For Employees by EmployeesJuly 2011

Manatee County achieves Green Local Government CertificationManatee County Government has achieved a Green Local Government Certifi-cation through the Florida Green Building Coalition.

Brenda Rogers, Manatee County Community Services Director and leader of the County’s Green Team, learned of the news earlier this week six months after submitting an extensive application to become certified. The rating system has certified silver, gold and platinum levels. Manatee has obtained the silver level and will be striving toward gold over the next year.

“The Green Team worked on the application for about a year, including several months of intense work,” Rogers said. “A lot of staff members report-ed on their piece of the application. We had in-volvement from the School District, FP&L and our Constitutional officers. It’s truly been a collective effort.”

For more than a year Manatee County staff and the Green Team, comprised of representatives from each County department, worked toward the certification. Over the past 18 months there has been an organization-wide effort to conserve energy, to improve recycling habits and to cut down on carbon emissions.

The most high profile of these initiatives has been a retrofit of energy efficiency systems and lighting systems at the county’s four largest facilities resulting in an annual taxpayer savings of $479,309. David Thompson, Building Maintenance Division Manager, said that represents a 24 percent savings in the County’s electrical costs at those buildings.

“These improvements will pay dividends for years to come. We’re very proud of this distinction,” Thompson said. “The Green Government Certification really says we’re working together and we understand the need to be environmentally conscious. We’ll continue to look for additional ways to become more environmentally aware, conscious and careful.”

ManateE-zine

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Employee Health BenefitsKYN Healthy Salad Bar Potluck

Katie Gilmore, Utilities Dept. Wellness ChampionOn May 19, 2011, the staff at the Water Treatment Plant held a “Healthy Salad Bar Potluck” Know Your Num-bers Event. This was the first in a series where we

will get together to have healthy meals or snacks, while focusing on an educational aspect of nutrition.

It was easy to organize, I just had to make flyers and a sign-up sheet, spread the word, and act as the facilitator on the day of the event. Natalie Johnson, YourChoice Health & Lifestyle Programs Manager,

Other green initiatives include:

• Improving trash service and add-ing recycling bins throughout the Manatee County Administrative Center. Most individual trash

cans have been eliminated in favor of communal trash cans;

• Installing centralized printers and energy efficient appliances;

• Recycling buildings such as the Valentine House and the Parrish Schoolhouse;

• Ridding Manatee County’s publicly owned natural preserves of invasive veg-etation.

Rogers said the Green Government Certifi-cation “shows that we’re definitely making an aggressive effort to making our County Government as sustainable as possible, and county workers are doing this by performing their everyday jobs in a more efficient, more sustainable ways.”

gave me the directions and guidelines to follow, and I will earn 20 points for orga-nizing at least two events prior to August. Each participant earned 10 points and enjoyed a healthy lunch while learning about the important nutrition “numbers” in the various food choices.

The rules were simple—each person had to sign up and bring at least one item for the salad bar. Options included lettuce, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, and low-fat dressings. Each participant also had to post nutritional information next to their item, including serving size, calories per serving, total fat, sodium, carbohydrates, and fiber. Then everyone was free to make up their salad with the various toppings, while learning about the nutritional content in each item.

Salad toppings brought to share included shrimp, chicken, sunflower seeds, toma-toes, dried cranberries, strawberries, carrots, and broccoli among others. Mau-rice Fenton and his wife Suzanne even brought hard boiled eggs fresh from their hens at home and Lori Carey made a deli-cious salad with black beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice to share with the group.

Everyone that participated agreed that we enjoyed sharing our lunchtime together while eating healthy. Plus, it was fun learning about the nutritional content in the foods we brought. There were a few surprises, such as the fact that there is sodium naturally present in eggs.

Also, this was a great opportunity for the staff at the treatment plant to earn KYN points at our worksite during lunchtime. It can be difficult for many of us to attend other KYN events due to our schedules and the distance to the other worksites. Prior to this, we had only had a few events held out here at the plant, but now we have

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sidewalks and County right-of-ways to keep Manatee beautiful.

