“If you seek what is honorable, what is good, what is the truth of your life, all other things you could not imagine come as a matter of course.
- Oprah Winfrey
Sometimes, I’m a terrible sarcastic cynic. But not this week.
Sometimes,
I need to believe that there are still doctors who want to heal people.
I need to believe that there are still Judges who want justice.
I need to believe that there are athletes who are in it for the competition, there are artists who want to fill the world with beauty, and there are some politicians who will defend our freedom.
This week, I believe that our leadership in the Forest Service is dedicated to “Caring for the Land and Serving People.”
Part of the reason I took the opportunity to visit the Chief’s Office was because I want our leadership to value public service, value the work on the ground, and value our mission. I need affirmation that someone understands some of the garbage we are facing, and someone is trying to make it work. I want to know that it looks as bad from the top, as it looks from the bottom. I need to know if we’re all in this together, and if we are going to move forward, we will do it together. And if our leadership isn’t with us little guys, I’d love to blog them right into the ground, throw darts at their photos, call them silly names; and I’d blog about their arrogance and their ignorance.
But I can’t. Not this week.
“If only I were Chief of the Forest Service!” Me and Gifford’s desk.
I’d like to modify a quote from Bill Clinton. My version goes like this:
There is nothing wrong with the Forest Service that cannot be cured by what is right with the Forest Service.
- Cynthia A. Whelan, the First Forest Service Blogger
This week, I learned how government should be.
I was not interrupted by someone’s ringing, buzzing or singing cell phone.
I was not put off, postponed or canceled because of a “higher priority emergency.”
I did not have to stare at the wall because someone was late and I had to wait.
I ate lunch at lunchtime, and conference calls started on time as scheduled and ended on time.
I was introduced at every new encounter, and I was included in every meeting and all discussions.
I was asked my opinion, and my reply was heard.
I saw flexibility, creativity, and optimism.
I saw how to move people forward, and how to get things done.
I saw that business is business.
I enjoyed a work environment of model respect and professionalism.
That’s the good news. Now – What’s wrong with ASC, our computers our daily bureaucratic grind? Before I left for Washington DC I had some questions that I wanted to have answered. It turns out, I’m satisfied with the answers.
The Albuquerque Service Center is a mess. A big mess, and those things you thought were lost, likely are lost. But someone is looking for it, someone is asking the questions, and someone is going to fix it. There is nothing finished and everything is changing. If you thought something was confusing, it is confusing. If you are frustrated, you are not alone. There is a Customer Service Group of Forest Service employees trying to ask the hard questions, and they are frustrated as we all are, trying to find the problems, and the solutions. Also know this, we are not going backwards. Business for the Forest Service is going to change, and not “back to the good ol’ days.” There is only one way and that way is to “find it and fix it.”
If you are convinced that EUSC stands for “You Suck,” you are correct. The End User Support Center, computer assistance to the field is unacceptable. I heard if from the Top End User himself. (Who in the world refers to another human being as an End User anyway?) There is good news in the works for us and our computers. With the conclusion of competitive sourcing, units may be looking at some flexibility to make local decisions on how we can get some real human-hands-on support. Who knows, we may be talking to The Geek Squad one day! But again, no going backwards. We will be centralized, but maybe not everything, everywhere, everyday, everyplace.
The Top End User – Hank Kashdan
Have you ever been told “it’s on the web,” only to be sent to a page that didn’t have a single link that helped direct you to something you need to get done? I hate it when that happens; jargon filled directions hidden in places no one can Google. Fool me once – and I’m not going back to that site again. The real deal is that most processes have changed, are changing, and will continue to change, and it can’t be put in one place. Websites need to be live in real time, and if your information is morphing even faster than technology, your instructions are going to look like an old DG. ( I know you remember Data General computers). But, hidden away, trying to herd cats, someone is writing, and re-writing, and testing and with some help, they may actually write the unthinkable and articulate how we do business. What if you had to write out instructions on how to buy a carton of milk? Do you tell someone how to start the car? Do you tell them they need a key to start the car? What if they don’t know what a key looks like? How much money should they take? Which size of milk and what percent? Then to top it off, do you also give instructions on the last question “paper or plastic?” This item too, I need to conclude with a strong dose of reality. It may be hard and confusing, but there is no going back. We will be getting instructions from websites, but they aren’t going to look like the garbage we have now.
I was wondering ‘who are these people who work in the WO?’ I was checking the directory and watching for people I had known ‘from the field.’ I found two. While visiting the Lands department, I stopped by to see Brent McBeth. Brent did an outstanding job helping the Sierra develop and write our communication Site Plans. Brent is professional, efficient, effective and technically proficient. While he was visiting the Sierra, Brent helped us finish a job that we could not have done on our own. I have a lot of respect for Brent and his work, and now he is providing leadership in the Washington Office. The second friendly forest level face in the WO was that of Kathy Gage. I thought for certain she had retired rather than centralize, and she almost did. When Kathy was on the Sierra she was organized, prompt, structured, accurate, direct and a valuable part of the Forest Leadership Team. I knew that she meant business, and she still does. I am glad to see that people I respect are now working in the Washington Office.
The Capitol as viewed from the Yates Building 5th floor.
You may be skeptical about my new found optimism. This is good, you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet, including my blog. But this week, I am different from you because, I now have something that I can’t put in a blog, and I can’t give to you, and I can’t fully articulate. This week, I stood next to the people who are trying to cure our ills, and they are bleeding as green as we are. I looked in their eyes, and I heard their voices, and I saw their presence. I have seen the enemy and it is us. I have seen the solution and it is us. The ‘top’ is from the ‘field,’ and the field is moving up to the WO. Those-guys-who-are-making-us-do-all-that-stupid mandatory training are just as frustrated as we are, and they are trying to set things straight. Just as we are trying to do the right thing for the land and the people, and so are they.
I am indebted to everyone I met this week.
I know there are still people who are in their jobs for personal gain and just don’t care. I know there are people who will take the easy route instead of the right course. I know that not everyone is honest, or honorable, or professional, or live a life with integrity. But this week I’m willing to set that aside and be the Optimist. I believe that the Forest Service will fix its ills because I saw our leadership working just as hard as we are “Caring for the Land and Serving People.”
