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Baxter County Patrol Vehicle

It's Not The Boss Who Deserves The Credit-Republish From Nov 2010

 

I am blessed to receive so many compliments tor myself and the Sheriff’s Office. Most times I receive the compliment of a good job etc. when the credit should go to my Deputies, Jailers and Staff.  After the 4th of July weekend, I have been blessed to receiver more than a dozen phone calls, voice messages and emails complimenting me on various things. I am in my 5th term as the Baxter County Sheriff and am truly blessed with the people who work at the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office.

I published this newsletter in November of 2010.  And I think it very much fits today, so I think a republish is in order.

What Makes a Company or Organization Great?

     What makes a company or organization great? I don't mean good, but great. The difference is the service that it provides. There are many key elements that go into a great organization -- money, equipment or product, etc. But the most important element is the people who are ultimately responsible for the service that is provided.

     Author Jim Collins in From Good to Great points out that one of the most important aspects for an organization to become great is to first surround itself with great people. He uses the analogy of a bus. Get the wrong people off the bus and the right people on the bus BEFORE you decide in which direction the bus is going.

     Leaders most often get the pat on the back when they are involved with a great organization. It does take a strong leader who has vision, purpose, direction and the skills necessary to motivate their people to carry out that vision. But the most successful leaders surround themselves with great people who care about the organization and want to see it be better than good. They want to see it be great.

     In my biased opinion, the Baxter County Sheriff's Office is not a good organization but a great one. Virtually not one day has gone by in my three terms that someone hasn't said to me what a great job we are doing. It would be easy to smile, pat myself on the back and kick back, but the truth is our organization is great because of the employees who work here. It is their dedication to their job, their ‘do what it takes' attitude that causes people to take notice. I believe the difference is that our employees truly care about their job and the people of this community and it is evident by the response from the public.

     I think we as leaders or managers too often forget who is on the front lines. We forget who it is that meets and greets the public every day. Our reputation and the reputation of the organization we work for is in the hands of the people who represent us, our employees.

     Our community, Baxter County, is very blessed in so many ways. We have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful quality of life because of something we don't have -- fear. Our community is a safe community, consistently rated in the Top 10 as far as low crime rates. That is not by accident, it is because of our law enforcement family. The law enforcement here is second to none and they do a tremendous job of keeping our community safe with little resources at times. But again, it is the people in law enforcement that make the difference. It's not the Sheriff, Chief, Mayor, or Judge, but the people who put their lives on the line every day for you and I. These men and women many times put their jobs first and their families second. The ice storm of 2009 which left 80% of the County without power is a good example. We all know the hardships we faced. One thing to keep in mind is every time you saw an officer that meant their family had to deal with the emergency alone.

     In closing, I want to say thank you to everyone who works for a great organization. The organization is only great because of you. More specifically I want to say thank you to all of the men and women in the military who keep this country safe and to the men and women in law enforcement who keep this community safe.

     God has blessed me and my family by giving me this opportunity to serve as Sheriff. He has truly blessed me by surrounding me with the people who work with me every day. Thank you employees, and thank you community for the support you give all of us.

Sheriff John Montgomery

PS/

I would like to thank all of you for making the Baxter County Sheriff's Website such a huge success.  Baxter County’s population is approximately 42,000 people. With more than 1 million visitors the first 6-months this year averaging more than 166,000 visits each month and an average of 34,500 unique visitors each month, we have become the model website for law enforcement. Our model website is now being used by law enforcement agencies from the East to the West Coast.