2. What is the most interesting part of your job? Working with the road gang guards and inmates from the Manatee County jail.

3. What is the strangest thing that has happened on the job?I witnessed a police chase that happened in our work zone.

4. Where are you from?Mexico.

5. What are your hobbies?Working on cars and playing soccer.

6. If you were stranded on an island and could have 3 items, what would they be and why?My leather man knife, flare gun and a woman. The knife to make tools, flare gun to send out signals for help and it’s always nice to have women around.

7. What did you want to be when you were a kid?Police Officer

8. Do you have any pets?Goats, chickens and dogs.

9. What’s your favor-ite song at the moment?Bust it Wide Open by Lil Wil

decided to try to plan an event monthly, each time focusing on a new educational aspect and “number.” We will change it up in the upcoming months too, doing break-fast in June and maybe focusing on snacks at a future event. If you are interested in organizing a Know Your Number event at your worksite, contact Natalie Johnson.

Know Your Numbers “Last Chance” Events – July 27th & August 6th

Manatee YourChoice Health Plan

Mark your calendars! If you have not had the oppor-

tunity to participate in the Know Your Number Screenings and/or

Presentations you are invited to join us on Wednesday evening July 27th or Saturday, August 6th. We will be offering the same screenings and presentations that have been held throughout the year at various worksites. This “Last Chance” event is intended only for individuals that have not completed the screenings or presentations at some point throughout the year due to scheduling conflicts (great opportunity for spouses on the health plan). More details will be posted next month on the Monthly Calendar and Week-ly Reminders at www.ManateeYourChoice.com. Hope to see you there!

Employee of the Month - June 2011Jose Rico, Public Works

1. What does your job entail? Why is it important?My job consists of picking up trash, trim-ming trees, brush, edging and trimming

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Employee of the Month - July 2011Randall Siebert, Public Works

1. What does your job entail? Why is it important?My Job as a Building Supervisor is to maintain and improve our County Facili-ties with an emphasis on Customer Service and Cost Reduction. I currently work and perform building maintenance at the DeSoto Center and the MSO Substations. In addition, I coordinate the HVAC repairs and maintenance for Property Management and the County Bulb Recycling Program.

2. What is the most interesting part of your job? The daily challenges and interaction with Co-workers, Customers and Contractors.

3. What is the strangest thing that has happened on the job?I had worked at the Public Safety Complex (Jail) for five years and saw many strange things, “And I’d rather not go there”!

4. Where are you from?Green Bay, WI.

5. What are your hobbies?Cycling, woodworking, collecting

coins and vintage sports memora-bilia.

6. Did you go to college? If so, where?

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wisconsin - Supervisory/Management

7. If you were stranded on an island and could have 3 items, what would they be and why?A fishing pole, matches and a knife. All

needed for survival.

8. What did you want to be when you were a kid?Policeman or Firefighter

9. Do you have any pets?A spoiled Tabby Cat named “Mo”

10. What’s your favorite song at the moment?No real favorites to date, I like most kinds of music.

Fun at the LibraryChris Culp, South Manatee LibraryPlease join Mana-tee County librar-ies for a great group of July/August programs at our six branch-es. The summer reading theme is “One World, Many Stories,” a cel-ebration of diversity through music, stories and craft.

Teen events are italicized.

Central Library• There will be storytellers every Saturday 7/11, 7/18 and 7/25 @ 10:30 a.m.

• Gaming Night for Teens- 8/10 @ 6:30 PM

Braden River• The Purnama Balinese Dance Company performs 7/7 @ 2 p.m.

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• Storytellers, Windell Campbell, 7/14 @ 2 p.m.

Kwabena Dinizulu, 7/21 @ 2 p.m.

• Paul Stonebridge talks vampires. 7/9 @ 2 p.m.

• The Hoola Hoop Troupe on 7/16 @ 2 p.m.

Island Branch• The Dojo Storm Team performs July 7th.

• Magic Wizardry of J. Whitehurst on 7/14 @ 10:30 a.m.

