Conviction

Plan, organize, direct, and control - the four basic pillars of management.  Both art and science.

Next comes staff motivation and training, followed by personal time-management and self-management skills.

Master all that, and you'll be on your way.

And while on that journey, keep in mind the 80/20 rule - that 20% of the work (the first and final 10%) takes 80% of the effort.  So start and end a project, task or assignment with conviction - and the desired outcomes will surely result.

Remarkable

Another great employee ended her stellar career with the city the other day.

Jan Detrick, Community Development Specialist, was honored at a retirement celebration in the City Hall Annex.

Friends and peers from near and far attended to wish Jan farewell and to recognize her for outstanding contributions to Bristol and the region.

She ably supported local housing programs and made life better for hundreds of residents in Northeast Tennessee.

Thanks Jan for all you did - it was remarkable.

Life-long

Spent several days in training last week with other city managers across the state.

The takeaways were many as learning is a life-long process.

No grades were given - but I suspect all would pass.

Pinball Wizard

The monthly breakfast meeting with a select number of city employees took place this morning.

In addition to talking about the proposed budget, ongoing economic development projects, and upcoming city capital projects - we talked about music.

Specifically - favorite musicians.  No reason was asked why; just who.

And no, the English rock band of the 1960's and 1970's -The Who - were not named by a single person.

So who was?  The Eagles, Chet Atkins, The Eagles (again), Willie Nelson, Alicia Keys, Hank Williams Sr, Kiss, Jason Aldean, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and George Jones.

Why did we talk about musicians?  Because we could....it just started the day off right.

Pinball anybody?

Preparation

Seneca, Roman philosopher
(ca. 4 BC - AD 65)

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity - Seneca

Are you preparing to be lucky?

Election

Springtime in Bristol has arrived.  The trees are blooming, the grass is greening, and the birds are chirping earlier and earlier each morning.

Election signs are popping out in large numbers this Spring too.  Every May in odd-numbered years a city election is held to select our governing board.  This year the three district seats are being contested.  And the prize - a four-year term on City Council.

Serving the community as a member of City Council is the highest level of community service for which we thank all of the candidates in advance.

And by the way, I passed 26 election signs on my way into the office today - of all sizes and colors.  And all were all properly placed off the public right-of-way - now that is also a beautiful sight.

Career

Are you interested in a career in law enforcement?  How about with the best municipal police department in Tennessee?

If so - now is your opportunity.

The city is accepting applications for police officer through 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 19.

Applications may be obtained in the Department of Human Resources, 801 Anderson Street, Room 204, during normal office hours or may be downloaded at bristoltn.org/ApplyingforaJob.cfm

The time remaining to apply is short - so act now if interested.  We'd love to have you join us.