What Did I Learn?

I graduated this week from Leadership Prince William this week! I’m still bursting with the magnitude of that statement. It is such an honor to be associated with so many forward thinking people, intent on making their own lives and their communities better. We had many occasions to converse with our classmates and my favorite question to ask was, “Why did you attend Leadership Prince William?”

Early in the year, when I asked that question, most responded they wanted to be better managers at their job. Some considered this year a career booster. Others were looking for skills to use with employees or co-workers, and several responded they were sent by their employers. I remember thinking, “Gosh, I’m not sure I even belong here!” I didn’t have any of those concerns. In fact, I don’t even have a job! What was I doing there in the midst of all these up and coming (or already arrived) professional people?

 We covered a lot of topics over the course. Many of those areas were very familiar to me, as I have been involved in Prince William County for quite some time. I want to share something important I did learn:

I have interacted with many county employees since I first became involved with my community in 2006. I know a number of department directors on a first name basis and consider a couple of them real friends, but for the most part, I know numerous county employees on a strictly professional basis. Usually my interactions with county staff are limited to: “I have a problem…Can you help me fix it?”

Through Leadership Prince William, I got to know several county staff on a different level. I discovered they are not just helpful in their position, but have a genuine love for PWC. They want to be helpful, not just because they are well paid, but because it is inherent to their nature.

I know this may be hard for you to believe, but I am by nature, really very shy! This revelation about senior county staff has emboldened me to be more proactive in my approach to solutions. I realize now, that these folks are not only paid to assist residents, they actually WANT to assist you. I have not been mingling my grass roots ideas with all the right people, previously inhibited by the notion: these senior county staff must be too busy, too important, and/or too remote to access.

I spread myself over a wide range of activities because I instinctively know all these interests overlap and correlate. Always, at the heart of my actions, is how to make life better for my friends, neighbors and community. Now, I think I have a few new tools, some insight, some confidence and even renewed enthusiasm for the tasks I challenge myself with every day.

On our last day of class, I think most of us realized our motivations for attending were altered from our original intent. Most of the statements I heard from my classmates ran along the lines of: “I want to give back to my community” or “I want to help.” They were not so focused on their job as in the beginning. In fact, several of them have already begun the work:

 If you are a veteran or interested in veterans’ issues, or If you’d like to help veterans transition into civilian life or deal with disability, visit Veterans of Prince William County on Facebook. This group is just starting up and intends to cover some of the gaps in veterans’ lives.

Always feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way. I have some of the best friends, most knowledgeable contacts, and great resources to direct you to solutions for your problems. If I don’t know the answer, I bet I can find someone who does!