As we watch and see more public demonstrations regarding elected representation, let’s take a deeper look at public leadership and ask ourselves what should be the expectation of those who serve in elected positions?
As we do this, we should also then ask what elected representatives should expect of us, those they represent.
From my perspective, it’s really important to understand the role and responsibilities of elected public leadership. The need to be informed, be strategic, possess the ability to communicate and be responsive, and then to serve the community are all so important.
As this is clarified and better understood, it seems that identifying the expectations between elected leadership and its constituents is then critical. I think expectations of each is a critical question to ask that directly impacts the effectiveness of governance at any level. Here’s an attempt to identify such expectations.
EXPECTATIONS OF ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES:
ACCOUNTABILITY:
Citizens should expect their elected representatives to be accountable for their actions, decisions and promises. This means being transparent in decision making, in being responsive to constituents and demonstrating honesty and integrity in serving the public interest.
REPRESENTATION:
The interests and needs of their constituents should be their priority above any personal or party interests. They should represent the diverse needs and issues of the communities they serve. This representation should be done with respect and value for every person they serve.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Representatives should be accessible and approachable to ALL constituents. They should proactively engage with their communities, listen to their concerns and needs and communicate effectively with the public.
ETHICAL LEADERSHIP:
Citizens should expect their elected representatives to demonstrate ethical leadership, ethical actions and behaviors, and act with honesty and integrity in all aspects of their roles. Truth should be of the highest value.
COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE:
Representatives should demonstrate a priority for public service over and above personal gain or any political agenda. Citizens should expect a diligent work ethic on behalf of the community and make decisions and work in support of that which benefits the common and public good.
STRATEGIC CAPACITY:
Demonstrate the ability to think and bring a forward thinking, strategic view to their role in representing the public good.
EXPECTATIONS OF THOSE BEING REPRESENTED:
ENGAGE AND PARTICIPATE:
That citizens should engage and participate. This includes staying informed (re: community issues), participating in civic activities and providing feedback to its representatives.)
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY:
Demonstrate good citizenship by voting in elections, staying informed on public issues and volunteering within the community.
Constructive Feedback: Elected officials should encourage constructive feedback, input and questions that represent various viewpoints and concerns from their constituents that in the end will hold their representatives accountable.
RESPECTFUL COMMUNICATIONS:
Respectful communications should be expected from people being represented that may disagree or represent differing opinions or views. This can lead to more effective governance.
COLLABORATION:
Citizens should look to collaborate with elected officials to address community issues and needs. This can lead to the building of stronger, more resilient communities.
By establishing clear expectations that support a culture of mutual respect, accountability and collaboration between citizens and their elected representatives, communities can promote effective governance, build trust in leadership and work toward shared goals that stand in the best interests of our communities.
METRICS:
I believe the above expectations could be very helpful if we could actually measure the accountability to these expectations. In a quality business, you will find metrics in place that demonstrate how expectations are being met and therefore how the organization is performing.
What the public leadership or governance space should strive to put in place are the measures that allow them to measure performance. It is rarely done. Talked about maybe, but reluctantly implemented. So here is an advocacy for such implementation, and maybe for public expectation of such from its elected leadership. It could provide an effective basis of reporting back to the community and build accountability to election promises and commitments.
CHARACTER:
What is of primary importance is CHARACTER. I hope measures of organizational performance are implemented and expectations are in place or put in place. However, what is paramount is character. From a leadership viewpoint, I’m not sure how you cannot identify one’s character as a critically important attribute of elected leadership.
Don’t we want those who lead to be of strong character? Don’t we want to respect those who lead and trust those who lead? If we know a belief system, a values-based approach is in place in those who lead, we can move on to the other leadership attributes and expectations that have been identified as important to effective representation. Quality character builds trust and confidence.
It’s why vision and values are always identified as the key leadership attributes. Character is the place to start as we talk about expectations of elected leadership or of any level of leadership.
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNANCE:
Representative governance allows us to elect leadership at regular intervals and it’s our citizen responsibility to cast our ballot to continue or change our representation. This is our community value of citizenship and why it’s so important to take this role seriously and participate in the election process. If the above expectations make sense, it can only have an impact if we vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy!
