Algonquin Township Trustee Larry Emery made some year-end reflections on his blog, which has permitted me to reprint.
GOD, Government and Guidance-Accountability: 3rd
Data, Facts, Information, and Knowledge will initialize Thoughts Ideas, Opinion, to Wisdom. Issues of misunderstanding and actual lies are born from partial, missing, or misleading data.
The process to consider the data a fact will start the process that people will believe it is “reliable and truthful information”.
Once established by the person, group, or government, it will create a life of its own and become knowledge.
This knowledge then is “used” to be the standard for wisdom.
Larry Emery
Now the question, “What was the starting point of data that was used to get to the desired end result?
Today’s point of view is tending to get to the end justifies the means.
Accountability involves the establishing means to measure results of actions of an individual or organization.
In government, we have the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
This all starts with Transparency.
As indicated in part 2, is there an alignment with this office and all agencies to work together for accountability?
This needs to start with EACH government body that has the responsibility to request the taxes for revenue, establishes the budget to spend, and decides how they are to be audited for efficient and legal expenses based on the mission statement.
The Constitution is a very good place to start to help with the agreement of the mission statement.
Maybe more should understand how to “sing” before “performing”.
Do, Re, Mi.
Ten ways to establish accountability to help make government like a business:
- Transparency and Enterprise Environmental Factors (Not your Parents Global Warming)
- 4 year Plan (versus a corporate 5 year plan)-mid year and yearly reviews with updates
- Mission Statement based on established legal goals and scope
- Communication, Acronyms, and Technology
- Process, Metrics and reporting to provide optimum goods and services
- Job Description, salary, and benefits
- Accounting with Sales/Revenues/Reserves, Budget and Audits
- Leadership, Project Management, and Point of View (POV)
- Training, Mentoring, and Career paths for Transitioning
- Law of Diminishing Returns and other Understandings; Rules of Thumb
A few notes and quotes below for further discussion. Again, please send an email or call if you would like to dig further into what we all can do to be accountable and set expectations on our governments to do likewise.
Structure of Awareness, Communication, and Point of View (POV): Do use a structure to communicate?
Do we even use a “Mary Poppins” measurement to determine who, what, where, when why, and how our POV?
- Words
- Numbers
- Signs
- Senses
- Measurement Relativity
- Thought/Consciousness
Quote to Remember: Figures Never Lie, but Liars Always Figures. Author Unknown
Quote to be aware of: Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions. Evan Esar (1899 – 1995), Esar’s Comic Dictionary
Quote for prespective: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Ben Disraeli (1804 -1891)