The task of creating CAPP from the ashes of ProCAP was a complicated one.
For starters, the federal government imposed a sequester cut and followed that up with a shutdown, which froze all contracts/funding funneled through the state to the agency. It became a challenge to keep the agency afloat and meet payroll. In fact, it forced layoffs. All the while the staff felt that the future of their jobs, as well as the future of the agency, was uncertain.
I realized early on that in this period of challenge and change, I had a real opportunity to bring staff to work together toward a common goal: rebuilding. And I knew in order to be successful I needed buy-in from all levels of staff.
With that understanding, I set up to be transparent and inclusive every step of the way. For instance, during all staff and management team meetings, we had honest discussions about finances, progress and setbacks, decisions being made and the reasoning behind the decision, as well as the implications of those decisions.
Additionally, there were working groups at which all levels of staff participated in thinking through agencywide processes, policies and procedures. Managers were provided finance training and given the responsibility to manage their department budgets.
These strategies resulted in little resistance to the drastic changes, thus accomplishing our goals sooner than expected. Today we have new leaders, the beginnings of a culture of collective work and responsibility, transparency and accountability, and a trust level that runs deep. •