This document is for the staff of the Tax Collector’s ...

This document is for the staff of the Tax Collector’s Office in Polk County, Florida. It is designed to communicate the important elements that define our success as an organization.

My belief is that everyone in our organization must understand and embrace the information contained in this document in order for us to succeed in meeting our Mission.

Joe G. TedderTax Collector for Polk County

What is OFS? 2

Guiding Principles 5

Mission Statement 6

Vision Statement 8

Shared Values 12

Focus Points 14

Road Map to Success 17

Strategic Planning 18

Continuous Improvement 20

Communicating Results 22

Quick Reference Guide 24

COMMON ABBREVIATIONS

OFS Outline for Success

TCPC Tax Collector for Polk

County

IPM Individual Performance

Measures

PIPS Process Improvement &

Problem Solving

FPM Focus Points Measures

SPP Strategic Planning Process

SLT Senior Leadership Team

ELT Executive Leadership Team

OUTLINE FOR SUCCESS u 1

Fourth Edition © 2020

Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County

uTABLE OF CONTENTS

OFS, or Outline for Success, is our systematic approach to drive success across the entire organization by putting into practice our commitment to our Mission, Vision, Values and Focus Points.

2 u OUTLINE FOR SUCCESS Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County

Through the years, the term OFS has

evolved. Now, OFS is our overall Leadership

System that supports our business culture

and beliefs.

OUTLINE FOR SUCCESS u 3Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County

OUTINE FOR SUCCESS (OFS) was created by the Tax Collector’s Office in Polk County, Florida in 1998 as a performance and accountability plan. Basic to the plan were “4 Questions” which were asked of staff:

u How do we determine if we had a successful day, week,month or year?

u How can we communicate the individual’s role in oursuccess?

u How can we objectively measure success at the individual,departmental and organizational level?

u How can we best convey this success to our primarycustomer, the general public?

Why is OFS important?

Most successful organizations provide their employees with a clear understanding of their role in the success of the organization, using scorecards that track individual, departmental and organization-wide performance. These organizations also create a culture where communication and empowerment motivate individual staff members to:

u be fully engaged in their work.

u be actively involved in opportunities for improvement.

u embrace a sense of personal accomplishment and team pride.

u take a personal responsibility for understanding, acceptingand living the culture of the organization.

Our organization strives for

success each and every day



The Guiding Principles areour organization’s beliefs:uMISSION - What we do

u VISION - Where we are going

u SHARED VALUES - Who we are

u FOCUS POINTS - How we do it

Each are equally important to the success of the Organization.

Tax Collector’s Office Mission StatementAdopted 1997 (Revised in 2020)


“We are working to earn the public’s trust and confidence.”

A “Mission Statement” is a brief explanation of the purpose of an organization. It is “what we do.” We have defined our MISSION to help us focus on what we must do every day!

To be an effective Tax Collector’s Office, we must have the public’s trust and confidence. We earn the public’s trust and confidence through:

u Customer Serviceu Qualityu Efficiency

It is about serving the customer in a way that allow them to feel we are doing everything we can to give them a positive experience.

It is also about providing quality service and exceeding the customer’s expectations.

Finally, we want to make this happen by operating efficiently and saving taxpayer dollars.

“Simply put, treat the customer the

way you wantto be treated;

complete their work correctly;

and, look for ways to save money

while doing so.”

—Joe G. Tedder,Tax Collector


“To treat our customers with such professionalism andconcern that we change their perception of government.”

Tax Collector’s Office Vision



Our “Vision Statement” serves as a long-term goal for our organization, employees, customers, taxpayers and the various taxing authorities.

Our VISION is about us, but more importantly, it’s about working for something greater...

It embodies the belief that we can inspire people to understand that government can demonstrate high quality professionalism, compassion, common sense and all the virtues that define leadership.

We can make a difference...

The customer’s perception is ultimately formed from their interaction with ALL OF US.

Our “Vision Statement” is like a compass point;

it gives us direction and

guidance to our destination.

Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County

Imagine This...“Mary makes her way to the office. She is concerned because the taxes on her home are four months late. She has no money, but thinks she could pay her taxes if she had more time. She has heard stories of people losing their homes due to unpaid taxes. As she walks into our office, she doesn’t understand the signs or know who to see about her problem. Everyone else seems to know what is going on as they move through the lobby.

