like a broken home, it feels like broken leadership.

Here is my optimism, not sure why it can’t be a reality, perhaps it’s my naiveté. I’ll sour with time, I suppose. Why can’t we all just get along…for the benefit of the community and our members? Let’s come together and work this out, keeping our focus on our unified purpose. Let’s start with complete transparency rather than hidden agendas, they are a complete waste of time. Hours of debate seeking compromise, only to be surprised by an ulterior motive or additional information not immediately available. Let’s start with trust and a commitment to co-leading, it’s what the community and the members want and deserve. How do you resolve the feeling of being stuck in the middle? How do you improve the morale of your people when they are working in an environment with broken leadership?

Sarah J McCrea-Dameron

The Golden Ticket

https://weheartit.com/entry/14967991

A few members of my team and I just finished a week of interviews for the position of firefighter trainee. We are looking for more than thirty people to join our fire family for the next 25 to 30 years. Who do we hire? These are big decisions not only for our department but also for the candidates seeking the position. In the 50+ people we interviewed this week, I met the future Fire Chief. I also met their Senior Deputy, another Deputy Chief or two, certainly a few Battalion Chiefs, several Captains, an EMS Educator, two or three Fire Training Officers, and lots of Engineers and Paramedics. I could see their future in our organization while they spoke of what they have done to prepare for the job of Firefighter Trainee and why they want to join the service.

Selfishly, it brought me great hope for the immediate, mid- and long-range futures of our organization. It’s easy to get caught up in the drama of the day, whether external or internal politics and drama. My days blur with shifting priorities, internal and external customer needs, striving for excellence, strategic planning, lack of funding, chasing accreditation, and personnel management. It can be challenging to find victories and moments of celebration amongst all the still-have-to’s and why’d-you-do-it-that-way’s. I had the privilege of spending over thirty hours listening to one ambitious and driven candidate after another. I had the privilege of listening to their stories, to their lessons learned along their quest for the position of firefighter trainee with our organization. I had the privilege of learning about our organization through the young-hopeful’s of our community, and it was inspirational, giving me the boost I needed to keep plugging away and getting work done. When I was on the streets, I found purpose on each and every call. I saw the relief in my patient’s eyes when I walked in the door and I slept soundly knowing I made a difference.

Unselfishly, I know the value of the offer they seek from us, to be a firefighter trainee. Getting onto the fire department is the metaphorical equivalent to the Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime and has the potential to change a person’s life forever, perhaps for generations to come. The fire service has given me all that I have. Throughout my time in the service, my organization has provided me with the benefits, opportunities, and sustenance to raise my children, obtain college degrees, gain one certification after another, promote, travel, and live a life of fulfillment both in salary and purpose. I have acquired a second family and made life-long friends. If that isn’t the Golden Ticket, I don’t know what is. I am eternally grateful for my Golden Ticket, and like Willy Wonka, will carefully select those that will care for my organization after my last days because I love this place, Oompa Loompas and all.