• Japanese Taiko Drums on 7/21 @ 10:30 a.m.

• Origami- 7/6 @ 5:30 p.m.

• College Entrance Help- 7/13 @ 5:30 p.m.

• Mote Marine- 7/20 @ 5:30 p.m.

• Anime Drawing workshop- 7/23 @ 2 p.m.

Palmetto• The Purnama Balinese Dance Company performs 7/6 @ 2 p.m.

• Storyteller, Kwabena Dinizulu on 7/21 @ 6:30 p.m.

• Hip Hop Hustle- 7/12 at 6 p.m.

• Origami- 7/14 @ 6 p.m.

• Polymer Clay workshop- 7/23 from 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Rocky Bluff• The Purnama Balinese Dance Company performs 7/8 @ 2 p.m.

• Storytellers-Windell Campbell- 7/15 @ 2 p.m.

• Kwabena Dinizulu- 7/22 @ 2 p.m.

• Juggling/Magic show- 7/29 @ 2 p.m.

South Manatee• Bits n’ Pieces Puppet Theatre- Three Wishes on a Magic Fish, 7/7 @ 2 p.m.

• The Magical Wizardry of Jim Whitehurst 7/14 @ 2 p.m.

• Japanese Taiko Drums 7/21 @ 2 p.m.

• “Monster Piece Theatre” 7/30 @ 2 p.m.

• John Storms brings his “Live” reptile show to South Manatee library on 8/4 @ 3 p.m. • Anime drawing workshop- 7/16 @ 2 p.m.

• Making Vintage Button Bracelets- 7/28 @ 6 p.m. (Call to sign up)

Florida Women in GovernmentNew Officer Installation Banquet

By Lynn Pierce, Information TechnologyOn Wednesday, June 8, the Greater Mana-tee Chapter of Florida Women in Govern-ment held their annual supervisor appre-ciation and new officer installation banquet at the Olive Garden. The guest speaker was Manatee County’s Human Resources Director, Ms. Dale Garcia.

Before the installation ceremony took place, the president, Lynn Pierce enlight-ened the members and guests on the ac-complishments of the organization this past year.

Women in Government operates by two mottos “Empowerment through Educa-tion” and “Achievement through Team-

Newly Elected Florida Women in Government Officers l-to-r: Janice Dunbar-Smith, Alisa Cline, Carol Thorpe, Lynn Pierce, Sheila Parker, Susan Barfield

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There were people showing up with their own bowling balls, shoes, duffel bags on wheels! Now please keep in mind, I have not bowled in almost five years! As they were setting up their “gear”, I was trying to figure out how to put the bumpers up without anyone looking! Don’t worry! I didn’t use the bumpers, but I was envious of the kiddie lane.

We broke out into groups of 3-5 people, and started to play. There was not a whole lot of bantering from most people. Now when I say most people… I don’t mean me! Come on, if you can’t beat them, break their concentration… right?

We all had a great time. We played two games, and it was obvious who was the overall winner. If you don’t know who Nick Wagner (Utilities Maintenance Supervisor) is, you might want find out. Maybe even shake his hand! They say a picture says 1,000 words. Can you say WOW?

Congratulations Nick!

We made a few more friends and walked away from the event with a smile! Several people came up to me and expressed their feelings of gratitude. Some of them haven’t bowled in years and forgot how fun it was! I got a lot of “When is the next bowling social?”

work”. We were able to award over $1,800 in scholarships for continuing education as well as for personal/professional devel-opment.

Our greatest accomplishments this year were: Raising $200 and supplies for the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary for assis-tance with the Deep Horizon

Oil Spill; assembling 37 recycle totes for the Salvation Army that contained the “fixins” for a family of six to have Thanksgiving Dinner (this included a $10 gift card to Publix for perishables); Pur-chased Christmas gifts for a family of seven from Adopt-A-Family, Inc. and for six children from Camelot Community Care; raised $300 that was donated to Hope Family Services for their domestic violence programs.

