Leadership

Looking at the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency I see and understand the need that

is necessary to ensure that the agency is able to provide quality service to the riding public of San

Francisco. The SFMTA was established over 100 years ago but has faced many trials and

tribulations since its inception. The Training Department is the backbone to the any transit agency

and needs to have a strong staff and the resources necessary to ensure that the employees must be

successful. The goal is to ensure that training is the most up to date and that the materials are

current.

The agency has an obligation to ensure that the staff is knowledgeable about the task that

is required. The current strategy of the agency is to establish a staff that is familiar with the rules,

procedures and the protocols that are necessary to ensure the goal for the agency. It is also

mandatory that the department has the available equipment. The equipment includes the course

material, the various coaches that is needed to conduct training while not impacting regular service.

There must be a familiarity with the rules and regulations required to operate coaches and

certifying that the staff is knowledgeable about the Federal Transit Administration. The Leadership

Strategy is to confirm that the training program is designed to provide safety and regulatory

guidance necessary for success.

Core Ideology Envisioned Future

To provide safe and efficient transit service to

the public in San Francisco.

To have zero deaths by 2030, due to the

increase and effectiveness of the training acquired.

Core Values Vivid Description

• Customer Service

• Safety • Communication

• Accountability

• The ultimate goal for the SFMTA is

to establish a training program that can keep the employees and the

public safe.

For SFMTA, the goal is to have ZERO transit accidents and ZERO Deaths from transit.

There are so many transits involved deaths and accidents that the agency is moving forward

trying to implement a plan to correct the concerns.

It is a great achievement to reach the goals of ZERO accidents and ZERO deaths. It has

been a major accomplishment. To be able to implement a goal and for it to be achieved has made

a major adjustment and/or the change to the training program was a success. The world and the

roads are a safer place for everyone traveling on them. I will know that there has been a change

because is safer to walk, drive, and ride bicycles in San Francisco.

One learning goal that stood out to me was to become an active listener. To be a good

listener that will require an understanding. Being an active listener will require both verbal and

nonverbal feedback. That would include smiling and making eye contact. The strengths that I

learned about for the course are communication, consistency, empathy, strat egy and being a

maximizer. Some of the other strengths are self -assurance, deliberative and focus that I have

learned about from other readings and activities.

Currently the SFMTA is having problems when it comes to inclusivity. Unfortunately,

the agency has a history of not paying attention to inclusiveness in any one area. There is a lot of

blatant favoritism which resulted in overlooking people who were more qualified for certain

positions. Some studies have shown that race has played a major factor in a lot of appointments

in the agency. Currently the agency is looking into trying to correct some of these past

indiscretions, but it does not appear as if it is working.

For the agency to have as many employees as it does it is extremely concerning and

alarming that there have been so many people to come forward with allegations of

discrimination. The agency needs a whole new overhaul when it comes to selection for a

promotional opportunity. There should be an outside agency that conducts the selection process

from the beginning to the end. Having sat on interview panels and seeing how the agency makes

elections for positions it's extremely concerning. The people on the panel are bias from the start.

The personal connection with the employee and the interviewer plays a major factor in the

selection process. In seeing the selection process for new appointments from a union perspective

I was extremely concerned. To see the lead of the panel engaging with employees questioning if

they knew her instead of asking the questions and listening to the replies to properly score them

makes me question the integrity of that individual.

In recent years the agency has also been bringing a lot of people in from the

outside. Transportation is a major field that works this best for people who had the experience

personally from having been on the front line. With their currently being people in decision

making positions who do not have a real understanding of what the job entails for it to move

forward, also plays a major factor in the progression of the agency. Now there is becoming a

pattern of hiring people from what is called the outside instead of promoting from within. This

has been concerning because the agency currently exists of primarily minorities with the people

coming from the outside being primarily white. It gives the appearance as if the frontline

employees are being discriminated against due to their race and or gender.

Although the priorities appear to be to keep the agency forward moving the reality looks

as if we are stagnant and not moving at all. with a lot of these concerns now being brought to not

only management but to the board and the mayor the agency has now implemented possible

change with their new diversity inclusion and equity program. It is still a work in progress, but

they are now looking to try to acknowledge and address a lot of the concerns that have been

brought forward as far as disparate treatment towards minority employees and the lack of

promotional opportunities for minorities. The main priority that the leadership is acknowledging

is the fact that there is a genuine concern. That is indeed the first step in the right direction.

Some of the barriers that are the agency is currently facing is the addressing the

insensitivity and the microaggressions that a lot of the staff feel they face when they are bringing

forward their concerns when it comes to the disparate treatment for promotional opportunities

and discipline amongst the staff. I would like to see, with the agency acknowledging t he lack of

inclusivity, equity, and diversity but to try to develop a line of communication with the staff to

get direct feedback for those who have been impacted by the mistreatment whatever that may be

and try to develop a realistic plan on how to address their concerns. Also, with addressing the

concerns being genuine with the intended goals for change and not just acknowledging them and

then looking past them with has been the past practice.

I personally don’t believe that there is a set “end -goal” because as people change, and

management changes the needs will change. I believe that there will need to be staff dedicated to

the evolving needs of the agency and is staff to ensure that peoples voices are not lost.

Some of the obstacles to success that stand in the way of an organization’s leadership can be the

current leadership. At the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency there are a lot of issues when

it comes to leadership strategies. In most cases there are in the wrong positions and may not

possess the skills that a leader should possess. The SFMTA’s leadership does not possess the

proper skills that are needed to properly lead and uplift their staff, which can impact

effectiveness. Insufficient leadership has had an impact on the productivity and can impact a

staff’s motivation. The absence of goals and refusing to help can also impact an employee’s

willingness to cooperate and to assist management with their goals. The SFMTA has

There can be several obstacles to success that stand in the w ay of the organization’s

leadership, effectiveness and/or outcomes. One obstacle can be refusing the help of others. To

be a successful leader, the leader must understand the importance of utilizing the staff and

resources around them.

Not understanding how to learn from mistakes can also be another obstacle that can

impact the ability to be a successful leader. Identifying a mistake can be a learning tool for not

only the leader but for all parties involved.

The absence of a plan and/not having goals can be an example of another obstacle that

can impact one’s success. As a leader people are often looking up to the leader to for a plan. The

absence of a plan can make the leader look as though they are not knowledgeable, don’t have any

authority or credibility.

My plan to gain access to personnel and budgets is to look inline and to request sunshine

requests. The sunshine requests will give me the information that is needed that is not accessible

to the public. My plan to access employees for potential surveys, interviews, etc. is to do some

outreach. In performing the outreach to the staff, I will also inquire about other ways to access

opinions and ideas from the staff and the public.

Works Cited

1. SFMTA. Protocol for New Operator Trainees. Rev. 08/2020; 1-196