It's Okay to Wake Up Sleeping Dogs
Why “let sleeping dogs lie” is a lousy maxim for community leadership.
Civic Leadership Requires More Than Transparency
Transparency, the act of making information easily accessible and understood to the public, is an essential civic virtue. But transparency is passive; it responds to, but doesn’t drive, participation.
As a civic leader, it’s your job to inspire public participation in the affairs of their community. That means calling attention, making introductions, raising concerns, being welcoming, and above all, providing a meaningful process of engagement that leaves participants feeling that their voice was heard and their time was well-spent.
“Let sleeping dogs lie” is a lousy maxim for community leadership. Sure, civic engagement can be a loud and messy affair. But local government is supposed to be participatory, and that requires leaders who relish their role as champions of community engagement.
