Desiree Johnson

I attribute my success to being people-focused and detail-oriented, and being able to adapt. No matter what department or role I'm in, I've always focused on growing and delivering value. I think it's important to stay flexible and keep learning, because every situation is different. I've learned to bring structure to ambiguity and create processes where there weren't any before, which has taught me how to lead with clarity and stay solution-focused. I don't believe in difficult people - I just feel like there's maybe some clarification that I need to give. Not every person is the same, and not every situation is the same, so I approach each one individually.

One of the things that I've always valued from some of my mentors over the past 10, 12, 14 years is to keep an open mind and remember that you're always learning. They taught me to advocate for yourself and speak up, because you never want to assume. It's just easier when you're advocating and speaking up - it creates clear guidelines. Sometimes the workplace can be so busy and you've got so much going on, you really have to advocate for yourself. If you don't understand something, if you don't know something, if you are having an issue, you need to speak up. In order to help the department and the business, you're going to have to advocate for yourself. That was definitely the biggest lesson for me.

I would tell them that they're going to love it - I love government, I love it. But make sure to focus on the impact, stay consistent, and build confidence. Remember that you have a voice - you just have to give yourself the chance to prove it. It's not easy - I've been in construction, I've been in public works, and I have really fought to be where I am in my career. But it's a great feeling when you can look back and you can say, wow, I did all that, especially when you did it by yourself. You know, you might be told that you're a woman, but you know what? It's great being a woman, because women are really hard workers, and we're really smart, and we're able to multitask. We're great.

I would say the biggest challenge is change. Change is not always easy. I'm so used to getting into a new role or when something's happening and thinking, okay, we need to pivot. But sometimes when you're in a place where people have been there for many, many years, change is very, very hard. I've noticed that people struggle with it - whether it's an employee, a manager, a director, or even a citizen. What I try to do is be understanding and transparent, and work through those changes by breaking it down for people that are struggling. I've had to bring structure to ambiguity, and it's taught me how to lead with clarity, stay solution-focused, and create processes where there weren't any before. I don't believe in difficult people - I just feel like there's maybe some clarification that I need to give. Not every person is the same, and not every situation is the same, so I approach it that way.

I would say integrity, empathy, and accountability are most important to me. I want people to make sure they're feeling heard and respected. Especially in the work I do, trust is everything. Every situation is different, and I think a lot of times, people want to vent. They don't necessarily want you to fix things, but they want to feel seen and heard. If I don't know something, I will try to figure it out, and at least I tried. I'm always making sure that things are consistent and we're following protocol, and we're trying to build consistency, because I feel like in the end, if we're consistent, then we're being compliant.