Her expectation: This is another government agency that will show her little compassion or concern. She fears that only bad things are to come.

Our expectation: We embrace the situation and show Mary great understanding, as we are empathetic and feel her frustration and concern. With our VISION in mind, we are patient and look for all possible solutions to her circum-stance.

Mary wa lks away knowing her options and feeling that we are really working to help her. She has a better understand-ing of her situation and a different sentiment about our office and how government should act.

Months later, when she finds herself in a conversation about government, Mary stands up and says, “If you want to look for a shining example of what government could and should be, look no further than the Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County.

OUTLINE FOR SUCCESS u 11

INTEGRITY • INNOVATION • ACCOUNTABILITYCOMPASSION • TEAMWORK

Adopted in 2008


SHARED VALUES are those personal qualities and traits that, as members of the Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County, we individually and collectively believe are essential in fulfilling our Mission and Vision. Ultimately, each one of us reflects the image of the organization.

In 2007, a Values Task Force comprising a wide cross-section of all staff took on the task of establishing our Shared Values. The entire office voted on a preliminary list and the Task Force presented their final recommendations.

An easy way to remember them is II ACT = “TO ACT”

Our SHARED VALUES provide a guide for how we are to act in order to fulfill our Mission and Vision. These values are reinforced through personal encouragement and recognized with performance evaluations, departmental goals and other professional achievements and celebrations. For individuals to succeed in any organization, it’s important that their personal values don’t conflict with the values of the organization.


Integrity is striving to be honest, reliable, respectful, ethical and fair. The Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County believes integrityis critical in gaining the trust and confidence needed to be successful in serving each other and our customers.

Innovation is the introduction of something new that converts knowledge and ideas into benefits. The Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County believes in using innovation to bring about creative and progressive techniques to streamline the services we provide.

Accountability is the commitment to be responsible for one’s actions. The Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County believes we must be accountable to each other, our organization, and to the people we serve. We commit to be transparent in our actions and results.

Compassion is an awareness and understanding of an individual’s situation with a desire to help. The Tax Collector’s Office forPolk County believes that, as public servants, our job is to be sensitive to the needs of people in our community and approach our work with the compassion to help others.

Teamwork is using the unique talents of individuals in a collaborative manner and working toward a common goal. The Tax Collector’s Office forPolk County believes we should treat one another with respect, openness and encouragement. “We believe a group of committed, thoughtful people working together will achieve extraordinary results.”

ACCOUNTABILITYINTEGRITY INNOVATION COMPASSION TEAMWORK

We have adopted a set of FOCUS POINTS to highlight key categories of performance that we recognizeto be the most important in fulfilling our Mission and Vision. Concentrating on these focus points helps us align our work in order to meet our goals.They are “how we do it.”

CUSTOMER SERVICECustomer Service in the Tax Collector’s Office means providing the best service through meeting or exceeding our customer’s expectations, which impacts every decision we make and drives our ability to fulfill our Vision.

EMPLOYEE WELL-BEINGEmployee well-being at the Tax Collector’s Office is the outcome of high job satisfaction, the application of the individual’s strengths, and positive Supervisor relations in an open and trusting work environment. (Definition revised in August 2012)

EFFICIENCYEfficiency in the Tax Collector’s Office means striving to maximize the efforts of our office in the timely delivery of services, conservation of resources, innovation and creative problem-solving and streamlining of policies and procedures to accomplish our objectives.

ACCOUNTABILITYAccountability in the Tax Collector’s Office requires us to hold ourselves to the goals and standards that we have set forth to the public, striving to maintain transparency in all we do, as fiduciary stewards of the public’s trust.

LEADERSHIPLeadership in the Tax Collector’s Office involves establishing and communicating a clear vision, providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision, while demonstrating our commitment to the community. (Definition revised in August 2012)

In 2007 the Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County established the following FOCUS POINTS.

