Planners Under Fire

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Michael A. Harper, AICP
Author Info

Abstract

Practicing professional planners often work in a highly charged environment. As such, their employment security can be at risk because of their chosen profession. This paper is the outgrowth of work completed by the joint APA/AICP Planners' Support Task Force and its focus is on survival tools that professional planners may find useful when they come under fire.

Introduction

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thunder'd;

Charge of the Light Brigade
Lord Tennyson

Sound like your last planning commission meeting, or maybe your last meeting with your supervisor which was a result of your performance at the planning commission meeting? Although the charge by these unfortunate 600 men was immortalized in Tennyson's epic poem, the real result was a shattered attempt by unprepared professionals that left most of the brigade dead or dying. Unprepared planners may not experience the ultimate sacrifice of these British cavalrymen, but their professional careers can be severely affected through a lack of understanding of what can happen to them because they are planners; and it is highly doubtful that any planner is going to be immortalized ala' Tennyson.

Planners are Different

So what makes a planner any different from another professional and thus vulnerable to coming under fire? Its not just one distinguishing factor, but a combination of factors that set professional planners apart.

Job vs Avocation.

Pleasure may seem to many as an odd way to describe planning as a professional endeavor. But most effective planners find a large degree of pleasure in working in the planning field. It also can anesthetize them from issues that can affect their careers; how often are we aware of our surroundings when we're doing something pleasurable?

Profession vs Calling.

When was the last time you heard a child declare that (s)he was going to be a planner when (s)he grew up? Planning for most of our colleagues truly is a calling that occurs during our adult life. Because of that calling, working as a planner can be an intense and continuing experience which may be oblivious to outside signs of trouble.

Public interest vs Profit motive.

Whether working in the public or private sector, professional planners always need to keep the public interest in the forefront of their advice giving efforts. It is a tenet of the AICP Code of Ethics and is in line with the reason most planners chose this field as their avocation. Public interest can often come into conflict, though, with the profit motive of private clients and with the increasing interest in this motive by public decision makers.

Money vs Self-fulfillment.

It would be simplistic to state that planners are not in the profession for the money. Hopefully, we're not that naïve. But the dollar motive is probably not as strong an incentive for one getting into and staying in the planning profession as is the self-fulfillment aspect of this work. Given just the work environment of numerous meetings that often can result in twelve hour days while being monetarily compensated for eight begs the answer that self-fulfillment is a strong alternative compensation for most planners.

Tilting at Windmills. Don Quixote is a nom-de-plume that many planners are known by. The result of planners seeing their job as an avocation and a calling can result in charges at windmills that can leave them exposed to fire that was unexpected.

Do-gooder Syndrome.

Planning offers such rich opportunities to do good deeds that it can be hard to resist defining what those good deeds are or should be. Without agreement by those with whom we work, self-defining good deeds can easily lead to professional travails.

Finger-in-the-dike Syndrome.

Planners are passionate defenders of good planning. It is, therefore, not uncommon for our colleagues to resist bad decisions that undermine good planning. Trouble occurs when planners either don't understand the dynamics that have led to change or take it upon themselves to define the public's agenda because of an assumed superior professional perspective.

Definition of a professional planner.

This is one of the two significant distinguishing characteristics of the profession that set planners apart from other skills. There just is not an accepted definition of a professional planner, though APA and AICP have devoted countless hours to attempting to fashion a generally accepted definition. In a sense, this lack of an accepted definition is a positive comment about the diversity of planning; on the other hand it creates a potential number of expectations that planners cannot always meet.

Multiple Influencing Parties.

The other major characteristic that marks planners as being different from other professionals is the number of influencing parties they encounter. Planning commissioners, planning managers, planning staff members, governing body members, department heads, developers and citizens are all constantly influencing the actions that planners may be contemplating or have taken. Although one could argue that these same parties affect other professionals, it is not usual that other professionals are going to experience the number of influencing parties consistently at the same time in highly charged public settings as planners do.

Becoming Aware of the Fire

Being cognizant of warning signs will help immeasurably in surviving as a professional planner. The following identifies warning signs that should be heeded to help in avoiding the fire. A note of caution to the reader: these warning signs should be seen in the context of a pattern, not as single events. Assuming that a single occurrence of one of the following signs portends impending professional doom will lead one down the path to paranoia (and probably a self-fulfilling prophesy of career destruction). Look for patterns of the following signs.

External Signs.

These are signs that emanate outside of the immediate workplace in which a planner works. These signs are usually less common that internal signs that will be discussed next. Unfortunately, though, external signs can be more immediately harmful and less able to be combatted.

Deprecating verbal comments from those to whom you report or assist can be a signal of something amiss. Since it is rare that you will be directly confronted with these comments, it is important that the professional planner identify the source of the comments and text of the statements to address the issue behind the comments. Ignoring comments may be taking the high road, but it can also lead to unforeseen consequences.

Written comments, especially to publications, that call into question the planner's professionalism, can be serious warning signs. Letters that are sent to supervisors, and not shared with the planner, are another source of concern that should be addressed.