The new officers for 2011 – 2012 are as follows:

President – Lynn R. Pierce, Information Tech-nologyVice-President – Sheila Parker, Information TechnologySecretary – Susan Barfield, Building & Devel-opment ServicesTreasurer – Carol Thorpe, Information Technology

Members-At-Large – Janice Dunbar-Smith, Community Services and Alisa

Cline, School Board

The organization was challenged by the President to step it up a notch this year. We are already planning our “Let’s Pack the Backpacks” drive to provide backpacks and school supplies

for Camelot Community Care.

Guest Speaker, Dale Garcia, HR Director and FWG President,

Lynn Pierce.

Rising StarsBowling Social

By Alice Rimer, Public WorksThe Rising Stars rose early on Saturday

morning to meet and beat their co-workers at the Bowling Social! Our

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed morning people, met at the Cortez AMF Bowling Lanes. Little did I know they were all pros!

To view video of the bowling

action, visit the Rising Stars

Bowling Social page

Next Women in Government

meeting: Wednesday, July 13

12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

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Our next Social Event is sure to be fun too! Please come out and join us: August 12, 2011 (6 pm – 8 pm) at the Café on the Beach.

Power Speakers of MCGWelcome Your New Officers!President- Mary Moeller, Public WorksVice President of Education- Kelli Polanski, Natural ResourcesVice President of Public Relations- Lynn Pierce, Information TechnologyVice President of Membership- Simone Peter-son, Neighborhood ServicesSergeant At Arms- Yoshira Castro, Neighbor-hood ServicesSecretary- Deborah Carey-Reed, Financial Management Treasurer- Tammy Boggs, Building & Devel-opment Services

10 Tips for Public Speaking

How to find your confidence. Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial, but too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better pre-sentations:

Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, per-sonal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.

Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Prac-tice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.

Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the

microphone and any visual aids.

Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (“One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.

Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.

Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably never noticed it.

Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.

Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you — as an authority and as a person. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A

Toastmasters club can provide the experi-ence you need in a safe and friendly envi-ronment.

Toastmaster Events7/15- MeetingAdmin Bldg.

1112 Manatee Ave. W.Osprey Room

7/22- MeetingAdmin Bldg.

1112 Manatee Ave. W.Osprey Room

7/29 - MeetingPublic Works

1022 26th Ave. E. Bradenton

Conference Room B

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Kudos CornerTo view the kudos information, click on the link which will take you to the PDF file on the iNet.

May 2011County Administrator’s OfficeJudy Belcher, Membership Specialist/Flex

Building & Development ServicesArdath Melton, Permitting Tech IIStephanie Moreland, PlannerMurlene Labarr, Permitting Tech I

Community ServicesRick Larson, Probation Officer

Natural ResourcesMelissa Nell, Volunteer/Education Division Manager

Property ManagementBruce Wickens, Night Custodian SupervisorGerald Sanchez, Custodian

Public SafetyRon Kennedy, Fleet Operations ChiefMike Brennan, Fleet Services Division ManagerBruce Payton, Fleet Maintenance SupervisorMichael Tesar, Charge ParamedicGeorge Dunn, Paramedic

Public WorksJeff Bare, Chemical Application Tech.John Moore, Chemical Application Tech.Jack Washington, Chemical Application Tech.Joel Chancy, Maintenance Tech.James Davis, Maintenance Tech.Rob Campbell, ArboristDaniel Griffin, Maintenance Tech. Berto Penaloza, Irrigation Tech.Sylvestra Garcia, Maintenance Tech.Ed Moore, Chemical Application Tech.Brian Belden, Maintenance Tech.Matt Parks, Maintenance Tech.Ron Eason, Maintenance Tech.James Wolfe, Maintenance Tech.Earl Wingate, Maintenance Tech.

UtilitiesScott Wood, Solid Waste Enforcement OfficerKevin Jenkins, Maintenance Tech.

