Bridgette Gransden | MME President
At the beginning of the MME Board of Directors meeting in late April, I started the meeting with a “check-in question,” which I often do with the meetings I lead. I went around the room and the Zoom screen and asked everyone this question, “What is your favorite springtime activity?” As you can imagine, with a board made up of diverse thoughts and backgrounds, there were a variety of answers. Some enjoy gardening, fishing, running or walking the local rail trail, golfing, the kickoff of baseball season, and even sitting outside to enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass.
Not surprisingly, no one mentioned things like budget preparation, audit wrap-up, or getting ready to close out the fiscal year end for those June year-end local governments. I am certain the board members, much like all of you, acknowledge the vast responsibility that these organization milestones bring. They also carry with them potential stressors stemming from a variety of areas … financial challenges, staff transitions, new elected officials who haven’t been through your processes, or perhaps negative public input.
There can be multiple purposes for a check-in question. In the case of the MME Board, it is a chance to build rapport and for us to get to know each other on a more personal level, as well as set a positive tone for the upcoming business we are about to embark on. Remembering that our peers have lives outside of their local government buildings—and making an effort to learn more about them—is a cornerstone to earning trust, respect, and grace, as professionals, colleagues, and friends.
Nearly all of the responses to the question included some sort of “change” or “start” or “beginning”—the start of baseball season, beginning of trout season for the avid fishermen, and the change in weather that offers the opportunity to golf, run, walk outside, prepare our gardens for the plants to start blooming, and yes, even cut our grass!
Springtime also brings change and new beginnings for the MME Board. In May, we will meet as a group to begin work on a reboot of our current strategic plan. A large focus will be starting to unravel the results of the recent Membership Survey and explore ways to incorporate the results into future committee work, conference topics or formats, or perhaps board policies. This process may be clunky, chaotic, and beautiful all at once. We are going to have both wins and hurdles. The path we lay out will likely not be linear. The twists and turns are certain to include moments acknowledging we may have to head back to the drawing board.
One of my favorite Einstein quotes is, “Failure is success in progress.” One thing I know to be true, your MME Board members are committed to outcomes that have positive impacts on our members (even if it gets a little icky along the way) and we strive to continue to earn your trust, respect, and grace. Now, I will ask each of you, what is your favorite springtime activity?
Bridgette Gransden
President, Michigan Municipal Executives
Administrator/Controller, Midland County
A CPA who found her passion in local government finance and administration, Bridgette has dedicated over 30 years to the County of Midland and the surrounding community. She is a proud graduate of Northwood University with certificates in leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School and UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Her professional affiliations include national and state memberships as well as active roles on state boards and several International City/County Management Association (ICMA) committees/task forces. She currently serves as Midwest regional director of the National Association of County Administrative Officers. Bridgette’s community service is extensive and includes being a founding member of the Midland Wellbeing Coalition. Dedicated to improving community wellbeing, she became certified in Applied Positive Psychology and Creating Positive Change, with a specific focus on Engagement/Strengths training.