Time for managers to manage in Kane

The recent articles concerning issues with balancing the Kane County budget are very enlightening. They open a window into part of the reason why the cost of government is so high.

In the private sector, managers are regularly (annually) told they must cut their budgets, that they must do more with less.

Every manager worth his salt tries to convince senior management that their department should be spared or the cuts made be less onerous than demanded. This is done as a normal part of a budget review process.

What managers in the private sector don't do when told to cut budgets is threaten to sue their managers or stomp out of the room. Such behavior is not acceptable and leads directly to the unemployment line.

So what is it about state government that allows such behavior? I think the answer is twofold.

The first is that budget cuts in state government are not the norm. The norm is for more and more money every year to flow from taxpayers into government spending. Accordingly, the reaction to budget cuts is a relatively new (if not first time) experience for state bureaucrats.

The second is a combination of the entitlement mentality of state government (we deserve more! - always) and the virtual absence of what would be senior management's responsibility in the private sector to control costs and maximize productivity and profitability.

The current economic situation is horrible; however, perhaps the mandate to reduce state government spending is one of those 'teaching moments' where state managers can learn how to really manage people and expenses, increase productivity and do more with less.

Kane County is sounding more like a day care center where children are reacting to Lollipop Day being taken away. How about a little professional behavior? How about making the tough choices that are made in the private sector every day? How about managing?

Stephen Gohmann

Huntley