With many of our staff on holidays, not just at the City but in other agencies we deal with, the summer months provide an excellent opportunity for those still at work to get caught up. On a regular, day to day basis, the information flow and workload in City Hall can seem relentless. Incoming correspondence from countless sources, e-mails, reporting requirements, Council meeting agendas and minutes, reports to Council and the list goes on. The work is challenging and the days go extremely fast. However, the pace often doesn't allow us to keep up with the less critical, but equally important functions such as keeping files in order, planning for future initiatives, connecting informally with staff and other things that tend to take a back seat when we are busy.
It is important that the CAO and senior staff have an opportunity to get their heads 'out of the trench' and dedicate time to anticipating the future, evaluating what we are doing, how we are doing it and if there are better ways to do it. Too often we do things the same old way, not because it's the best way but because change takes time and effort. More often we are forced to make a reactive change when something goes wrong. However, it is preferable that we make changes 'proactively' so that we have time to think the issues through and implement change effectively. The summer months give us the opportunity to do just that.
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