The Shadow Side of Leadership: Conflict
Baraboo, WI. On March 14 the Sauk County Institute of Leadership (SCIL) class of 2023-2024 started their seventh of nine sessions by visiting the Sauk County Law Enforcement Center.
Captain Lewis Lange, Sauk County Jail Administrator, shared the importance of having time to decompress and reset to be a better leader for his staff. One of the jail teams’ greatest assets is having support from their co-workers and their supervisors to help them keep a positive outlook on the daily challenges they deal with as they oversee 10 residents in the Sauk County Jail.
Captain Lange and his team have a policy to treat inmates with respect and endeavor to understand the circumstances that led to their incarceration. Multiple community services focus on prevention and connecting inmates with necessary treatment programs to decrease repeat offending related to substance use and mental health issues.
From the jail we traveled to UW Platteville-Baraboo Sauk County Campus for the remainder of the day.
As homework for this session SCILsters attended a local government meeting to observe how citizens can play a role in their community and/or see leadership within the meeting. Morgan McArthur, UW-Madison Extension Sauk County Educator, debriefed the group on what they learned and how they felt observing those meetings. Some members of the class had been asked if they were attending the right meeting, since community attendance is uncommon. The group agreed that elected officials need accurate input from the public in order to make the best decisions for the community. It was noted that there is a leadership opportunity for SCILsters to make a difference since many committee positions are unfilled and many local elected officials are unopposed for re-election. It was noted that local government officials have the most impact on our daily lives.
Baraboo Mayor Rob Nelson joined the group. Nelson is both a Baraboo business owner and the Mayor. Morgan asked Mayor Nelson “Do you consider yourself a leader?” Mayor Nelson gave a qualified response. He replied “Many people think a leader needs to demand and be in command. That’s not my style. I’m not one who will demand – but instead, I invite collaboration.” Getting involved in local government may be daunting or intimidating but it is ultimately rewarding. You don’t have to get it perfect, just need to get better. When asked how he became involved in local government Mayor Nelson shared a quote that helped him in his leadership journey: “If not me, then who?” Being a leader is showing up.
Curt Meine and Mike Mossman ended our day by sharing their 30-year story of collaboration, conversation and perseverance of negotiating the Badger [Army Ammunition Plant] reuse plan. Process is everything when working with tribal, state, local community members, agencies, and government for the common value. Curt shared “No one really likes conflict. There can be no shared vision without shared values, and it takes patience and courage to share and understand values.” They emphasized the power of listening to stories and making sure everyone felt heard. “Lead from behind and from below.”
The SCIL group felt grateful to have a community of people in Sauk County who have the culture of conservancy in their blood and felt the passion and call to lead from within and return this prairie back to our community.
Written by Emmie Phillippi and Joyce Smidl
