12 Rules for Elected Officials

On the 4th floor of City Hall, there’s a plaque called “12 Rules for Elected Officials,” and every time I see it, it’s a powerful reminder of what good leadership and decision-making should look like. It’s not about me, and it’s not just about right now—it’s about what’s best for Frisco. It’s about making a difference today while building a better future for generations to come. I strive to keep these guiding principles front and center as I serve our city.

12 RULES FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Base my decisions on the next generation more than the next election, committed to the ideal that my loyalty must be to the entire community (both now and in the future) and not merely to my supporters.

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Focus on mission, vision and values as the benchmark for my decisions and recognize that my responsibility is the pursuit of the greatest good for the entire community and not the satisfaction of any particular group's agenda.

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Make decisions based on fact-based evidence and not allow myself to be manipulated into bad decisions for the future based on the decibel level of critics.

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Recognize that "it takes a smart man to know where he is stupid" and have the wisdom to be smart. Accordingly, I will value those who have the courage to tell me what they really think and will listen sincerely to those who disagree with me to truly understand their perspective, recognizing that understanding other perspectives makes me a better leader.

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Embrace my responsibility to govern rather than to manage; recognize that if I am doing staff's job, I am not doing my job, while also understanding and embracing the appropriately exercised governance role of holding staff accountable.

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Place a greater emphasis on solutions than on problems, while refusing to offer solutions before I understand the problem.

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Understand that mutual trust is the foundation for everything and that if I refuse to trust others, they will be unable to trust me.

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Protect the integrity of the process more than the rightness of my position; I will fight hard for my issue but then unify behind the governing body when the decision is made because the decision was made with integrity of process, even if I disagree with the outcome.

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Understand that my deeply-held beliefs, values and positions will be strengthened, not compromised by courteous, respectful and civil discourse. I will not treat someone as the enemy just because we disagree.

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Treat everyone with dignity and respect because of who I am as a leader. . . not because of how they treat me or what I think about them.

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Be a role model for civility. I will not treat my colleagues or staff in any way that I would be embarrassed if my five-year-old child treated someone the same way.

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Never Forget - it is not about me - it is not about now - and it never is.

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