At the City of Ferris, we believe in a workforce that thrives on purpose, growth, and accountability. As our City Manager so eloquently shared, the talent crisis in public administration is more than a conversation—it’s an urgent call to action. We’re committed to reshaping how we support and develop our team, ensuring that each member sees their value every day, not just in the mission statement. By fostering an environment where flexibility, honest feedback, and leadership at all levels are the standard, we aim to build a public service that leads by example. At Ferris, our workforce isn’t just a part of the story—it is the story. Together, we’re driving innovation and impact for a brighter future. Retain. Develop. Elevate. We’re proud to lead the way.
In public administration, the talent crisis we’re facing is no longer just a conversation topic; it’s an emergency. Let’s be clear: if we don’t seriously rethink how we approach workforce development, we will fail, and the consequences for our communities will be severe. Retention is not about pizza parties or ‘employee appreciation days.’ It’s about creating roles that matter - where people see their value daily, not just in the mission statement. It’s about eliminating silos and flattening hierarchies, allowing teams to drive real impact without bureaucratic choke points. Want to know why we’re bleeding talent? It’s because we’ve spent too long stagnating. We have to stop treating workforce development like a checklist item and start treating it like the lifeblood of high performance. That means giving people room to grow, investing in leadership at every level, and demanding that our own leadership confronts the reality that our workforce is our most powerful strategic asset. If you want retention, here’s the hard truth: you need to create a work environment where people would fight to stay. This means: • High-accountability cultures that demand excellence but provide the tools and support to achieve it. • Flexibility where it counts, not as a perk but as the default. • Brutal honesty about performance, not just platitudes about ‘exceeding expectations’, but targeted growth, real feedback, and clear, actionable paths forward. Public service doesn’t need to mimic the private sector - it needs to lead by example. The cities that get workforce development right will not only survive - they’ll thrive. The rest? They’ll become a cautionary tale. Stop talking about ‘talent pipelines’ and start building talent ecosystems - where growth, innovation, and impact aren’t optional - they’re required. Because at the end of the day, our workforce isn’t the side story, it’s the whole story. Retain. Develop. Elevate. The future of public service depends on it. #WorkforceDevelopment #PublicAdministration #Leadership #HighAccountability #FutureOfGovernment #EmployeeGrowth #Retention #SeriousSolutions #MunicipalExcellence