As I wrap up my first month in office, I want to thank so many of you for welcoming me to my new role in one of the most important organizations in Michigan. As the State of the State address approaches and I prepare to address the people of this state, it was important to me to first share a few thoughts with all of you, my fellow state employees. As the leader of this team of more than 50,000 people, I am determined that we achieve greatness together. Here is a sense of what you can expect from me and what I expect from you.

What we will do together. As Governor, I have laid out a vision for Michigan that focuses on protecting our state’s families and educating our children. There is little any of us do as members of the state government team that doesn’t – at least in some way – impact one, or both, of those goals. With limited budget and staff resources, I am committed to making our priorities those services that protect our families and educate our children in the most tangible, direct ways. I have made serious commitments to the people on both counts, and “doing what I say I am going to do” is, for me, the heart of integrity.

I cannot accomplish this vision without you. I have been working closely with the directors of all the state’s departments to craft a comprehensive set of achievable goals for making our vision a reality. We have developed a list of action items – some of which will affect only your particular department; others will invite you to intensify your level of cross-departmental cooperation.

Chief among my commitments to the people of Michigan is ensuring that our state government lives within its means. With an expected $1.7 billion deficit in FY 2004 – almost 20 percent of the state’s $8.9 billion general fund – we will have to be enormously creative, disciplined, and hard working to maintain the outstanding service we now provide, and even to improve on what we do. I have begun to look at the Executive Office to find places to reorganize, to defer, and to tighten our belts in ways big and small. We’re reusing supplies and letterhead from the previous administration, canceling subscriptions, turning in state cars, and reducing the number of executive office staff. The challenge is great, but we will find opportunities in it.

We will need to be creative, and we will need to be vigilant every day. I have asked our department directors to reach out to you, to tap your wisdom, to encourage you to help us manage this crisis, finding solutions and supporting each other in the process. In the coming weeks, I will be announcing a mechanism through which you can directly send us your suggestions for reducing our deficit. The potential savings you identify may allow us to preserve an important job, hire a great young person, and to do the vital things we do for our children, families, seniors, and students.

How we will do it. I hope at the end of the next four years you will say, “These were the best four years of my work life.”

When I took office as the state’s Attorney General four years ago, I often said that my most pleasant discovery was the phenomenal staff I had inherited. I find the same is true today. I have been mightily impressed and gratified by the professionalism, dedication, and quality of Michigan’s state employees. Whether you serve as a state road inspector, a foster care worker, an environmental permit reviewer, or a department’s receptionist, public service is among the most noble of professions. Your work has not always been easy, and it will be, no doubt, even more challenging going forward.

Ours is truly a great organization and, like all great organizations, we will be clear about where we are going – the vision – and about how we will act in getting there – the values. Together, we can make the coming years satisfying and positive if we all work in the following way:

• Act with integrity. This means seeing our work as a duty entrusted to us by the citizens of Michigan. We owe them our best.
• Be creative and innovative. We must approach old problems in new ways.
• Challenge ourselves to excellence, achieving results we will all be proud of. I flat-out reject the notion that the private sector is inherently superior to the public. I know hundreds of extraordinary public servants, and I intend for you to feel proud and to hold your head high when you say, “I work for the State of Michigan.” When we do this right, I expect others to be honored to meet you and grateful for your work on their behalf.
• Treat each other with respect. Everyone’s work matters, regardless of your role within our government. Everyone is a person and deserves respect.
• Be inclusive in welcoming different people and varied ideas to the decision-making table.
• Engage people in our great work, whether that means including citizen input in our policy decisions, treating citizens with the respect due them as our employers, or reaching out in a hundred ways to encourage businesses, churches, non-profits, and just plain folks to join with us in our efforts to make Michigan a great state. Especially in these tough times, we must reach out and involve.

Please join me in creating (or further crafting, for I know there is greatness all about me) the best working environment a state government has ever seen. Working together, we’ll make Michigan the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family.

Public attention naturally focuses on the leadership, the department directors who make up my cabinet. But in great organizations, everyone leads, everyone feels respected and feels like they have a stake, everyone contributes and feels a sense of ownership. That is what I am after. The most important leaders in any organization are those who create a culture of integrity, creativity, excellence, respect, inclusion, and engagement. You can choose to be one of those leaders. I hope you will.

Sincerely,

Jennifer M. Granholm
Governor