June 2011Building & Development ServicesJim LaBarr, Senior Inspections OfficerSandy Tudor, Floodplain Investigator

Bob Schmitt, Planning Division ManagerSusan Angersoll, Development Review SpecialistPenny Roberts, Records & Information SupervisorMartha Echeverria, Records & Information Tech.Kristin Donahue, Senior Records & Infor-mation TechJames Thomas, Code Enforcement OfficerKandi Carver, Administrative Services CoordinatorSally Dillard, Fiscal Analyst

Community ServicesDuncan MacNaughton, GroundskeeperVicki Winney, Probation OfficerIrma Richert, Probation OfficerJuan Borrero, Probation OfficerLisa Hickey, Master Gardener Coordinator

Property ManagementGary Underwood, Building SupervisorRobert Vanetten, Sr. Building Trade WorkerCharlie Bishop, Property Management DirectorDavid Thompson, Building Maintenance Division Manager

Public SafetyMedic 8 CrewJohn Mackin, ParamedicDevin Cuff, Charge ParamedicJoshua Moss, Basic ParamedicKris Weiskopf, Animal Services ChiefJay Moyles, Lifeguard ChiefMarshall Greene, Beach Lifeguard Trainee

Public WorksBenita Zarr, Para-Transit CoordinatorAllyson Kalicharan, Eligibility Intake Tech.Cassandra Alston, Eligibility Intake Tech.Shelia Mays, Eligibility Intake Tech.Bus DriversTowanna Pompey, DispatcherEllen Szipocs, Operator SupervisorGlenn Sloan, Maintenance SupervisorBryon Gillis, Maintenance Tech.Michael Strickland, Maintenance TraineeStuart Lioce, Maintenance Tech.Lowell Rollins, Maintenance Trainee

UtilitiesSue Keyes, Customer Service Rep.Scott Wood, Solid Waste Enforcement OfficerJerry Brower, Maintenance TechJason Rinehart, Maintenance Tech Trainee

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Calendar of EventsSummer Blast CampSummer Blast Camp is a structured recre-ational day camp for children ages 5 to 13 years old. Your child will have the opportu-nity to enjoy a variety of exciting games, activities, swimming, and field trips. Where: G.T. Bray Recreation Center now through 8/19; Lakewood Ranch High School now through 8/5 When: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.Fee: Registration $30 2 Week Session $160 Weekly $85 ½ Day Program* $65 *Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – noon *Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Teen CampThe camp will have its own designated “Teen Room” equipped with NEOS, a video interactive game that gets kids off the couch, video games and age appropriate activities. Planned field trips include Low-ry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, and Adven-ture Island.Where: G.T. Bray Recreation CenterWhen: now - 8/19 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.Fee: Registration Fee $30 2 Week Session $160 Weekly $85

Swim Lessons- G.T. Bray Recreation CenterWe teach a progression system that was developed by the nation’s top swim coach-es. Students move at their own pace from one skill station to the next. All coaches are certified by Swim America, a national program of the American Swimming Coaches Association.

When: Morning ClassesMonday, Wednesday, and FridaySession 3: 7/11 - 7/22Session 4: 7/25 - 8/5Session 5: 8/8 - 8/19

When: Evening ClassTuesday, ThursdaySession 6: 7/19 - 8/4Session 7: 8/9 - 8/25Fee: $45/student/session

Swim Lessons- East Bradenton PoolThe staff of the East Bradenton Aquatic Center is dedicated to promoting water safety and swim lesson instruction to the

community. We offer swim lessons with an emphasis on water safety training to edu-cate children about the different hazards that can be found in and around the water while teaching the beginning skills of swimming.

When: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 711 – 7/27 10:30 a.m.Fee: $20/student/session (each session consists of six, 30 minute classes)

Swim Lessons- John H. Marble PoolThe staff at the John H. Marble Aquatic Center are dedicated to promoting water safety and swim lesson instruction to the community. We offer swim lessons with an emphasis on water safety training to edu-cate children about the different hazards that can be found in and around the water while teaching the beginning skills of swimming.