A sudden change in public contact or between the planner and colleagues should be considered a warning sign. Most often this can mean a perceived loss of confidence by those with whom the professional planner works, or a harbinger of something to come.

Some more obvious warning signs are lawsuits and ethics charges lodged against a planner for professional conduct. The task force has also become aware of some rather non-traditional warnings that planners have experienced: lack of service at the local eatery, cartoon caricatures of an unkind nature and being the subject of a float in a parade.

Internal Signs.

Internal warning signs are those that occur within the workplace. The most common sign is the performance evaluation. This section will pay special attention to performance evaluation signs and responses. Other internal signs will also be identified in this section.

Performance evaluations should be seen as a formal method of identifying successes and areas in need of improvement as well as a vehicle to identify courses of action to maintain and expand the professionalism of the planner. When the written and verbal evaluation stray from these goals, then care needs to be taken to deal with the warning signs that may be occurring. Some of these signs and possible responses are enumerated below.

In addition to observing warning signs, some general rules for being prepared during the performance evaluation are listed below.

In addition to the performance evaluation being a source of warning signs, other signs exist in the workplace. These signs can be as follows.

What if the Unthinkable happens?

Chances are that many of our colleagues will come close to being terminated sometime in their career and some will be the unlucky recipients of the pink slip. This section suggests some ways of coping with this situation and rebounding from the sometimes shattering effect of losing a job.

Termination, Lay-off or Resignation?

The first decision when the unthinkable occurs may be to make a choice among termination, lay-off or resignation, assuming a choice is available. First, some definitions are needed. Termination is typically being separated from a position for cause, e.g. poor performance, violation of office policy, etc. A lay-off usually occurs during a reduction in force and is often based on financial or organizational changes; seniority in service typically is the determining factor about who is laid-off and who is kept. Resignation is a voluntary separation from the organization.

Although termination is probably the least desirable way of leaving an employer, it may be preferable if the following occurs:

A lay-off is usually very restricted to whom it affects. As noted above, seniority in service is typically used to determine who gets laid-off. Therefore, be aware of your 'bumping' rights. Also, be aware of where you may bump to or be bumped to. This may have an effect on whether you decide to accept a lay-off. Assuming that you can bump, some issues that you may want to consider before bumping or accepting a lay-off are noted below.

Although resignation is a voluntary process, as used in this section it is an alternative to termination and possibly a lay-off. Some of the considerations is resigning are enumerated below.

Staying Sane.

So the unthinkable has occurred. Here are some suggestions to help maintain sanity during one of the most stressful times that any person will encounter.

APA and AICP assistance.

APA and AICP can be a good source for helping to stay sane and move on to the next professional position. APA and AICP offer reduced dues rates for out-of-work members. APA publishes Job Mart, an employment publication which is devoted to planning positions. Chapters can be a good place to share experiences, get advice and network for other jobs that may be available or becoming available. The joint APA/AICP Planners' Support Task Force has a network of members who are willing to provide counseling to professional planners experiencing job related problems.

Moving On.

The hunt for a new job, especially under circumstances that were not of your choosing, can be daunting. Some ideas to help the move to the next career challenge are listed below.

The resume is the professional planners calling card. It introduces you to the prospective employer and provides a reference for that employer when discussing you with others. Effective resumes will get you into the interview. Some tips on keeping the resume in shape are as follows.

Cover letters are also an important aspect of the job hunt. A good cover letter will lead an employer to look at the resume. In the cover letter identify the job being sought, the reason for our interest in the position, what skills you bring to the position and work traits that make you the ideal candidate.

Interviews are the culmination of the job search process. Some ideas for shining during the interview are noted here.

How To Reduce The Prospects Of Planners Being Under Fire

This paper has primarily been devoted to addressing issues that occur when professional planners find their jobs in jeopardy primarily because of the career that they have chosen. It is more of a reactive response than anything else. In concluding this paper, some suggestions for reducing the prospects of a shattered career are identified. The suggestions require a collective response by planners.

Closing

Unlike the unfortunate Light Brigade of 140 years ago, professional planners have the skills and the foresight to avoid coming under fire. Our energies are so much better used in planning for a better tomorrow than addressing the fire that planners can be subject to because of our chosen profession.

References

How to Succeed in Today's Workplace. (1997, August 29-31). USA Today, C2

Maher, S. Surviving a Layoff. Civil Engineering

Morris, R. and Willis, C. When They Said "It's Time to Leave", Did You Get Hit by the Closing Door? Public Management

Working Wounded. (1997). Idaho Statesman

California Chapter, American Planning Association. (1992). Planners Threatened Support Package and Survival Kit, Sacramento: California Chapter, APA

Walluk, J. (1997) Planners Under Attack. Pennsylvania Planner Newsletter

Writing a Resume may be an Art, But It Shouldn't be a Time-Consuming Career. (1997). Idaho Statesman

Michael A. Harper, AICP
Department of Community Development
Washoe County, Nevada