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An easy way to remember these FOCUS POINTS is:

CEEAL = SEAL


The Tax Collector’s Office approaches every customer/task with our Focus Points in mind. Here are some good questions to remind us of the five areas for success.

u Am I doing all that I can to provide an excellent experience for our customers? (CUSTOMER SERVICE)

u Am I actively engaged in activities and offerings that will help me grow in my work and professional skills? (EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING)

u Am I working to save resources, expedite processes, and bring value to the office and my department? (EFFICIENCY)

u Am I doing my best to meet the goals and objectives of my job and for the TCPC? (ACCOUNTABILITY)

u Am I part of the greater vision of our office and actively demonstrating that to those around me? (LEADERSHIP)

But how are these Focus Points used to help us improve?




STRATEGIC PLANNING is one of the KEY PROCESSES our organization uses to assess past performance and to plan for the future.

Through the STRATEGIC PLANNING process we gather information to identify opportunities for improvement, address threats and set short and long term organizational goals.

The process involves the entire organization and uses our Focus Points to narrow in on those Key Performance Measures (KPMs) that are most important to success.

GOAL SETTING, as a key step in the Strategic Planning Process, is a process where desired measurable outcomes are established to maintain acceptable performance levels or to close a gap.

One of the driving factors in Strategic Planning is information gathered from our customers, peers, private industries and – equally important – the staff at the Tax Collector’s Office.

As part of our Strategic Planning Process (SPP), the

Tax Collector’s Office for Polk

County sets and monitors its

performance against established

objectives.



Define the Situation

Measure to Identify Probable Causes

Analyze for Best Possible Solution(s)

Improve the Process

Control & Report Results

In 2008, we established a standard way to approach Process Improvement and Problem Solving. This technique is called “PIPS.”

PIPS steps include: PIPS reinforces our SHARED VALUE-

INNOVATION and our FOCUS POINT -

EFFICIENCY and are to be

used by everyone

throughout all levels of the

organization.


For ignition, click on the PIPS Dropbox on Sharepoint!

We review our measures regularly to make sure we are meeting our goals. By color-coding our results, we can quickly see where improvement is needed.


Getting the green light tells us that we are on the right track.

The Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County has a number of measurements which report the outcome or results for our office. Measurements begin with the individual and roll up into departmental results and office-wide achievement, culminating in our Key Performance Measure KPM scorecard. Therefore, every individual can see how they are ultimately responsible for the overall performance of our office in achieving the desired goals and outcomes.

The following is a listing of the different reporting levels:

Public Reports - As part of our overall mission and vision we have an obligation and responsibility to provide objective information to citizens of Polk County. The public reports are designed to provide accountability and reflect the overall progress of how we are meeting citizen’s expectations. Our Annual Report is an example of this level of reporting.

KPM (Key Performance Measures) Score Card - This report is designed to take the top dozen or so measures that defines our success and provide an overall condition of the organization.

FPM (Focus Point Measures) - These are presented at the monthly ELT Meeting when leadership reports their department’s monthly performance.

IPM (Individual Performance Measures) - Specific measures of personal responsibility throughout the organization. This information should tie into performance evaluations, as well as roll up into the departmental reports and Focus Point Measures (FPM) which are presented periodically to staff.



Available on www.PolkTaxes.comWhat is “Outline for Success”

Tax Collector Mission and Vision

TCPC Seal and Logo

Tax Collector Annual Report

Tax Collector Annual Scorecard

Tax Collector Statutory Responsibilities

Tax Collector Headline News

Tax Dates and Deadlines

Ethics in the Tax Collector’s Office

History of the TCPC

Tax Collector Leadership Team

Observed Holidays

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Available on our InTRAnetOFS Owners Manual PDF (Main Page)

Mission and Vision (Main Page)

Professional Development (Employee Dev Page)

Reimbursement Form (Finance Page)

PIPS Links (Main Page)

Organization Chart (Main Page)

Comment Card Reports (Public Engagement Page)

Observed Holidays (HR Page)

Employee Handbook (HR Page)


In summary, this document was developed as a way to communicate what we, as a team, believe is important in fulfilling The Tax Collector’s Mission and Vision.

This is your copy of our Outline For Success. Keep it as a ready reference along with your Passport to help you in understanding the beliefs of the organization and to help you focus on what is important.

If everyone in our organization will embrace the information contained in this document, then we will surely have a roadmap to success!

Good Luck. Remember, it’s all about the journey!

Tax Collector’s Office for Polk County © 2020


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