When: Tuesday and Thursday 7/12 – 7/28 4:30 p.m,Fee: $45/student/session (each session consists of six, 30 minute classes)

Group Exercise ClassesMondayCardio/Strength 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.Abs-a-glutely 4:30 p.m. – 5:20 p.m. Spin 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.Zumba 6:30 p.m. – 7:20 p.m.Capoeira Luanda 8 p.m. – 8:50 p.m.

TuesdayGentle Aerobics 9 a.m. – 9:50 p.m.Line Dancing 10 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.Karate 4:30 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.Yoga 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.

WednesdayStrengthen & Lengthen 9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.Zumba 10 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.Pilates 11 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.Aquacise 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.Zumba 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

ThursdayGentle Aerobic 9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.Yoga 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.Ballroom Dance 1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Pilates 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.

Friday

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Cardio Kickbox 10 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

SaturdayZumba 9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Youth Basketball CampThe Manatee County Youth Basketball League invites Boys and Girls between the ages of 8 - 14 years old to take part in our first ever Summer Basketball Camp. Coach Troy Albers has teamed up with past and present league directors Marcus Francis and BT Mastin to work directly with each participant to correct those “bad habits” and help them reach their true potential! Space will be limited to 20 participants per age division/per session, so register early!

All participants must be registered the Thursday before each session.

Where: G.T. Bray ParkWhen: Monday - Friday6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (Boys/Girls 8 - 11)7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. (Boys/Girls 12 - 14)Session 2: 7/25 - 7/29 Fee: $45 per participant/per session

For more information; please contact Troy Shonk at 742-5926 or by e-mail at Troy.Shonk@mymanatee.org

Golf CampTaught by former LPGA Golf Professional Shelley Sanders, former touring profes-sional and college golf coach. Camp in-cludes: etiquette, rules of golf, woods, irons, putting, chipping, pitching, and fun for all! Transportation provided to and from G.T. Bray Park.

Where: Manatee County Golf CourseWhen: Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.Week 2: July 11 - 14Week 3: July 18 - 21Week 4: July 25 - 28Fee: $150/week (lunch included)

For additional information or to register, contact Shelley Sanders at 539 9402.

Manatee County Rowing - Long Skinny Summer Boat CampYouth entering 6th grade and above can participate in this exciting new camp. Youth will learn rowing terminology, rowing machine, rowing on the water, cardio conditioning, and nutrition in a

Many group exercise classes

are now included in the Recreation

Membership.

Sign up now, and find out what all

the craze is about!

For information on all programs,

contact us at 742-5923 or

mymanatee.org/parks.

positive fun environment. A regatta will be held at the end of each session so family and friends can come see the campers newly developed skills. Contact Palmetto High School rowing coach Trish Jackson at manateerowing@live.com.

Where: Ft. Hamer Rowing Facility 1605 Ft. Hamer Road, ParrishWhen: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.Session 2: July 11 - 22Session 3: August 1 - 12Fee: $250/session

Volleyball Camp at G.T. BrayNancy Cothron, Volleyball Coach for Saint Stephen’s Episcopal and Director of Mana-tee Area Volleyball (MAV) welcomes boys and girls of all ages to come take part in one of her summer Volleyball Camps. Nancy brings her experience as a former collegiate player at FSU and professional Beach and Indoor player. Nancy and her staff will work with the younger kids to provide introduction and review of skills, while addressing the needs of the more experienced players through the teaching of game strategy and more. All camps come with a minimum requirement needed and limited registration.

Camps & FeesRising K-3 Grade $45 July 5 – 8 10 a.m. – noonRising 4 & 5 Graders $45 July 11 – 14 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.Rising 6 & 7 Graders $45 July 11 – 14 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

For dates, times and registration informa-tion contact Nancy Cothron at tcothron@tampabay.rr.com or 915-3097.

Youth Basketball LeagueRegistration: July 1 – 31Ages: Boys/Girls 5 – 17 Cost: $65/per participant

Important Dates• 3 Week Camp - August 8• Practices - September 5• Games - September 17

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claim to be oblivi-ous to the exis-tence of this menace.

