01-13-2003 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Brimeyer Group, Inc. KXtCUTIVE ItMCN TM CONfULTIM Fifty South Ninth Avenue ' Suite lUl Hopkins, MN 55343 (952) 945-0246 Elected? ...NowWhat? Route: ___Colleagues File in notebook ' 0 * : * Mayor and City Council City of Orono P. O Box 66 CryiulBay, MN 35323 The Brimeyer Group Assignments Receni/Cunrent: • Swift and Yellow Medicine Counties, Nt\—• County Engineer • City of Austin, MN— City Adminl'trater • City of Dundas, MN— City Administrator •City of S. St. Paul, MN— City Administrator • Steele County, MN— Assistant Financial Director, IXiention Center • Cit}» of Mound, MN— Chief of Police • Al.F - Ambulance Si*rvices— Ambulance Administrator Representative Searches: • Lily of SIvvpv Eye, MN— Community Development Director • City i>f Fergus Falls, MN— Project 21XX) Directi'r • Rice County. MN— County Adnunrstralor • Citv i>f MiKirhead, NLN—# City .M.inagt ‘r • City I'f Ni'rtWicld, .\L\— City Admini>trjtur • Cit; ol Allvrl Lea, M\'— 1 lou>ing Authority Director • Rio* Cavk VVatersIkxl Dbtiict- Di>trict Administrator • West Meta' Fire District- Fire Chief • City of hrcKikings, SD— City .\lan.igcr Trend Tracking Weak Signals The column for newly elected officials can also be useful for veteran officials. Awareness of trends and changes is a critical clement ir decision making. How to proce.ss potential changes is important. A recent article in the fn/nnsf magazine disatsses Comple.x Adaptive Systems (CAS). There are five characteristics of this system. 1. Small changes may be indicators of larger things to come. 2. The necessity to be adaptive and employ non-linear thinking. 3. Changes are influenced by "determin istic prtKesses" - not random events - and are often governed by a simple set of rules that imply a need tor order. 4. Systems can Iv incredibly complex wliich creates a broad variety of possibilities. 5. While short term predictability is possible, we must employ a discipline to examine long term implications. Forecasters and individu.ils in policy making roles must deliberately look for small events that have the potential to make big differences. Weak signals are usually dismissed as inconsequential or o' -iired by other irrelevant factors. There are a mvriad of illustrations to # demonstrate the relevance of this model, e.g., the use of personal computers did not come from an existing market. As^^istance from TBG The following are important tools in The Brimeyer Group ’s consulting work with cities, counties, school boards, and non-profits. Governance Model This model provides a process, even a dis cipline, of decision maldng to help the Board define issues and focus on desirable results, it helps the CEO and staff by providing a method to identify the issues, consider the options and develop recom mendations that meet the organization's mission. It also assists the Board in generating a powerful mission statement that includes rosults terminology, succinct language, and that is recognized and accepted both in the community and within the organization. Goal Setting Strategic Planning .Assists Boards and Councils responsible for policy development in as'^essing their constituencies' needs, examining organiza tional strengths and weaknesses, establish ing priorities and developing slrategio and action plans to meet the expectations of their stakeholders. Team Building Involves employees, supervisors and man agers in a process that fosters a sense of trust, cooperation, and loyalty to each other and to the organization's goals and objectives. It is designed to e.xamine indi vidual behavior and motivation to action.