Mary Ellen Sheppard's Approach to People

Last week I had the pleasure to sit down with Assistant County Manager, Mary Ellen Sheppard. The purpose of my interview with her was to find out her approaches to leadership to later juxtapose her leadership style to that of another county leader. The time spent with her was phenomenal and I left our meeting feeling inspired and empowered. One of the parts of the interview that I wanted to showcase was her approach on people and how valuing people can change an organization tremendously.

This was a part of my write up following the interview:

Mary Ellen strives to be a part of a department that everyone can be proud of. Mary Ellen identifies that leadership and talent are spread throughout every level of an organization, and that we must capitalize on seeing individuals as valuable contributors to the organization. She approaches people and values them for what they offer her (what makes them unique) and for what they offer to the county. Mary Ellen understands that people are valuable, and she truly believes that if we see each individual based on their skills and abilities, we can then build upon those skills and abilities for personal growth and improvement. She is passionate about seeing others reach their full potential, dreams, and goals.  She adds the most beneficial and memorable parts of her career were when the people that worked with her, cared about her enough to tell her of the value that she brings to the organization while also focusing on her short comings or areas of deficiency.

Mary Ellen embodies a “let’s get real” attitude that benefits every individual and the organization as a whole. She recognizes that to be real with other people, you have to be ‘real’ with yourself when doing self-reflection.  Mary Ellen shared that she engages in a period of reflection to review her actions and decisions that she has made. She examines how she did, or how she could have performed better.  She questions how she could have improved someone’s experience.  She expressed that you must have confidence in your actions; reflection is an area that you can always benefit and improve from. She explains that she does not do well with excuses, status quo, or complacency. She sets expectations for people with an intention for them to grow and benefit from. With these expectations, it somewhat prevents these traits and behaviors that she is not too fond of.