And then again, there is a possibil-ity that you’re a typical Type A micromanager yourself! Although most people like being managed, one can hardly say the same about micromanage-ment. So what is it that compels people to act like frenzied control freaks? How do you deal with ‘them’? Are you one of ‘them’? Let’s tackle the last one first. You have to know whether you’re a microman-ager before you can do something about it. Here’s how you do a dipstick check.

How To Tell If You Are a Micromanager

- You feel compelled to keep telling people the ‘right’ way to do it, since they can obviously never do the work as well as you can.- You get personally offended and aggravated if you find a worker inefficient in their work.- Even if the work is done to satisfaction, you still want to fiddle with it before you let it pass your hands.- You need constant updates about the prog-ress of work that is assigned to subordinates, and here, constant can mean as little as 6 minutes.- You resist delegating work and immerse yourself in tasks that other people are sup-posed to carry out.- You keep nit-picking about small details and discourage people from making independent decisions.

Micromanaging is mostly associated with either Type A personalities or Theory X Leaders, but the need to micromanage could arise from good intentions as well. For example, if you ask a micromanager why they do it, they’ll tell you that they have a heightened sense of responsibility and ownership.

This is true, people who micromanage are seen to have a greater sense of ownership, and fear of things going wrong, or working

Fall Adult Tennis LeaguesGet in the game! All ages and playing levels are encouraged to come out and give tennis a try. Singles and Doubles Leagues are offered with each league playing one evening each week for eight weeks.

Where: G.T. Bray Recreation CenterWhen: 8/29 – Registration 9/26 – League BeginsFee: Clay Court Play With Current Membership $40 Without Current Membership $65 Hard Court Play With Current Membership $26 Without Current Membership $40 Clay/Hard Court Play With Current Membership $40 Without Current Membership $50

Fall 2011 7-on-7 Men’s Adult Flag Football LeagueInformational Meeting: 8/9Ages: 18 and UpCost: $585/per teamRegistration: 8/15 – 8/21Season Begins: 8/30

Fall 2011 Adult Softball LeagueInformational Meeting: 8/23Ages: 18 and UpCost: $400* for Men’s and Women’s, $300* for Co-edRegistration: 8/29 – 9/4Season Begins: 9/12

*If New Team not already registered with Freedom Sports, an extra $20 Registration Fee is assessed.

Click here for events happening in Manatee County’s Preserves

HR CornerDealing with MicromanagementPart 1- How To Tell If You Are a Micromanager

HRPeople.monster.comIn the business world, the term “micro-management” has assumed massive proportions, with almost everyone of us having witnessed this phenomenon at work. Whether you have experienced it first-hand, or observed it from close quarters, or heard it discussed around the office vending tea machine, you can never

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powered employee is an ineffective one – one who requires a lot of time and energy from his supervisor.

The other thing that micromanagement has going against it is that it is subject to the law of diminishing returns. In simple terms, what this means is that the first time you micromanage is the time you get the most return from it. This is because people will usually comply with you the first time even if they find something odd about your behavior, but over a period of time they develop a learned response to it, which usually is to not pay much attention or worse, respond aggressively.

Need we remind people that micromanag-ing is just not a healthy attitude; it shows the supervisor’s general mistrust with his peers and subordinates.

How To Stop Your Micromanaging Tendencies

AcknowledgeAcknowledge that there is a problem. If you find that your team no longer offers sug-gestions or tells you outright that you have a controlling nature, that’s as big a sign you are going to get. Not acknowledging a problem is like a man who goes drunk into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and declares “but I don’t have a drinking prob-lem”. Fat chance of HIM getting off alcohol!

Manage ExpectationsDecide and mutually agree on expectations from both parties, i.e., what you expect from your subordinates and also what they expect from you as their manager. It may be a revelation to you that they may want you to “give them a little freedom of work” or “control your constant need to be up-dated”.

Talk about the task at hand as much as you want to in the first go, let them know your requirements before they actually start working and then control the urge to

to the detriment of their organization.

