Standardizing departmental policies can have long-term benefits
In the late 1980s/early 1990s, there was a subtle perspective shift happening in this country. It was the emergence of a more conscientious citizen. For one thing, employees began to learn that employers may not provide a pension, so workers had to create their own retirement plans. It wasn’t enough to simply pay the home mortgage off and then live in it until one died. That was the parents’ philosophy, and yes, the theory of living on “just enough”—the translated advice of our immigrant ancestors—held up for years. But the modern American decided maybe he wanted more than just enough. And if he planned well and invested properly, he might be able to do that.
A Time Of Change
In 1988, I was about five years into my employment at the local park district. I had finished my bachelor’s degree and worked as a field manager at one of the parks. I figured I needed to put in some years “earning some hands-on credibility,” but I was anxious to take the next step into a position that would utilize my business and law degrees.
The park commission had decided, with the retirement of the existing director, that a new path should be taken. The members looked for the very idea I was anxious about. While the retiring fellow had run the company like a family, the new regime had to run it like a business. Would there be resistance? Of course, but it wasn’t a matter of choice anymore. Times were changing, and a new style was needed.
