COSTAR

Commission - Staff Relations

What’s COSTAR all about?

Most organizations with important missions—both in the private and the public-sectors—have a professional Staff that reports to a “Commission”, a “Board”, and a “Council” (i.e.  some kind of body that makes the big policy decisions). 

There are almost as many different Boards and Commissions as there are organizations, and their functions vary a great deal. 

The concerns of the Regional Water Commission are NOT the same as those of the local Hospice Program Board; the Board of Directors of a national environmental group does not deal with the same issues as City Council.  And a manufacturing company’s Board of Directors does not worry about the same things as the local Mental Health Board. 

This workshop is not about what’s different, but what board members and staff have in common.

What they have in common is this:

The ORGANIZATION has a mission . . . not just the Commission . . . or just the Staff . . . but the Organization

 

The organization’s effectiveness depends on how well the whole organization—AS AN ENTITY—functions

In a great many organizations the Commission / Staff RELATIONSHIP is such that it hinders the organization’s ability to fulfill its mission

In these situations usually both the Staff AND the Commission are somewhat frustrated by the way the relationship is working . . or NOT working

But, Commission / Staff relations are complex and sensitive business.  In fact, crude over-simplification is one of the frequent problems. 

Who can benefit from the COSTAR Training?

The course is designed to help both Commission and Staffers to contribute to the creation of a better Commission / Staff relationship. 

Ideally, the BOTH participate in the training.  (As disinterested outsiders, we can point out things and raise issues that might be too sensitive for insiders to raise.) 

The people who benefit the most

On the Staff side:

Chief Executives

Other Senior Managers

Staffers aspiring to leadership

On the Commission side:

Elected Decision-Makers

Appointed Commissioners

People creating new organizations

What are the Benefits?

The Commission / Staff structure for organizational decision-making actually makes sense.  Never mind that it’s working relatively poorly in so many organizations; the potential is there! 

If you will make it your business to take the Commission / Staff relation as seriously as it needs to be taken, and if you will address the problems in that relationship with sensitivity and courage, you’ll ALL benefit!

You’ll find this a Win-Win game if there ever was one; no one needs to lose.

The benefits of COSTAR training:

 

The organization becomes more effective and more productive

 

 

The decision-makers contribute in the area where they have the most to contribute—the VALUES area

 

 

The professionals get appreciated for what they are: professionals, and their work gets used—NOT wasted

What’s in COSTAR?

Topics Covered in the 1-day COSTAR Course

1. The Strategic Role of a MISSION, which involves the following three items
   • Getting the mission right
            
   • Communicating the mission effectively
              
   • Organizing around the mission

2. Two-way communication and two-way accountability

    

3. The role of Professional Ethics

    

4. The unwritten, but valid, ground rules governing the interface between Political Decision-makers and hired Professionals

Help make your organization by making its Commission / Staff relationship an effective and productive one by taking this 1-day course!