What this means at the ground level, however is two important things – one, the fact that they will not allow their subordi-

nates to grow because they want to do everything themselves, and

have all decisions, big or small, pass through them,

and two, the fact that they make life literally unbearable for the folks below who actu-ally know their job and are good at it.

Also, most of the times, they will not let ownership build amongst their team be-cause the team feels that whatever they do, will finally pass through their boss anyway, this leads to complacency. The fact that micromanagers often end up being bottle-necks is another negative fallout.

However efficient one may be, it is physi-cally impossible to handle every little nitty-gritty of business by oneself – there will be times where the overall efficiency is compromised because something (which might otherwise be perfectly done in the first place) is waiting for the attention of the micromanager.

So, if you are a micromanager, the chances are that sooner or later you will realize that the employees are spending an increasing amount of time thinking how to deal with their supervisor rather than actually work-ing. If you wait long enough, most of the good self respecting people would have left and you would be left with a team of me-diocre employees who just know one thing, follow orders, no questions asked. Good luck with that!

So What’s Wrong With Micromanagement?

Sure you’ve read articles that say “micro-manage and get things done”, and in all likelihood, at some point of time you have caught yourself thinking – “what’s wrong with these guys, it’s so simple, what’s taking them so long”, or “let me do this myself, it’ll be faster that way”.

Well, there are two problems with this – first, by constantly barging into people, you take away their power to make any deci-sions on their own, this is how you are effectively disempowering them. A disem-

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continuously check on them. If people know that you’re counting on them, they’ll surprise you with good results.

Encourage Participation“How do you plan to approach this?” “How are you planning to get buy- in on this?” “What are you going to do to get Marketing involved?” “Do you have any ideas for solving this problem?”, are just some things you can ask to increase the level of interaction and cohesiveness in a team.

Let the employees know that their thoughts and opinions are valued, don’t ever snub someone just because you don’t agree with what they have to say.

Don’t over criticizeYou have to make sure that you are not the

only one criticizing your team all the time – people will form a

negative opinion about you. At least half of the criticism

should come from the team itself – create a

culture of self evaluation, where people talk about

their improvement areas, real or perceived.

Other than self critique being more accurate, it takes

the heat off you so you don’t always have to be the bad guy. Remember the 70/30 rule, 70% praise and 30% criticism, and 0% criticism in front of other team members.

Are You Being Micromanaged? Find ways to deal in Part 2- “Are You Being Micro-managed? Oh dear!” in the August 2011 E-zine.

The Final Word“Share the idea, submit a suggestion, develop a team”As I read through this month’s E-zine, I am struck by the engagement of our workforce. Unlike many organizations, the initiatives highlighted are not led just by senior leadership, but by folks in every area of our organization. Our Toastmasters group is producing amazing and confident speak-ers, Women in Government is impacting our community with their compassion and outreach, the Green Team is working to ensure a sustainable future, and our Rising

Stars are shaking things up! We have two employees of the month highlighted who are passionate about their impact on Man-atee County, and our Wellness Champions are doing their best to engage their col-leagues in healthy lifestyles.

All of these programs result from great ideas generated by great employees. They are from people who took ideas from their areas of passion and found a way to inte-grate them into the daily work of this government. And each of these is adding great value to the business of local govern-ment. As you read this, think about one of the great ideas you have had and how it can add value to our daily lives. It doesn’t have to be a massive organizational change – it can be something that comes to mind as you look around your workplace, a spark of inspiration, an idea that’s been brewing in the back of your mind. Work to be an active observer in our organization by looking at things from a fresh perspective. Each of us see things from our own filter and by acting on those views can add so much to our daily opera-tions. Here’s just one example of active observation: An employee was driving home from work one evening and got behind a transit bus. She noticed the back of the bus was a blank slate with room to add a message to our customers. She picked up the phone and suggested adding a message and the web site – a simple, yet great idea.

So the next time you have your own great idea – act on it. Share the idea, submit a suggestion, develop a team. That’s what we are all about!

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