While working with WACO President & Kittitas County Treasurer Amy Cziske’s 2025 theme, Time to Lead, WACO staff realized that membership at large truly resonated with the theme’s focus. Through their regular communication with the WACO team, many members echoed the same sentiment – I always want to be a better leader.
“County officials, by the nature of their office, and the process to reach their office, have a proven track record of leadership,” WACO Deputy Director Timothy Grisham shared his thoughts on the title of ‘leader’ that WACO members carry, and that their sentiment didn’t surprise him. “The best leaders know that they can always improve. Their path to success has been paved by continuous improvement and reflection.”
Including conference education happening during the event, this year so far WACO has provided over thirty hours of training and education to members. That’s in addition to countless meetings to help offices problem solve, consulting on legislative priorities, and brainstorming with officials on how we can best help the incoming newly electeds at next year’s NEO Conference. Each one of WACO’s offerings in 2025 pulled in great attendance from different affiliate groups, and many even brought their staff. Not only do the best leaders know that they can always improve, they are actively striving to do so for themselves and their teams. But, as any elected official at this week’s conference can tell you, it’s never that simple.
Rhonda Hilyer, founder of Agreement Dynamics, is presenting this year’s featured workshop, Success Signals. A renowned professional in the organizational development, conflict resolution, and facilitation world, Rhonda consults with an extensive list of household names – Boeing, Microsoft, University of Washington and Washington State University to name a few. She’s also worked with countless national and international associations, local Washington State elected officials, and counties throughout the country. She believes that time is the biggest barrier leaders face in the struggle to improve - and WACO members have echoed the thought.
“In order to access educational opportunities to further their development as leaders, time is the biggest barrier. No question about it.”
With a workload that is ever increasing, many elected officials throughout the state struggle to carve out time to breathe, let alone further their leadership education. Having worked with municipalities and a variety of public service entities, Rhonda knows this struggle intimately. It’s why she’s allowed WACO to not only make her workshop available to virtual conference attendees, but also as a member-only offering on the WACO Education Hub. Rhonda’s program is typically a four-hour or more offering, but she’s created a custom session for WACO members because she feels that her focus, communication, is vital to the success of all professional work – particularly local government offices.
“Experts maintain that 70% of conflict and misunderstandings are first caused by communication style misunderstandings. If you can use your own style to deal with that, you’ve addressed 70% of conflict.”
In Rhonda’s opinion, improving communication skills – the ability to meet others where they are, effectively delegate and share information, resolve conflict, and positively influence teams – is where the best leaders spend their time.
“A lot of leaders don’t understand how powerful they are in the eyes of those that report to them. Their words matter, their tone matters. Employees take them very seriously, and sometimes very literally.”
Hundreds of online forums discussing insecurity of being fired because of an offhanded remark from a boss proves Rhonda’s point. And the stress for those serving in the offices of WACO members is even further compounded. “There is angst and fear –” Rhonda says, “How do I serve this elected? How do I do it in a way that won’t be detrimental to myself or my career?”
Unfortunately, while communication is in the top two or three issues that comprise the recruitment and retention struggle facing many industries, including public service, it is still viewed as a soft skill. It’s also used as a catch all term, which can make some leaders brush it off. Rhonda acknowledges that the focus on how we talk can feel tedious, but she pushes back on the hesitation to continue learning more about it.
“It’s a big broad word and people throw it around – it becomes kind of trite after a while. But the reality is that effective communication is the true door opener. If you want to influence your teams, community, and constituents, your understanding and style of communication is the most critical factor.”
Knowing your communication style and the styles of your team, can be viewed as an exercise in professional self-awareness. Like the Johari Window technique, a cognitive psychology tool used in corporate and self-improvement settings to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others, Rhonda’s program allows us to see our blind spots.
“There’s a nice boss and that’s great, but that can cause confusion because they may not be direct enough. There are bosses that bark orders. There are even cases where a boss may come across so laissez-faire that staff are afraid to come forward with key information because they’ll be seen as pushers. You may think you’re one type of boss, but have you ever asked your team which kind they think you are?”
As leaders, even if there is fear about what the answer may be, there’s a responsibility to find out. On top of that, there’s a responsibility to find out safely. That’s where Rhonda’s program, Success Signals, becomes instrumental in improving office functioning. It provides a safe structure to open the door for team feedback and interaction.
“I find the fear factor is huge. If a leader says to ‘jump four feet in the air,’ too often, staff are afraid to ask why. Even though, in a lot of situations it is possible for the request to be done differently.”
While you may not think you create an atmosphere where this fear exists, Rhonda solidifies the need to find out how accurate that is. We all have blind spots.
“If staff doesn’t feel empowered or have the skills to effectively help their elected official understand the ramifications of certain actions, then the operation of the office professionally, financially, and reputationally is at stake.”
Rhonda has presented the Success Signals program to thousands of people. She’s worked with 16-year-old lifeguards at public pools, nuclear physicists, MD PHDs, plumbers, pipe layers, police, firefighters, and everyone in between. The program resonates across age, education level, occupations, race, and gender, and it’s been used internationally for groups big and small.
“The program has an integrity and tangibility to it. Join us on Thursday to learn how to understand yourself and others, then go back to your office with tools you can immediately use to improve communication.”
**Rhonda's workshop from the 2025 WACO Annual Conference will soon be available on the WACO Education Hub.**
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Thank you to WACO Annual Conference Sponsor Washington Department of Enterprise Services for making the conference Success Signals workshop possible.
DES provides centralized business services to state government agencies; to other public entities such as cities and counties; to tribal governments; and to Washington residents. Their mission is to strengthen the business of government. Learn more: https://des.wa.gov/